expedia

Tokyo Half-Day Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide

By Japan Guide Agency
4.9 out of 5
Features
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation
Overview

Enjoy an efficient, half-day tour of Tokyo accompanied by a government-licensed and experienced multilingual guide! Your guide will introduce both modern and traditional aspects of this dynamic Japanese capital.

Due to the enormous size of Tokyo, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, a one-day tour would probably focus on one small area, which would still leave you in awe at the scale of the city. Tokyo is where you can experience both modern and traditional, and your experienced private guide will help you efficiently enjoy a half day in this dynamic Japanese capital.

Let us know what you would like to experience, and we will customize a four-hour tour that's best for you!

Note1: Please select your must-see spots from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary.
Note
2: National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires a good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history.

Check availability


Sorry this activity isn't available on
Please choose a different date

What's included, what's not

  • What's includedWhat's includedLicensed Local Guide
  • What's includedWhat's includedCustomizable Tour of your choice of 2-3 sites from 'What to expect' list
  • What's excludedWhat's excludedTransportation fee (for yourself)
  • What's excludedWhat's excludedEntrance fee (for yourself)
  • What's excludedWhat's excludedOther personal expenses
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded(for yourself)
  • What's excludedWhat's excludedPrivate transportation

Know before you book

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Specialized infant seats are available
  • Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
  • All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Activity itinerary

Asakusa
  • 1h

This tour will allow you to explore Tokyo more efficiently in one day. Meet at your hotel, then move to anywhere you want.

Imperial Palace
  • 1h

This tour will allow you to explore Tokyo more efficiently in one day. Meet at your hotel, then move to anywhere you want.

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
  • 1h
  • Admission ticket not included

This tour will allow you to explore Tokyo more efficiently in one day. Meet at your hotel, then move to anywhere you want.

Shibuya Crossing (Pass by)

This tour will allow you to explore Tokyo more efficiently in one day. Meet at your hotel, then move to anywhere you want.

Tsukiji Fish Market
  • 1h

This tour will allow you to explore Tokyo more efficiently in one day. Meet at your hotel, then move to anywhere you want.

Meiji Jingu Shrine
  • 1h

This tour will allow you to explore Tokyo more efficiently in one day. Meet at your hotel, then move to anywhere you want.

Akihabara
  • 30m

Akihabara (秋葉原), also called Akiba after a former local shrine, is a district in central Tokyo that is famous for its many electronics shops. In more recent years, Akihabara has gained recognition as the center of Japan's otaku (diehard fan) culture, and many shops and establishments devoted to anime and manga are now dispersed among the electronic stores in the district. On Sundays, Chuo Dori, the main street through the district, is closed to car traffic from 13:00 to 18:00 (until 17:00 from October through March).

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden
  • 30m
  • Admission ticket not included

Koishikawa Korakuen (小石川後楽園, Koishikawa Kōrakuen) is one of Tokyo's oldest and best Japanese gardens. It was built in the early Edo Period (1600-1867) at the Tokyo residence of the Mito branch of the ruling Tokugawa family. Like its namesake in Okayama, the garden was named Korakuen after a poem encouraging a ruler to enjoy pleasure only after achieving happiness for his people. Koishikawa is the district in which the garden is located in.

Hama Rikyu Gardens
  • 30m
  • Admission ticket not included

Hama Rikyu (浜離宮, Hama Rikyū), is a large, attractive landscape garden in central Tokyo. Located alongside Tokyo Bay, Hama Rikyu features seawater ponds which change level with the tides, and a teahouse on an island where visitors can rest and enjoy the scenery. The traditionally styled garden stands in stark contrast to the skyscrapers of the adjacent Shiodome district.

Tokyo National Museum
  • 30m
  • Admission ticket not included

The Tokyo National Museum (東京国立博物館, Tōkyō Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan) is the oldest and largest of Japan's top-level national museums, which also include the Kyoto National Museum, the Nara National Museum and the Kyushu National Museum. It was originally established in 1972 at Yushima Seido Shrine and moved to its current location in Ueno Park a few years later. The Tokyo National Museum features one of the largest and best collections of art and archeological artifacts in Japan, made up of over 110,000 individual items including nearly a hundred national treasures. At any one time, about 4000 different items from the permanent museum collection are on display. In addition, visiting temporary exhibitions are also held regularly. Good English information and audio guides are available.

