Tokyo Off the Beaten Path 6hr Private Tour with Licensed Guide

based on 42 reviews

Duration:6 hours (approx.)
Location: Tokyo, Kanto

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This value-packed trip with a government-licensed and experienced multilingual tour guide is a fantastic and efficient way to explore off the beaten path in Tokyo!

We would like to introduce some of the best nostalgic neighborhood locations. If you want to experience the local life and enjoy the nostalgic warm feelings, these backstreets of Yanaka, Shibamata, Fukagawa and Asakusa are totally recommended to visit while your stay in Tokyo.

You can walk with English speaking guide and enjoy some foods and drinks on the way! Let us know what you would like to experience, and your guide will arrange a six-hour tour that's best for you!

Note*1: Please select your must-see spots from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary.
Note*2: The National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires a good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

1. Nezu
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.
2. Nezu Shrine
Dating from 1706, Nezu Shrine is an excellent example of large scale Edo-era shrine architecture. Featuring superbly contrasting vermilion and gold lacquered ‘gongen-zukuri’ style buildings, its designation as an Important Cultural Property seems justified. Also competing for attention is ‘Tsutsuji-en’, a 2,000 tsubo (around 6,600 square metres) Japanese azalea garden in the shrine’s precincts. Housing around 50 varieties of 3,000 azaleas, the garden attracts numerous sightseers each spring.
3. Yanaka Ginza Shopping Street
This time we mainly focus on introducing Yanaka and the best things to do. Yanaka is located a bit far from the central part of Tokyo like Shinjuku or Shibuya. Yanaka is a beautiful calm town that preserves its tradition within the city but not yet known to most foreigner travelers. The town has been featured in many Japanese dramas and movies, and it truly is a nostalgic town that represents Japanese culture. Yanaka Ginza is one of the most famous and popular areas in Yanaka, where you can quickly culturally understand the place and enjoying food.
4. SCAI The Bathhouse
Formerly a bathhouse (the building is over 200 years old), this high-ceilinged space in a charming neighbourhood near Ueno Park features contemporary Japanese artists (Tatsuo Miyajima) and international practitioners (Lee Bul, Julian Opie). Like many of the Yanaka district's art galleries, the fact that it is situated in an antiquated building gives it a minimalist aspect that is at once both traditional and extremely fashionable. Worth a visit for the building alone.
5. Yanaka Cemetery
This is one of Tokyo's largest graveyards and, along with Aoyama Cemetery, one of its most picturesque. These days the avenue through the centre of the cemetery is usually quiet, but over 150 years ago it was a den of antiquity, lined with tea shops that doubled as brothels and illegal gambling dens. However, the cemetery does still have its popular periods - notably during cherry blossom season. The Japanese are oddly fond of holding blossom-viewing parties in the grounds of the city's cemeteries, and Yanaka is noted for its blooming cherry trees. With over 7,000 graves, the area it covers is vast - so big, in fact, that the cemetery has its very own police station.
6. Sendagi
Three small areas Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi are together called Yanesen which is located in Ueno. Since Yanesen was survived from Great Kanto Earthquake and World Wars, you can still enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere which reminiscents of the late 19th to early 20th century. Go to the Yanaka Ginza Street which is 170 meters long street and there are about 70 stores along the way. You can find the local food stands, clothing stores, supermarkets, tea shops, sweet shops and cafes or restaurants there.
7. Shibamata
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.
8. Taishakuten-Sando
200-meter road that leads up to Shibamata Taishakuten Temple. It is filled with street food stalls and little shops. Most of these shops have retained a traditional character and feature authentic wooden signboards that make this street one of the most beautiful in Tokyo. Eating the local snacks, in particular the kusa-dango, is what makes a visit to this street complete.
9. Shibamata Taishakuten (Taishakuten Daikyoji Temple)
