Top Tokyo Walking Tours

The tour was excellent and well worth booking if you’re in Tokyo! Our guide, Miguel, was top notch and made the experience that much better! I learned a lot about the history and stories of the palace as well as other interesting architectural, historical, and cultural tidbits about Japan in general that carried forward for the rest of our trip. I would definitely recommend it!

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.

Firstly, our guide Taro is exceptional. He is friendly, knowledgeable, insightful, chatty and with just my husband and I on the tour he proved to be great company as well. It was like being out with a friend for the afternoon. This is a great tour for first time or repeat visitors. You will see parts of Shinjuku you could never find on your own. You will see places you wish to return to and others, perhaps not. I highly recommend this tour for being both highly informative and mildly eyebrow raising.