This tour showcases well-preserved traditional architecture featuring clay-wall warehouses. Kitain Temple has buildings which were relocated from Edo Castle. These are the only surviving buildings of the ancient Edo Castle in Japan. Let's walk in the 350-year-old Shogun rooms! How can we resist the tempting local sweets and sweet potato snacks!? The tour offers you a lot of photo opps and is perfect all ages. Come to Kawagoe! I'd love to show you around!
Central Tokyo or Yokohama
Meeting time is flexible.
Tokugawa Shogun Rooms. These are 350-year-old rooms in the Kitain Temple grounds. They also house artwork by Kano Tanyu, the most famous artist in 17th century Japan. The gardens are yet another treat!
There are 540 Buddhist stone statues on the temple grounds with varying poses and facial expressions.
It's a regional delicacy.
Like a Jinja amusement park. Features a variety of interesting activities on the shrine grounds, including money-washing rituals, stone reflexology, fortune-telling, etc.
If you like to visit all three, we need one hour extension of the tour.
Clay-wall warehouses line the main road (from 100 to 200 years old).
Symbol of Kawagoe.
Sells small- sized candies and snacks at about 10-100JPY each.
Highly recommended. The area has a traditional festival once a year. Huge festival floats are displayed. Entrance fee = @ 250JPY
This isn't your ordinary supermarket Kikkoman. Wait 'til you try fresh soy sauce fermented in 180-year-old barrels! Please ask the tour date and time for the guide. No entrance fee.
Warehouses were converted to a small museum. Main collections are Japanese paintings. Entrance fee = @500JPY
Ikebukuro station or your hotel in central Tokyo (No hotel drop off outside central Tokyo)
Guide Fee
The following are PAID IN CASH on the day/s of the tour.
= Transportation fee during the tour (you & guide = approx. 1,500JPY++ /person) = subway, train, bus, and taxi
= Entrance fee = Kitain Temple 400JPY/person (the guide has a pass)
= Optional = Yamazaki Museum 500JPY/person (you and guide), Festival Museum 250JPY/person (you and guide)
= Food / drinks (you & guide)
= Tour extension = 5,000JPY/ h
= The Soy Sauce Factory tours are only at 1:00PM daily. As this is a working factory, they may cancel tours without prior notice.
= Travel time:
...35 mins = From Ikebukuro station by Tobu train (1,020JPY)
...45 mins = From Shinjuku and Shibuya station by subway (1,100JPY)
...60 mins = From Tokyo station via JR train (1,680JPY)
= If necessary, we can extend the tour for another hour if you want more time for shopping, dining, sake-tasting, and seeing the Hikawa Shrine or Honmaru Goten (the former Kawagoe Castle).
{1} Involves a lot of walking. {2} Weekend crowd could affect tour duration. {3} Some stores and museums are closed on Mondays.
Multiple-day bookings are encouraged. I might have greater flexibility in opening closed slots in this case. Let's talk about it. Send me a message! :‑)
MORE INFO:
= We use public transportation (train, subway, bus and/or taxi) in my tours as it's the best way to see the city.
= A custom tour = Please book at least SIX HOURS = 45,000JPY
= The meet-up time marks the official start of the tour.
= Hotel pick-ups = only in Central Tokyo, Yokohama, and a few hotels in Kawasaki.
= Four-hour tours available = Tokyo, Harajuku & Shibuya, Odaiba, Shinjuku, Ueno, Yokohama, and antique flea market. Please check out the corresponding tour pages.
“Great tour with Toshi, excellent knowledge, and covered all the key sites”
We arranged to meet Toshi at the station and were immediately put at ease after meeting Toshi. Her knowledge and English were excellent and we experienced many aspects of Yokohama. We enjoyed a Chinese lunch (inexpensive) in China Town followed by a taxi ride to Sankeien Gardens. Again Toshi had very good knowledge of the most interesting aspects of the garden . In summary, we can highly recommend Toshi to provide an excellent private tour of Yokohama.
Toshi H.
(125 reviews)Thank you, Peter! It was a pleasure meeting you and your wife. Yokohama is one of my favorite places as the bay area is postcard pretty. Yokohama being historically significant yet considered a trend setter makes it very interesting to many visitors. Take care and I hope to tour you to other places in the future!
“Great custom tour”
We highly recommend Toshi. We asked for a customized tour for me and wife. A tour that would match our preferences and abilities. Toshi planned and executed just the right tour for us. She even adjusted it on the fly when needed. Toshi proved to be a knowledgeable guide well versed in the history of Japan in general and Tokyo in particular. She is also great fun to spend time with.
Toshi H.
(125 reviews)Thank you very much, Ami! I'm truly delighted to have you here in Tokyo. We were able to see a variety of places in one day. Our day began with a sense of reverence at Meiji-jingu Shrine. At Harajuku, we witnessed the vibrant fashion trends among the youth. Asakusa provided us with a unique blend of traditional charm and bustling energy. The Imperial Palace stood majestically beside the business district. Tokyo is full of surprises, isn't it? I sincerely hope you continue your Japanese adventure filled with joy and excitement. Enjoy the rest of your Japan adventure! Please take care of yourself.
Ray Q.
Two-day customized tour (12 hours in total )
Customized
“Tokyo with Toshi”
My family and I spent two days with Toshi touring the east and west side of Tokyo. Toshi communicated very well with us in English and took very good care of my 79 year old mother-in-law. We traveled primarily with the trains and I learned how to navigate the train system. Toshi took very good care of us and I would encourage others to take her tour.
Toshi H.
(125 reviews)Thank you so much, Ray! I had a wonderful time with your family. I felt like a member of your family and I quite enjoyed your company. I am happy that we were able to visit all the places you wanted to see. Asakusa is a traditional town while Shibuya is a hot spot in Tokyo. It was fun to see your family enjoying the local delicacies. Sushi, beef, mochi, crapes, etc. I hope you'll take home a treasure trove of wonderful memories. Enjoy the rest of your stay! Hope to see you again.