Tokyo Skytree
  • 30m
  • Admission ticket not included

The Tokyo Skytree (東京スカイツリー) is a television broadcasting tower and landmark of Tokyo. It is the centerpiece of the Tokyo Skytree Town in the Sumida City Ward, not far away from Asakusa. With a height of 634 meters (634 can be read as "Musashi", a historic name of the Tokyo Region), it is the tallest structure in Japan and the second tallest in the world at the time of its completion. A large shopping complex with aquarium is located at its base.

Senso-ji Temple
  • 30m

Sensoji (浅草寺, Sensōji, also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple) is a Buddhist temple located in Asakusa. It is one of Tokyo's most colorful and popular temples. The legend says that in the year 628, two brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River, and even though they put the statue back into the river, it always returned to them. Consequently, Sensoji was built nearby for the goddess of Kannon. The temple was completed in 645, making it Tokyo's oldest temple.

Rikugien Garden
  • 30m
  • Admission ticket not included

Rikugien (六義園) is often considered Tokyo's most beautiful Japanese landscape garden alongside Koishikawa Korakuen. Built around 1700 for the 5th Tokugawa Shogun, Rikugien literally means "six poems garden" and reproduces in miniature 88 scenes from famous poems. The garden is a good example of an Edo Period strolling garden and features a large central pond surrounded by manmade hills and forested areas, all connected by a network of trails.

Yoyogi Park
  • 30m

Yoyogi Park (代々木公園, Yoyogi Kōen) is one of Tokyo's largest city parks, featuring wide lawns, ponds and forested areas. It is a great place for jogging, picnicking and other outdoor activities. Although Yoyogi Park has relatively few cherry trees compared to other sites in Tokyo, it makes for a nice cherry blossom viewing spot in spring. Furthermore, it is known for its ginko tree forest, which turns intensely golden in autumn.

Takeshita Street
  • 30m

Harajuku (原宿) refers to the area around Tokyo's Harajuku Station, which is between Shinjuku and Shibuya on the Yamanote Line. It is the center of Japan's most extreme teenage cultures and fashion styles, but also offers shopping for adults and some historic sights. The focal point of Harajuku's teenage culture is Takeshita Dori (Takeshita Street) and its side streets, which are lined by many trendy shops, fashion boutiques, used clothes stores, crepe stands and fast food outlets geared towards the fashion and trend conscious teens.

Roppongi Hills, Shop & Restaurant
  • 30m

Roppongi Hills is one of the best examples of a city within the city. Opened in 2003 in the heart of Tokyo's Roppongi district, the building complex features offices, apartments, shops, restaurants, a hotel, art museum, observation deck and more. The office floors are home to leading companies from the IT and financial sectors, and Roppongi Hills has become a symbol of the Japanese IT industry. At the center of Roppongi Hills stands the 238 meter Mori Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the city. While most of the building is occupied by office space, the first few floors have restaurants and shops and the top few floors house an observation deck and modern art museum that are open to the public.

Odaiba District
  • 30m

Odaiba (お台場) is a popular shopping and entertainment district on a man made island in Tokyo Bay. It originated as a set of small man made fort islands (daiba literally means "fort"), which were built towards the end of the Edo Period (1603-1868) to protect Tokyo against possible attacks from the sea and specifically in response to the gunboat diplomacy of Commodore Perry. More than a century later, the small islands were joined into larger islands by massive landfills, and Tokyo began a spectacular development project aimed to turn the islands into a futuristic residential and business district during the extravagant 1980s. But development was critically slowed after the burst of the "bubble economy" in the early 1990s, leaving Odaiba nearly vacant.

Shibamata
  • 30m

Shibamata (柴又) is a neighborhood on the eastern end of Tokyo, not far from the Edogawa River which is the natural border between Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture. The town retains its old-school charm from yesteryear and is a perfect break away from modern Tokyo. One of the main attractions to see is the Shibamata Taishakuten Temple not far from the station.

Takaosan Yakuo-in Yuki-ji Temple
  • 2h

Mount Takao (高尾山, Takaosan) is one of the closest natural recreation areas to central Tokyo, offering beautiful scenery, an interesting temple and attractive hiking opportunities. Although outside the city center, the mountain is still located within metropolitan Tokyo and takes only 50 minutes and 390 yen to reach from Shinjuku.

