USD ($)
Help
Login

Japan
›
Tokyo
›
Tours
›
Shopping
›
Discover Japan: Japanese Garden & HANDICRAFT shopping

Take a step into this beautiful garden in Edo-period called Hamarikyu Garden

Sato Sakura Museum in Nakameguro

Nihonbashi Bridge, an icon of old Edo Japan.

At Nihonbashi Tourist Information Center, find the perfect Japanese souvenir to take home!

Koishikawa Kourakuen Garden - Tokyo's most interesting and photogenic park

Ozu Washi Japanese traditional paper store - Enter the world of Japanese paper

Quick visit to Mitsukoshi Department Store - Japan’s first department store

Mitsukoshi Department Store

Kobikicho of Kabukiza, a great place to stock up on souvenirs and gifts

Kougei Aoyama Square - where Japan’s finest traditional crafts gather in one place

Discover Japan: Japanese Garden & HANDICRAFT shopping

Shopping

Joined 2017

Yoko T.

4.84 / 5

(158 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

Tokyo

Japanese (Native), English

6 hours

Private tour (only you and Yoko T.)

Up to 5 people

Curious about the history of ancient Japan and its rich traditions in handmade crafts? This private walking tour is perfect for you. After visiting one of the Japanese gardens of your choice from: East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, Hamarikyu Gardens, or Koishikawa Kourakuen, we will visit Nihonbashi, the commercial center of Edo-Tokyo from more than three hundred years ago. You will surely be amazed by the variety of handmade Japanese traditional crafts and the richness of Japanese history.

Itinerary

This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!

09:00 AM

Meeting Point

At the lobby of your hotel in Tokyo

9 AM: We will visit one of the three: East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, Hamarikyu Gardens, or Koishikawa Kourakuen, which are considered the best Japanese Gardens in the city.

10:30 AM: Drop in the souvenir corners of Nihonbashi Information Center, which sells products from Nihonbashi's historical and famous shops that you won't be able to find anywhere else!

11:00 AM: Nihonbashi Bridge, a twin arch bridge made of stone more than 100 years old

11:30 AM: Nihonbashi Toyama Store - A shopping center for food, crafts & gifts from Toyama prefecture, where you can see the famous sculpture of Inami originally from Toyama Prefecture. *Closed from Dec.31 to Jan.2

12:00 PM: Visit Hakuza Nihonbashi, Gold Leaf Store, where handbags, earrings, and cosmetics get a golden touch! *Closed on New Year's Day

12:30 PM: Explore Ibasen Fan Store (founded in 1590), a sophisticated shop of 400-year traditional paper fan *Closed on Saturdays, Sundays, Dec.28-Jan.4

1:00 PM: Ozuwashi Traditional Japanese paper store, where Washi - UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Objects is displayed with a large variety of patterns and designs. (founded in 1653). *Closed on Sundays, Dec.28-Jan.3

1:45 PM: Mitsukoshi Department Store *Closed on Jan.1, 23, and Feb.20

2:15 PM: Visit Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square and/or Kobuchicho of Kabukiza and enjoy the delicacy and intricacy of all various designated handicrafts (Closed from Dec.29 to Jan.3)

3:00 PM: End of tour.

Ending Point

At your hotel or the places you prefer

Want to personalize this tour?

This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.

Inclusions & Exclusions

What‘s included

Guiding fee, hotel pick-up in Tokyo, the guide's admission fee for the Japanese gardens.

There is no admission fee for the East Gardens.

What‘s not included

- Transportation fare for you and the guide. We might buy a Metro One day Pass at 600 yen at the beginning of the tour.

- Meals, snacks, drinks, admission fee (Hamarikyu Gardens/Koishikawa Korakuen: 300 yen, over 65 years old: 150 yen)　

Tour Important Information

The East Gardens will be closed on Mondays and Fridays, so please choose Hamarikyu Gardens or Koishikawa on those days.

On Sundays, we cannot visit Ibasen and Ozuwashi, but we can visit some other stores instead. It’s possible to add a lacquerware shop and some others and the craft shop of Mitsukoshi Department Store.

Choosing Sato Sakura Museum, having a Japanese painting collection including cherry blossom pictures, at Nakameguro or the National Museum of Modern Art at Takebashi instead of a Japanese garden is possible except Mondays as long as you pay the admission fee of you and your guide. (Sato Sakura Museum: Adults 500 yen, Over 70 years old 400 yen/ the National Museum of Modern Art: Adults 500 yen, College Students 250 yen)

Sato Sakura Museum will be closed from December 29th to January 4th, January 9th, and February 13th). Starting after your lunch is also possible.

Suggestions, requests are welcomed. Please make inquiries by sending me messages.

