Day Tours

Japan This! Tokyo Day Tours are the perfect way to spend a day in the city that has it all.

A Tokyo Day Tour starts in your hotel lobby, then we’ll explore the best that the capital has to offer together. Afterwards, I can bring you back to your accommodation or drop you off at your dinner reservation. Of course, you can add an Out On the Town option, such as dinner and drinks in one of Tokyo’s diverse neighborhoods. Transportation and lunch extra, fun and expertise definitely included!

The base tour price always covers up to three people (unless stated otherwise for safety reasons). Pick up/drop off service is usually limited to Tokyo’s 23 Special Wards.

Currently, I have 13 Tokyo Day Tours on this page.
You can customize any of them.
Each listing has a description page, so have fun exploring the site.
Each Day Tour has a Learn More button!

Not sure what you want to do? Or want want to combine something with one of the tours below? No problem. Contact me and I’ll put together something special just for you!

Tokyo Day Tour
Ready. Set. JapanThis!

My Top 3 TOKYO day tours

#1 Fan Fave!

SUMMARY

Want to explore Tokyo through side-streets and back-doors? Join me for this amazing history tour of Edo (ancient Tokyo). Let’s follow in the footsteps of the shо̄guns and discover Japanese History by way of the Ueno district. You’ll love the traditional architecture, deep-rooted culture, and the stories of valiant (and sometimes not-so-valiant) samurai.

Perfect For

  • Anyone interested in Tokyo
  • Solo travelers, couples
  • Friends, families
  • History nerds
  • Photographers
  • Japanophiles
  • Urban hikers
  • Architecture lovers
  • People who like cemeteries
    (you know who you are!)

Accessibility

  • All-day walking tour with a lot of places to sit and rest
  • One or two spots are “wheelchair difficult” at best, but I haven’t come across any major problems yet

#2 Fan Fave!

SUMMARY

We’ll start out in a popular historic district to see Senso-ji, Tokyo’s oldest temple, where we’ll learn about Shinto and Buddhism. Next, we’ll hop on a waterbus and travel down the Sumida River, the most important river in the capital and disembark at the ruins of the shoguns’ seaside villa to enjoy traditional Japanese gardens and tea houses. After a late lunch (to beat the crowds), we’ll hop on over to Zojo-ji, a funerary temple of the shoguns which is part religious/cultural complex and part public park with a stunning view of Tokyo Tower, a symbol of Japan’s miraculous post-war economic recovery

  • Perfect For
  • Anyone interested in Tokyo
  • Solo travelers, couples
  • Friends, families
  • History nerds
  • Photographers
  • Japanophiles
  • Urban hikers
  • Architecture lovers
  • Fans of Japanese gardens
  • Fans of Japanese castles

Accessibility

  • All-day walking tour with many places to sit and rest at reasonable distances
  • At the Japanese garden, the path is gravel (slow and requires some effort to push) and the tea house is not wheelchair accessible.


#3 Fan Fave!

SUMMARY

First off, this is popular because it’s mostly indoors and has ample opportunities to sit down and rest. Also, it’s guaranteed to give you a firm grasp of basic cultural concepts that will prepare you for the rest of your travels in Japan. What’s more, we’ll end the day in one of the most beautiful, traditional gardens in Tokyo.

  • Perfect For
  • Anyone interested in Tokyo
  • Solo travelers, couples
  • Friends, families
  • History nerds
  • Japanophiles
  • Fans of urban planning
  • Fans of Japanese gardens

Accessibility

  • This is essentially a museum and garden tour
  • Except for the garden, most of this tour is indoors
  • Wheelchair accessible


My Other original Tokyo DAY tours

SUMMARY

To historians, Japan is the Land of the Gods, but to gamers, Japan is definitely the land of Pokémon – they’re everywhere and beloved by everyone young and old. I’ve played all over Japan, and I think these three spots are the absolute best in Tokyo, especially during events. These are my personal spots for regular days and Community Days. Why not hang out with a local and combine your grind with an epic dose of history and culture? All of my tours are totally unique, but this one is… well, pretty sure I’m the only person running this kinda tour. Are you ready, trainer?