Nezu
  • 30m

Having miraculously avoided major damage during world wars and natural disasters, Yanaka and Nezu—two of the neighborhoods that make up shitamachi, Tokyo's old downtown—retain their last-century charm. You'll find historical sites such as Yanaka Cemetery and Nezu Shrine tucked away among shitamachi's narrow back alleys, traditional wooden houses, izakaya pubs, atmospheric coffee shops and retro stores selling old-style sweets and snacks. Here you can slip back in time to a slower-paced, more genteel Tokyo.

Shinjuku Golden Gai
  • 1h

Golden Gai is said to have started around 1950 when the black market that had arisen in front of Shinjuku Station moved and, in this new area, a number of eating and drinking establishments set up shop. Although Shinjuku has undergone considerable modernization since then, Golden Gai seems to have remained largely unchanged. The alley is narrow and cramped with countless signs advertising the various establishments that line the way. Many of the buildings themselves are made of wood, remnants hanging on from the Showa Era. Most measure only around thirteen square meters (one hundred forty-two square feet). It's a dim, boisterous place filled with the aromatic smoke of grilling meats. Yet despite the nearly endless number of slick new restaurants available in Shinjuku, this little alley continues to draw the attention of foreign tourists. Golden Gai is a popular “un-touristy” tourist spot.

Cleaning and safety practices

Enhanced cleanliness measures
  • Vehicles and venues cleaned with disinfectants
  • Gear and equipment sanitized between use
  • High-touch surfaces cleaned and disinfected
  • Guides required to regularly wash hands
Social distancing
  • Contactless payment for gratuities and add-ons
  • Social distancing measures in place
Safety measures
  • Hand sanitizer provided
  • Masks provided
  • Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
  • Temperature checks given to staff
  • Temperature checks available
This information is provided by our partners

Location

Activity location

  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIESAsakusa
    • ,
    • Asakusa, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • PEOPLEPEOPLEAsakusa
    • ,
    • Asakusa, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan

More you might like for your dates

Reviews

4.9 out of 5

Sort reviews by

5 out of 5

Roy_E

Reviewed on Viator
Mar 23, 2023
All places we visited were brought life by the guide Hiroshi Watanabe who showed us famous Tokyo sites we were unaware of.

1 out of 5

Jeanne_B

Reviewed on Viator
Mar 18, 2023
The most memorable part of the trip was when we were en route to Akasaka, our guide informed us that by the time we’d arrive our tour would be over and would have to find our way back to Shinshuku by ourselves. That was a bit shocking!

5 out of 5

Deborah_L

Reviewed on Viator
Mar 15, 2023
Our guide, Kazu, was fantastic! He was very knowledgeable and flexible guiding us throughout our tour. We left feeling as though we truly got the flavor and sense of Tokyo’s culture.

5 out of 5

Christopher_O

Reviewed on Viator
Mar 14, 2023
A great few hours in Tokyo. Yasuo was excellent with impeccable English. Fun navigating the trains & metro. Wanted to visit the Western Art museum which was a must for me. Pity it rained (heavily) during the tour, but really enjoyed it. Many Thanks

5 out of 5

Kaci_W

Reviewed on Viator
Mar 12, 2023
My husband and I came to Tokyo for his job. I had some time alone during the day and decided to book this tour so I could easily see different parts of the city. Karen was an excellent guide! She contacted me before the tour and helped me make an itinerary. We saw several interesting places in Tokyo, and I had a great time.

Best Deals on Things to Do

Experience the wonders of the world up close with great deals on things to do near and far. Expedia offers one-of-a-kind activities that allow you to explore Asakusa your way. Whether you love nature, culture, food, or a bit of adventure, we have the perfect activity for you.

Top Experiences in Asakusa

With so many things to do in Asakusa, planning the perfect day out may seem like a daunting task. Expedia is here to take the hassle out of finding the best attractions, tours, and activities in Asakusa. Families, couples, and business travelers can all find the perfect activity in Asakusa to create life-long memories with the help of Expedia.

Go further with the Expedia app

Save even more - get up to 25% on select hotels when you book on the app. Our app deals help you to save on trips so you can travel more and manage it all on the go.

Text yourself a download link for easy access

By providing your number, you agree to receive a one-time automated text message with a link to get the app. Standard text message rates may apply.
QR code

Additional information about Expedia Group