Top Tokyo Architecture Tours

Simon was a great guide. Very knowledgeable about the area and easy conversation all night. He took us to some great local bar and food spots. We had a fun night. Strong recommend! Plus he gave us lots of good tips for other off-beat things to do around Tokyo for the rest of our trip.

For starters I booked a 2:30 tour at 2:07, so the odds were never in my favor. However, our tour guide,Frankie, contacted me immediately after he saw my booking in Viator to help coordinate meet up details. As for the tour itself, it was the opportunity I needed to slow down and take in some Japanese culture and history. After spending 7 days in the constant hustle and bustle of Tokyo, it felt great to stroll through the forest learning about very important history while discovering beautiful places. Frankie shared a great deal of information about the shrines, cultural practices, and the history of it all. Additionally, he answered any & all questions, was happy to capture photos during the tour, and spoke excellent English. I highly recommend you take this tour, if for nothing more than to soak in some calm during your time in Tokyo. *Not to be missed are the gardens! I opted to visit them immediately after my tour, and was blown away by the natural beauty!

There were about 30 people total who booked the 9 AM tour but we were split into smaller groups each managed by its own guide. So the ratio was ~8-10 people per 1 guide. This was really great since you could always hear the guide (in my case, Ichiro) and nobody got lost along the way. I passed by tours with other companies who had 20+ people and 1 guide. I'd recommend the 8 or 9 AM tour if possible, just because it was much less crowded. There were noticeably more crowds at 10:30 when we left compared to when we arrived. Ichiro was a wonderful guide. He answered everyone's spontaneous questions as we progressed in the tour and was very knowledgeable about the various sites. It was nice to be brought to the key places at such a large park and Ichiro was able to provide culture knowledge beyond the written placard which made everything more meaningful. TLDR - You can walk the gardens on your own for free - there are placards along the way in English & Japanese. By choosing this tour, you have someone adding context and guiding you in a logical flow through the various points of interest. I found these additions worth the $15 it cost me.