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GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!WithGoGuide
GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!

Best Ways to Tour Tokyo

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by GoWithGuide travel specialist:Fidelia A.

Last updated : Apr 28, 20226 min read

Travel Tips

Are you planning a trip to Tokyo? Perhaps you’re wondering what is the best way to get around Japan. Should you travel alone? Or should you travel with a guide? Maybe it’s better to travel with a group instead..the choice is endless!

 

Don’t worry!

 

Here in this article, I will give you some advice about the best way to travel Tokyo. Sit tight and hold on!

Traveling Japan Alone - Pros

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  1. Master of your trip

If you’re traveling alone, everything in your itinerary will be all up to you. You can input places that you would like to visit without worrying about what other would want. Moreover, you can stay in those places as long as you like. It guarantees the utmost freedom in your trip!

 

  1. Meet new faces

If you’re traveling alone, you could have more time to spend finding new connections with people that you meet along the way! During my solo travels, it is not a rare thing for me to talk and later on travel with strangers I met along the way. It would be a completely new experience that would make your trip more memorable.

Traveling Japan Alone - Cons
  1. Expensive Expenses

Traveling solo in Japan could be more expensive than traveling with a group of people. This is because you need to pay everything by yourself while traveling with a companion means you can split the expenses. Make sure you bring extra cash with you during your travels to take care of this problem!

 

  1. Safety

Although Japan is regarded as a safe country in general, traveling alone still have it’s own risks. It is always a good thing to have an extra pair of eyes to look out for you during your travels in a foreign country. If you are thinking of traveling solo, you need to pay extra attention to your own safety.

Traveling to Japan with a Group - Pros

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  1. Ease

You would definitely get to relax if you’re traveling in a group. You don’t need to think about where to go, or how to get there! Traveling in a group guarantees you the utmost ease and the perfect meaning of a “holiday”!

 

  1. Cheaper

Traveling with a companion means you could split the bills. In addition to that, some restaurants in Japan have set menus that are meant for “more than 2 people”. If you’re traveling alone, it might be a little bit tricky to convince the restaurant workers that you can finish the food for two. However, if you’re traveling with another person, you would have no problem buying those menus.

Traveling to Japan with a Group - Cons
  1. Less freedom

This level of freedom depends on how many other people are in your group. If you’re traveling in a group, you should always remember what other people in your group wants to visit or see during your trip. Moreover, you usually have a specific time limit that you need to spend in each destination. That’s why traveling in a group might not be as convenient as you think.

 

  1. Problems with your companion

You could easily have problems with your companion during your travel. The simplest problem would be miscommunication. Others would include a different opinion regarding your itinerary, or what to do next. This is inevitable, and something that you need to communicate clearly with your companions.

Transportations in Japan

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Japan’s public transport system is very complicated.

 

While it is very effective, the public transportation system in Japan could easily overwhelm new-comers. One could get lost easily if they don’t know how to navigate their way around big cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka. Luckily, there is a free guidebook for Tokyo that contains transportation information as well as attraction spots.

 

In these links, you can also find additional information about Tokyo’s train system, and Tokyo’s subway system to help you in your Tokyo trip.

 

Private Rental Car

Renting a car could help you spend your time effectively while traveling in Japan. Although the transport system in major cities are very effective, the same couldn’t be said in smaller towns. Some places only have trains every 3 hours, or maybe trains don’t even pass there anymore.

 

Because of this, renting a private car might be a good thing. You can also have the option of hiring a driver along with your rental car. For a list of available car and driver for hire in Japan, click here.

 

Bus Tours

Bus tours might be your next best option to make the most of your trip. You need not worry too much about your itinerary since you can just simply ride the bus and relax as they take you around the city. Furthermore, you can just join a bus tour for a single day during your trip to know the sights, then return again by yourself and spend more time in your favorite spots. For a list of bus tours available, click here!

More Tips

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Even with all of this information, navigating around Japan could still be a hassle.

 

Fear not!

 

I have an easy way out for you; hire a private guide! Your guide could be able to help you navigate your way to your destinations. Moreover, it doesn’t matter if you travel alone or with a group since your guide could still easily explain about the destinations you visit. This way, you can get more out of your trip.

 

If you are planning on hiring a tour guide, I suggest you get one from GoWithGuide! They have a recommended list of guides who can cater to your every travel needs. Their excellent customer service would also make sure that you get the best guide that will suit your preferences.



In this article, I have reviewed about the best way you can tour Tokyo, and some more trips to help you enjoy your journey more. Here’s to a good trip in Tokyo!

Kanagawa Tour Guide - Kaneo U.

Kaneo U.