Nichiren temple with an impressive Nitenmon Gate and beautiful wood carvings gallery. These wood carvings were made in the period between 1922 and 1934 and depict the lotus sutra. In addition, you can immerse and relax in a Japanese garden with wooden walkways going around it.
10. Fukagawa Edo Museum
The Fukagawa Edo Museum is a museum dedicated to old Tokyo. It is a replica of a village during the late Edo period (1603-1868), with various types of houses and features a canal and a fire watchtower.
11. Fukagawa Fudodo
Fukagawa Fudō-dō is a bit of a mishmash temple, not very beautiful, even though the wood carvings on the main building are rather nice. This temple is part of the Chisan group in the Shingon school of Buddhism (one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan) and practices Esoteric Buddhism. At this temple we have the goma fire rituals at which wooden sticks are burnt during a ceremony several times a day in order to give Fudōmyō-ō (the god revered as this temple) the fighting force he needs (he is the god of justice, who fends of evil with his sword and menacing look).
12. Tomioka Hachimangu
Birth place of Sumo wrestling tournaments and home to one of the largest Shinto festivals in Tokyo. The shrine was bombed during World War II and the current shrine building dates from 1956. The festival associated with this shrine is considered as one of the three great festivals of Edo.
13. Kiyosumi Teien
This garden goes way back and has been linked to Kinokuniya Bunzaemon (1669–1734) who was a merchant during the Edo period (1603-1868) specializing in citrus, lumber, and salmon, among other goods. The garden stands out not only by its crystal clear pond with beautiful reflections of the greenery surrounding it, but also by its large display of stones. The Iwasaki family brought stones from all over Japan to Tokyo with their steamships and arranged them in the garden. It has several stepping stone pathways (iso-watari) set in the water and a wide range of peculiar stones in all kind of shapes and sizes.
14. Basho Memorial Museum
Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694) was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan (1603-1868). Fukagawa is the place where he wrote many of his masterpieces and was the starting point for his many travels through Japan. There are many places in Fukagawa associated with him.
15. Asakusa
This tour will allow you to explore Tokyo more efficiently in one day. Meet at your hotel, then move to anywhere you want.
16. Kappabashi Street (Kappabashi Dogugai)
Kappabashi, a neighborhood in the greater Asakusa area, is known for its many vendors selling high-quality, fair-priced kitchen supplies of all types. From Japanese knives to chopsticks and dishes, there is much to see and shop for. Those looking for something practical to bring home, try the cooking and baking supplies at Mamijiya. They even have Mt. Fuji-shaped cake molds! Another highlight of the neighborhood is the fake food replicas created in great detail. When in the area, be sure to head to Ganso Sample, a shop with hundreds of detailed dishes, ranging from ramen to sushi, to elaborate ice cream parfaits. The to-scale size of the replicas are used in restaurants in Japan--it may be more convenient for travelers to take home a smaller version of Japan's famous dishes, however.
17. ASAKUSA HANAYASHIKI
Hanayashiki was founded in 1853 and is one of Japan's oldest amusement parks. It is located near Sensoji Temple and hosts about twenty five attractions. Here you can enjoy all the beloved amusement park attractions such as roller coasters, a merry-go-round and a haunted house. This park surely has some old school flair and can be enjoyed by the whole family.
18. Asakusa Nishisando
If you stand facing Sensoji Temple, turn to your left and take a short walk, you will find yourself facing this amazing structure. This is Nishi Sando, a covered shopping street that looks like something you would find in an Edo period ukiyo-e painting. The floor of this market is even covered in natural Japanese cypress flooring! This short market area, which has shops selling everything from souvenirs, regional ramen, and samurai swords, is the perfect place to go if you only want to do a little shopping and a lot of seeing Japanese history come to life.
19. Tsukiji Fish Market
This tour will allow you to explore Tokyo more efficiently in one day. Meet at your hotel, then move to anywhere you want.