  • Perfect For
  • Anyone who plays Pokémon Go! Duh.
  • Solo travelers, couples
  • Friends, families
  • History nerds
  • Japanophiles
  • Urban hikers
  • Architecture lovers
  • Fans of Japanese gardens
  • Fans of Japanese castles

Accessibility

  • This is like taking a city tour while playing Pokemon Go. I mean, it’s literally a 2-for-1.
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Plenty of places to rest


SUMMARY

I started running this tour simply because I thought it sounded cool and maybe 1% of people who found me would think so too. Turns out, this haunted Tokyo tour may soon become my #2 best seller!

Edo, Tokyo’s original name, had 3 main execution grounds where a whopping 300,000-600,000 criminals were executed between the 1600’s to the late 1800’s. These neighborhoods still bear the stain of ritual impurity and are a far cry from the neon-lights Blade Runner image many people have of Japan. If you appreciate the dark side of things, you really should join me for this one.

  • Perfect For
  • Goths
  • Vampires
  • Witches
  • People who love cemeteries
  • Solo travelers, couples
  • Friends, families
  • History nerds
  • Japanophiles
  • Urban hikers

Accessibility

  • All-day walking tour, but there are plenty of places to rest (including trains/subways)
  • Wheelchair accessible


SUMMARY

Tokyo is home to a myriad of striking architecture, but navigating the city to see all the coolest stuff if probably impossible if you’re not a local. Well, luckily I am a local and I’ve been here for almost 20 years.

This tour never runs the same way twice. We’ll explore Tokyo’s eclectic modern cityscape, focusing on Pritzer Prize winning architects and gorgeous interior spaces. I try to run the gamut from fashionable flagships stores to quirky buildings that have become beloved icons of the capital. The pacing is way more important than cramming in three days of buildings into a few hours, so we’ll have a great time looking around the interiors and (if experience is any metric) probably getting distracted by all kinds of eye candy along the way. I’ll also throw in the occasional traditional buildings as we pass them.

  • Perfect For
  • Architecture lovers!
  • Design fans!
  • Anyone interested in Tokyo
  • Solo travelers, couples
  • Friends, families
  • Photographers
  • Japanophiles
  • Urban hikers

Accessibility

  • All-day walking tour, with plenty of places to rest along the way
  • Wheelchair accessible


Traditional Japanese Architecture

First made famous by Edo Period woodblock prints and early 19th century hand-painted photographs, traditional Japanese architecture is in a league of its own. That said, because of earthquakes and wars, very little still survives. So, without a specialist you could spend all day and never find some of Tokyo’s hidden gems.

SUMMARY

Tokyo was utterly destroyed by an earthquake in 1923, and again by firebombing in 1945. Although famous for bright lights and skyscrapers, a handful of buildings — some dating back to the 1600’s and earlier have survived or been rebuilt.

Besides many beautiful temples and shrines, we can see residences and shops spanning from the 1600’s to early postwar reconstruction years. A handful of merchant and samurai homes still exist, and believe it or not, an occasional farmhouse here and there. Also, there are kura, fireproof Japanese storehouses, and of course, the center of the city Edo Castle. Of course, we shouldn’t miss the postwar architecture spanning 1950-1980.

  • Perfect For
  • Architecture lovers!
  • History lovers!
  • Anyone interested in Tokyo
  • Solo travelers, couples
  • Friends, families
  • Photographers
  • Japanophiles
  • Urban hikers

Accessibility

  • All-day walking tour, with plenty of places to rest along the way
  • Some places are not wheelchair accessible


SUMMARY

One of the beautiful things about Japan is the blending of classical tradition with bleeding edge technology. We’ll explore that dichotomy of old and new as a vibrant, evolving pop culture with its own aesthetics, themes, and trends. I’ll also take you to some ancient spots that don’t just sit to the side of, but are fully part of this neighborhood’s day-to-day lifestyle. If anime and manga are your thing, you will love this – it’s weird, yo.

  • Perfect For
  • Gamers
  • Weebs
  • Otaku
  • Anime fans! Manga fans!
  • Japanophiles
  • Families, friends
  • Solo travelers, couples

Accessibility

  • Wheelchair accessible for the most part (a recent welcome development!)


