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.
“Shinjuku, Cherry Blossoms, and Shopping!”
If you're looking for a customized tour, reach out to Toshi. She was flexible, organized, and very pleasant company. I had a day to myself in Tokyo while my husband was at a conference. I booked a custom tour with Toshi, and am so glad that I did! Our trip was at the tail end of cherry blossom season, so weren't seeing very many blossoms near our hotel. Toshi took me to the Shinjuku Gyoen Garden where there were other varieties in full bloom. It was beautiful! I'm an artist and had scouted out a couple of art supply stores before our trip. Toshi advised which ones would be feasible to visit during our timeframe, and then offered suggestions of other things we could do/see in the area near the shops. We saw some 'hidden gems', including a local Shinto shrine, Godzilla, and Omoide Yokocho. Toshi was constantly sharing information about the area and its history as we explored. She made sure I was comfortable, filled the role of interpreter, and ensured I had a great day. Thank you, Toshi!
“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.
(126 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.
(126 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.