4.97 / 5
(36 reviews)
Japan

I’m so excited to have a chance to show you around my favorite spots in Kanagawa prefecture. I was born in Kanagawa. I spent my whole school life, including university, here in Kanagawa. I worked as a high school English teacher here for 40 years. I love Kanagawa so much. We have many interesting tourist spots, like Hakone, Kamakura, Enoshima and Yokohama. I got my tour guide license in English in 2009. I am still an English teacher. To give an interesting and impressive lesson to young high school students, I’ve learnt and gathered many kinds of information. I also have a license to teach social studies, so I have a wide range of knowledge about Japanese culture and history. I’m sure to provide you an interesting tour.                                                                                                                                 

Tokyo Tour Guide - Grant A.

Grant A.

5.00 / 5
(5 reviews)
Japan

My name is Grant I lived more than 10 years in Japan. I graduated University and translation school in Tokyo. I am fluent in Japanese. I have a degree in Asian studies and have expert-level knowledge of Japanese culture and history. I have memorized the JR rail system across all of Japan, I use the same train timetable calculators as the station staff, and I have experience using bullet train passes that are exclusive to foreign visitors. I can optimally navigate the Tokyo underground and maximize value from a Tokyo metro pass and also understand Tokyo above ground which will allow for seamless transitions between different metro stations and landmarks with minimal backtracking. My tour fee is 20,000yen for 1-6hours (135.28USD) 30,000yen for 7-9hours (202.93USD) 40,000yen for 9-12hours (270.57USD) I have half-day tours listed at 20,000 yen (135.28USD) at the moment but you can combine them or do a custom tour for roughly up to 9 hours for 30,000 yen (202.93USD). The time transiting to and from your hotel for pick up or drop off within Tokyo 23wards does not count towards an increase in the price.                                                                                                                                 

Yokohama Tour Guide - Haruo T.

Haruo T.

4.86 / 5
(7 reviews)
Japan

I live in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture. I have a license to teach in high schools and was admitted to the degree of Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language in the University of Birmingham. Until 2015 I had been teaching English at public high schools in Kanagawa for 37 years. During that time, I had some experience of guiding students from overseas through sister-school relationship around Tokyo and Kanagawa. Therefore, I had good command of English with the TOEIC score of 935. As for a tour guide experience I earned the certificate of National Government Licensed Guide-Interpreter in English and since then I have guided tourists to the popular sites around Tokyo, Yokohama, Kamakura and Yokosuka. My guiding focuses on introducing not only Japanese historical and cultural backgrounds but also giving tourists some tips to travel Japan only by themselves, such as how to use trains and subways, find good restaurants, reserve tickets, buy survenier, and speak basic Japanese. In addition, my tour includes opportunities to experience Japanese culture like Zen meditation, ninja performance, visiting anime's location sites based on tourists' request. Besides, by means of my hobbies of writing English Haiku and Waka (traditional Japanese poems) and performing Rakugo (traditional Japanese funny story telling) in English, I can surely entertain tourists during the tour. My moto as a tour guide is let the tourists have a once-in-a-lifetime experience in Japan with my profound, intelligible and interestiog guiding.                                                                                                                                 

Tokyo Tour Guide - Yoko Y.

Yoko Y.

5.00 / 5
(8 reviews)
Japan

Bonjour! Je m’appelle Yoko, je suis guide diplômée. J’habite à Tokyo, dans le quartier appelé Yanesen, depuis plus de 10 ans. J’aime bien mon quartier, il se trouve au milieu de Tokyo, mais il garde l'atmosphère d’autrefois.Il y a plus de 100 temples et sanctuaires, les festivals de sanctuaire sont des événements importants pour les habitants, dans les rues commerçantes, il y a de vieux magasins qui animent les rues même aujourd’hui. C’est comme un village, les habitants sont ouverts, amicaux et sympas, il y a de vrais échanges entre eux. Je crois qu’il y a de vieux Tokyo, de vraie vie quotidienne de Tokyoïtes qui ne changent pas depuis longtemps à Yanesen. J’aime bien aussi voyager, découvrir la culture vivante tout en faisant la connaissance avec des personnes locales. Et c’est pour cela que quand je voyage, j’aime bien aller aux marchés, aux cafés et aux restaurants populaires entre les habitants. J’aime aussi le saké depuis 5,6 ans, mais je n'aimais pas le saké, je croyais que le vin était le meilleur, et qu’il accompagnait presque n’importe quel cuisine. Mais aujourd’hui je crois que le saké est le meilleur pour accompagner la cuisine japonaise et notamment quand on voyage dans des régions au Japon, il permet de communiquer plus facilement avec des personnes locales. Pour approfondir mes connaissances, j’ai obtenu le diplôme de saké sommelier et travaille dans une entreprise de saké. Je vous guiderai dans ce bon vieux Tokyo afin que vous puissiez découvrir une vraie vie quotidienne de Tokyoïte, tout en servant d'intermédiaire entre vous et les habitants du quartier. Et bien sur, je peux organiser également le tour sur mesure, tout en répondant à vos demandes pour votre voyage innoubliable! J’espère que l’on se voit très bientôt à Tokyo!                                                                                                                                 

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