What would you like to do in Tokyo? I will show you both traditional and modern sightseeing spots, and would have you experience the local life in Tokyo. We will visit a feudal lord's garden, a fish market, historic religious sites including a temple and a shrine, and lastly a fashionable and modern town. These are all must-sees in Tokyo. I'm sure you will be satisfied with the exciting tour!
At your hotel
The site used to be the Tokugawa Shogun's outlying castle built in 1654. The garden was established in the traditional Daimyo style, where the visitors enjoy beautiful scenes while strolling around the central pond. If you want, matcha green tea can be enjoyed in a tea house. Prince William visited the garden on Feb 26, 2015.
The market has a lot of shops selling not only seafood but also vegetables and kitchen utensils. Fresh wasabi rootstocks, rare white strawberries, and costly Matsutake mushrooms can be seen, if you visit the market in the right season. Of course, the visitors can taste sushi and other various foods.
Asakusa-Kannon temple is the oldest in Tokyo founded in 645. It features the Kaminari-mon gate with a huge paper lantern. The town used to be the center of entertainment, so the temple has been always vibrant though you might expect it would be quiet like many other temples in Japan. The approach to the temple is lined with shops selling sweets, kimono, chopsticks and other souvenirs.
The shrine is the largest in Tokyo and is dedicated to the deified spirit of Emperor Meiji who governed the country 1867 to 1912. It is surrounded by 36,000 trees housing a wide range of species of living things. The spot has a solemn atmosphere in contrast with Asakusa-Kannon temple.
Harajuku is the center of fashion and attracts people from nationwide. The town featues the main street, Omote-sando with rows of high-end brand shops, and many side streets, too. One of them Takeshita-dori is a mecca for teenagers, where many stores sell clothes and miscellaneous goods at reasonable prices. Please enjoy the vibrant town!
Harajuku
People say Tokyo is eclectic and has both traditional and modern aspects. You will see a time-honored shrine next to a newly built skyscraper. We tour historic destinations, the origin of a fashion, and places mixed old factors and new ones. And also, please enjoy authentic Japanese food for lunch. Finally, you can experience Tokyo itself, with fabulous shops, excellent train systems, busy streets and kind people. At the end of the day, you will be much more familiar with the fascinating city!
Guide fee, hotel pick-up
Your transportation fee and guide's: about 1,000 yen a person.
Your entrance fee for Hamarikyu-garden: 300yen / free under 12 / 150yen over 65.
Lunch, Green tea and sweets
I can guide you in the metropolitan area including Tokyo and Kanagawa every day as long as I am available.
Hamarikyu-garden is closed during the period before and after New Year's. In that case, the destination will be replaced with your favorite spot.
－I will pick you up at your hotel in the morning. The time schedule might change, depending on where your hotel is.
－The tour usually ends in the last destination Harajuku, but if you would like me to see you off at the hotel, please let me know.
－I would like you to pay for your transportation fee and guide's, your admission fee for Hamarikyu garden, your lunch and your matcha green tea and sweets other than the guide fee.
I plan to have suhi at Tsukiji market. If you would like different meals, I will be ready to choose your favorite food. And also, if you have any food allergies, please let me know.
I really enjoyed the tour with Masako to Kamakura. She gave me a good first impression of Japanese culture and history right at the beginning of my trip. She responded very flexibly to my wishes. That was great overall. Thank you very much.
Dear Joachim, Thank you for your kind comment. I appreciate it. I am glad to hear you enjoyed Kamakura. Thank you very much for your cooperation. We started the tour earlier than planned though you had just arrived in Japan the night before. Thanks to you, things went smoothly, it was a busy Sunday though. Please enjoy the rest of your stay in Japan with Karin and Lennart. Best regards, Masako
Masako is the "Best". She is credentialed as a Guide and in English. We hired her for our three full days in Tokyo prior to heading to Hakuba to ski. A kind, thoughtful and gentle spirited person. A patient teacher. We shared with her our interests and she built a schedule which was easy to review and approve before our arrival. In addition to the cultural and historical interest, we were in search for a few items that Japan is well known for and Masako helped us successfully locate them. Her knowledge of Tokyo was impressive. So much culture, history and beauty to absorb in just three days. We will be back and pick up where we left off with Masako.
Dear J.r. and Lorie, Thank you for your lovely comment. I am glad to hear you enjoyed Tokyo. You were cooperative and patient. I very much appreciate it. It was easy for me to show you around even in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the busy streets. I was impressed you have detailed information about Japanese history and culture. I was happy you are interested in Togo Heihachiro, Japanese contemporary art, Japan's jeans and more. Your interests helped me a lot during the tour. How was Hakuba? You must have enjoyed skiing there. Hope you will return home safely. Best regards, Masako
My family of 4 booked a 4 day tour of Tokyo with Masako and we were so lucky to have her! Masako is so lovely, gentle and kind, speaks perfect English, and is very knowledgeable and informative. She is also highly organised - she kindly pre-booked tickets for us to make sure we got good times, and just made sure that everything went smoothly. We saw everything we wanted and more, eg going out of her way to help us buy certain items we wanted. We would not hesitate to highly recommend Masako.
Dear May, I'm most grateful to you for your lovely comment. I'm not sure if I deserve it, but very glad to hear you enjoyed today. Today we toured in busy places. You and your family are cooperative and cohesive. It helped me a lot to show you around. It was not difficult for me to take you from place to place or walk around in a huge crowd. And also, I was impressed you are considerate and thoughtful. I am very happy to guide "nice family." Hope you will enjoy your stay in Tokyo, Hakone and Osaka. Best regards, Masako
Masako is an excellent tour guide she made our Tokyo experience unforgettable. She is caring and very knowledgeable.
Thank you very much for your kind comment. I am glad to hear you enjoyed yesterday. All of you are friendly and kind. I very much enjoyed the tour and nice chatting. I appreciate your cooperation and patience. Please enjoy the rest of your stay in Japan.