ADDITIONAL INFO

CANCELLATION POLICY

Posted By : ira_s
Our guide Yoshi was great. Very knowledgeable and personable. We enjoyed seeing sights that were not on our main tour. I highly recommend this tour.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-09 19:05:51

Posted By : andrea m
We had a lovely day doing off the beaten tour with Yuki. Very interesting, also got to see it from a local perspective which we loved.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-04-27 08:07:59

Posted By : adE73PL
5 stars all round.

(Ted) Tatsunobu Narita was our guide. He spoke excellent easily comprehensible English. He had a very warm and friendly disposition.

He came well organised and had sheets of information he presented to us and gave us at the end of the tour to compliment the sites and information he shared on route.

He also gave tips before we arrived in Japan and also once he understood our plans and likes after his tour gave us tips and links to help us get the most out of our stay. He took pictures too of us with ours and his phone which he shared after.

A lovely experience that offers flexibility if there is an overlap with other fixed tours you have booked.

Would recomend you book him early in your holiday so to help you get the most out of any free days you have after whilst in Japan.

Can not praise Ted enough.

Thank you so much
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-04-22 22:08:17

Posted By : Christopher_D
The tour started promptly on time in the lobby of our Tokyo hotel. Our guide Tatsu impressed us with perfect English (he had spent some time in New York) and good advanced logistics based on our preferences discussed earlier by e-mail. For our walking tour we chose two charming areas away from center: Shibamata and Yanaka. Both required a subway ride with several train changes, but everything went smoothly since we did not travel in rush hours. The schedule was relaxed and flexible as we made stops to sample local desserts and take photographs. In Shibamata we visited an interesting Buddhist temple, walked along the river and importantly had a wonderful lunch in one of the local restaurants on main pedestrian street. After lunch we transferred to Yanaka where we strolled leisurely through quiet winding streets, observed local life, took pictures at the very photogenic Nezu Temple and had snacks on touristy Yanaka Ginza street. Along the way Tatsu provided interesting stories, quoted historical facts and showered us with lots of humor. His good company made the day go by fast and we appreciated the fact that he didn’t mind staying with us well past the officially allotted time until we finally said goodbye at our original subway station. Overall, thanks to our guide and good, sunny weather the tour turned out to be wonderful and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-03-27 20:31:46

Posted By : Jack_G
If you want to see some sights, not on your normal tour, this is the tour for you. Traveling the train system with a local guide is quite an experience.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-03-15 21:58:31

Posted By : Bel_T
A 6-hour walking tour that allows you to experience and see a bit of Tokyo slightly away from the crowds. Seiji, our guide, had cards of Tokyo (containing nuggets of information) where he showed us when we were traveling on the trains which I really appreciated.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-03-14 18:14:20

Posted By : cij537
Our guide was Andy. He picked us up in the lobby of our hotel and took us to the places we wanted to see and to experience. We loved the tour and the culinaric experience. He also took us to hidden places und told us some tricks to manage our trip in japan. He planned the whole trip around our preferences. We highly recommend him. Arrigato gosaimasu Andy!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-03-14 08:36:33

Posted By : patygP3154KN
We had a tour with the guide Yoko and we loved it! She was so nice and patient to show us everything around! She even took a camera with her and was taking pictures all the time and then sent everything to us, it was so nice to have those memories from the tour! She explained everything and had very good English! We were very happy at the end of the tour
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-03-11 20:10:59

Posted By : Janet_O
Our guide Koba wrote me before recommending we jump lunch to be able to sight see more, I said ok after 4 hours he said it was over we would held back to the hotel he said it would take 50mins to get back and he was cutting one hour earlier, it took us 35mins getting back and we were played off 1hr 25mins and we paid Viator for a 6hr tour.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-03-10 21:07:18

Posted By : muellernicola
We had a fantastic day with Emi and thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Tokyo has SO MUCH to offer, but this tour definitely was our highlight. We visited some of the most important sights and got an insider's view into this fascinating city. Emi helped us to get a first overview of this massive place. We would totally book the tour with her again and spend another day with her.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-03-05 05:55:45