SUMMARY

Go granular! Anyone can walk Japan’s most famous medieval highway, the Tokaido, immortalized in a series of 53 woodblock prints by the master Utagawa Hiroshige. But if you don’t know what you’re looking at it, it’s just a road like any other in Tokyo. I specialize in exploring the streets and shops of Edo Period post towns and love diving into the spacial anthropology of this amazing neighborhood.

Shinagawa was arguably the largest and most important post town in all of Japan during the Edo Period. To cash in on the heavy traffic of samurai and merchants coming and going, hundreds of shrines and temples were built in the area. There are something like 30 festivals that take place here every year.

  • Perfect For
  • History nerds!
  • Photographers
  • Witches lol
  • Solo travelers, couples
  • Friends, families
  • Japanophiles
  • Urban hikers
  • Architecture lovers
  • Fans of urban development
  • People who like cemeteries
    (you know who you are!)

Accessibility

  • All-day walking tour with many places to sit and rest
  • Wheelchair accessible

SUMMARY

Most of the capital was obliterated in the 1945 Firebombing of Tokyo. As you can imagine, holding on to the few remaining structures of a lost war and occupation has never been a priority. That said, if you’re willing to crisscross around the prefecture, there are a number of preserved sites that only WWII history nerds can appreciate. These are not tourist sites, so I’d love to show you these secret spots.

  • Perfect For
  • WWII nerds!
  • History nerds!
  • Solo travelers, couples
  • Japanophiles

Accessibility

  • All-day walking tour with many places to sit and rest
  • I think this is mostly wheelchair accessible

SUMMARY

Shibuya is one of Tokyo’s many busy city centers. It’s fast-paced, crowded, and fashionable. And crazy. I forgot to say this area is crazy. Join my Shibuya walking tour to explore this exciting neighborhood. But we’ll also visit trendy Daikanyama and Ebisu to see the area’s less manic side.

Everyone has tours of Shibuya. It’s in every guide book and website. So, why run around this part of Tokyo with me? Easy. I specialize in Japanese history and culture – that includes pop culture and fashion. I have a completely unique perspective on this area.

  • Perfect For
  • Fashion lovers!
  • Music lovers!
  • History lovers!
  • Witchy bitches! (you know who you are!)
  • Anyone interested in Tokyo
  • Solo travelers, couples
  • Friends, families
  • Photographers
  • Japanophiles
  • Urban hikers

Accessibility

  • All-day walking tour, with plenty of places to rest along the way
  • Lots of hills
  • Some places are not wheelchair accessible

SUMMARY

Shinjuku is nuts. With easy access to the both Narita and Haneda airports, it’s central to any travel in or out of the capital. Experiences range from the banal to the yakuza to exclusive members-only clubs to the best date spots to resplendent feudal era gardens.

Shinjuku just cannot be summarized. Full stop.

  • Perfect For
  • Architecture lovers!
  • Photographers!
  • History lovers!
  • Witchy bitches! (you know who you are!)
  • Anyone interested in Tokyo
  • Solo travelers, couples
  • Friends, families
  • Japanophiles
  • Urban hikers

Accessibility

  • All-day walking tour; plenty of places to stop along the way
  • Most places are wheelchair accessible

SUMMARY

  • Perfect For
  • Samurai fans!
  • Castle nerds!
  • People in to masonry!
  • Architecture lovers!
  • Civil planning nerds!
  • Anyone interested in Tо̄kyо̄
  • Solo travelers, couples
  • Friends
  • Nuclear families (boom!)
  • Photographers
  • Japanophiles
  • Urban hikers

Accessibility

  • All-day walking tour, with plenty of places to rest along the way
  • Not wheelchair accessible

Build your own day tour!

SUMMARY

Here’s a secret. All my tours are customized in one way or another. If you need a private tour or someone to make things smoother, or if you’re gathering contents and shooting video and need a fixer, I’m sure I can help out and get you sorted.

  • Services
  • Fixer
  • Guide
  • Liaison
  • Personality
  • Interpreter
  • Wingman
  • Shoulder to cry on
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