Edo Tokyo & Japanese Culture Tour with Government Licensed Guide

Recommended by 100% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Tokyo, Japan

6 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Tokyo is a big, modern city but you can discover its traditional past if you know where to look. On this private full-day tour, your guide will take you to places where you can experience Tokyo’s past and learn about its history. The itinerary is customizable, but you can visit the fascinating Edo–Tokyo Museum, learn about sumo culture in Ryogoku, see the old bridge at Nihonbashi, and more.

A must-do tour for history enthusiasts
Learn more about Tokyo’s history than you would touring alone
This is a primarily a walking tour but you may take public transport
Entry fees, meals, and transport costs are extra

What's Included

Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
Customizable Tour of your choice of 3-4 sites from 'What to expect' list
Meet up with guide on foot within designated area of Tokyo

Transportation fees, Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
Private Vehicle
You cannot combine multiple tour groups.
Guide Entry fees are only covered for sights listed under What to Expect.

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

This private tour is a walking day tour. A private vehicle is not included. Public transportation or local taxis maybe used to transfer between sites. Exact transportation costs can be discussed with the guide after a reservation is finalized. Please have Japanese Yen on hand for your transportation costs. If you wish to arrange for a private vehicle, please contact us directly. All Private vehicles must be booked 5 days in advance. Maximum number of passengers: 7

Itinerary

Imperial Palace

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Ryogoku Kokugikan

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Sumida Hokusai Museum

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Kanto Earthquake Memorial Museum

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Ryogoku Edo Noren

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Nihonbashi (Pass By)

Sumida River (Pass By)

Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Fukagawa Edo Museum

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Stroller accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible

Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This is a walking tour. Pick up is on foot.
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

5.0

based on 24 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Best walking tour

ionel_r, Mar 2026

A lovelly walking tour trough history of Japan, shrines and Temples. I strongly recomand it. Thank you Lance, I have learned a lot from you.

Fantastic day, great guide

Sally_E, Apr 2024

We had a wonderful, long day. Show was an excellent guide. Apart from yhe marvellous things we saw, we learned how to use the IC card and use the bewildering (at first) public transport system. I chose 3 place far from each other, but Show mapped a course that got us everywhere we went. For me the standout highlight was the Hokusai Museum, but also loved the Edo-Tokyo Outdoor Architectural Museum.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review. I'm delighted that you found the culture of Japan's Edo period interesting. I apologize if there were any shortcomings in my explanations. Also, I'm sorry for the poor management of the itinerary this time, resulting in a significant overrun of time due to the distance of the tour spots. I hope this Japan tour becomes an unforgettable memory for you. Thank you for booking this tour. Show

Excellent tour

Bethany_J, Apr 2024

We were guided by Shinji and he did an excellent job of communicating with us prior to the tour and tailored it to what we were looking for. Great day touring and seeing the sites and very worth the money. The guide’s English was excellent as well.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

I have received your comments on my guiding tour on April 1st. I appreciate that you took time and gave such nice compliments and encouraging words. Likewise I did enjoy the great company and had a good time with your group. It was a very memorable tour of mine and a wonderful experience. I also enjoyed the casual conversation with each one of you as well as various questions asked during the tour. Your comments on my tour provides me more confidence and encourages me to offer more enjoyable tours to future guests. If you have another opportunity to visit Japan in near future, I would definitely be willing to serve you again. Thank you very much. Government Licensed Guide Shinji Higuchi

Kei-San is the MVP

Samantha_H, Nov 2023

Kei-san was the MVP and taught me a lot! He has a keen eye for architecture and aesthetics, as well as a wealth of knowledge about Japanese history and philosophy. Awesome day!

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thank you very much for your comment with praises. The honour is more than I deserve, I am afraid. I am glad the two of you were happy with the tour customized exclusively to you with a favourable sightseeing environment brought by the best season with coloured leaves in Tokyo. We enjoyed lunch at an appropriate restaurant to meet our food preferences. As a tour guide, I am delighted and satisfied with completing all our plans precisely on the schedule. We could listen to the music with the sound of Japanese ancient instruments, “Koto and Shakuhachi” while seeing falling coloured leaves in the garden. Kei

Exceptional

Rendal_M, Oct 2023

What a excellent day. Our guide helped us throught the local transit and attractions with ease. His kindness was exceptional. He even took many pictures of our group and emailed them to me.if you would like to travel woth ease, this is the tour for you.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Thank you very much for your comment with praise. I am glad to hear from you and to know how you felt about our tour. Although this customized “Tokyo One Day Tour” was packed with exceptionally many spots and required you to travel from Yokohama to Tokyo, you successfully visited all scheduled spots. Thanks to your cooperation and the direct access from “Meiji Jingu Shrine” to “Yokohama Minatomirai”, I appreciate that you have proved “Tokyo is well accessible and enjoyable from Yokohama”. Kei

Andy was a fantastic...

Tammy_A, Jul 2023

Andy was a fantastic guide and tailored the tour to our new interests. He patiently answered all of our questions. Andy even researched any he did not know the answers to and sent us texts after the tour.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

We appreciate your kind feedback and our guides do too! We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour with your guide. We look forward to your next visit to Japan. Japan Guide Agency

You need to know...

David_M, Apr 2023

You will need local money for this trip to pay for transit. Transit systems do not accept credit cards and you may also have trouble getting money from an ATM so a currency exchange is recommended. You need to be flexible depending on weather conditions. BTW - there is no palace at the Imperial Palace so you may want to skip that one.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Depending on your country of origin and credit card company, some machines do accept credit. However, Japan is still a very cash-based society, so even if are taking a tour with a private vehicle, you should have cash on you. Thank you for this review and we hope it is helpful to others! JGA Customer Support

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