Cancellation Policy

Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time

Joined 2017

Yoko T.

4.84 / 5

(158 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

About Tour Guide Yoko T.

Hi, I'm Yoko, a National License Tour Guide＆International Kikisake-shi.

I speak with an American accent, 'cause I lived in Seattle, Washington for six years in my childhood(3-9 years old). My tours might be better with people who LOVE TO WALK, have STAMINA and keen to learn about the culture.

Now I live within a walking distance from Ueno Park, Tokyo, so I see a lot of International tourists walking around in my neighborhood every day.

(PLEASE CHECK EACH TOUR. The expenses are spelled out, too.)

"Tokyo is larger than we thought and the transportations are so complicated," Swedish guys told me. I'm here to help you. I know well about Tokyo, Yokohama, Yamanashi etc. and I travel most of the parts of Japan.

I would appreciate if you could see more sightseeing spots with me as your guide and enjoy your stay.

I love to answer your questions, even though I became nearly breathless when I was with American guests, a family of three, curiously asking me questions after questions:-)

I appreciated their interest in Japan very much.

I also go mountain trekking for nearly thirty years. I've been to the summit of Mt. Fuji and Mt. Kitadake three times. Talking about Mt. Takao, maybe more than fifty times.

I hope we can enjoy the beautiful view together.

I'm looking forward to seeing you soon and having a good time together.

Hope to hearing from you soon.

Reviews

Susan A.

5 / 5

Oct 7, 2025

Tokyo Up-to-You Tour

Oct 7, 2025

Tokyo

8 hours

“Great Tour with Yoko T.”

If you like to walk, Yoko will give you a great tour. She took us all over Tokyo and tailored the tour to whst we wanted to see. I wanted to see Hina dolls and she took us to see them and explained the history. We walked around Yanaka and saw traditional houses, Shinto shrine, and ate at a restaurant that served food like you would eat in a Japanese home. She suggested we visit the Yamatate Museum. She also took us to OTA museum for wood block prints. But most importantly Yoko -San of helped us buy our Kabuki tickets beforehand, suggested restaurants to eat at, told us where to buy bento boxes for Kabuki theatre, etc. etc. Thank you Yoko for taking such good care of us. Sue and Pat

Yoko T.

Thank you so much for a great review, Susan san and Patrick san. It was a great pleasure of mine to be of help for you. Susan san, I really love how you appreciate our Japanese culture not only the Japanese paintings but also Kabuki acts as much as you can with making various lovely comments. We could enjoy the quieter Tokyo including the off the beaten path around Yanaka and Nezu Shrine while I felt sorry that Omotesando Boulvevard was overcrowded on Saturday to enjoy the Pritzker architecture but we can see some unique fashion of the youngsters there. I appreciate so much your kindness and your generosity again. I hope you could enjoy more of Japan by visiting Hakone, Takayama and Kyoto during your tour. Have fun, please!!

Dana F.

5 / 5

Sep 15, 2025

Tokyo Up-to-You Tour

Sep 15, 2025

Tokyo

8 hours

“Memorable day in Tokyo”

Since I only had one day in Tokyo, I asked Yoko to organise a tour tailored to my tastes. Yoko asked about my personal interests and made suggestions accordingly. She also took my jet lag and aversion to large crowds into consideration. The day itself was very exciting and left me with many wonderful impressions. I am especially grateful to her for all the tips for the rest of my trip and the little pilgrim mascot she gave me for my 88 temple journey on Shikoku. I can recommend Yoko 100 per cent.

Yoko T.

Thank you so much for a wonderful review, Dana san. I'm glad that you chose me so I could have an amazing time talking with you. You are so smart that I really enjoy talking with you about Berlin, about your country and about Japan etc. I was happy with your positive comments about each place we visited. Koya-kun is the symbol that you are not alone. I wish you will enjoy Nakesendo and Ohenro-san, too. I will be looking forward to your pictures of your journey. Stay safe!!

Pete P.

5 / 5

Jul 20, 2025

Ueno & Narita: Shinshoji Temple and traditional Narita town

Jul 20, 2025

Narita

4 hours

“Great Transit Day Tour in Narita”

Yoko was amazing showing us around Narita on our 10 hour layover day. She picked us up at the airport, and showed up even before our meeting time. The day happened to be the same day as a festival, lots of people, and she was able to guide our family of four through the crowd with thoughtful stops along the way. She even knew some back roads to get us back to the airport sooner when our group (including our 2 kids) got tired from the entire day in the heat. Overall, a great experience thanks to Yoko-san. We cannot wait to come back to Japan more than just a layover.

Yoko T.

Thank you so much for a great review, Pete san. It was July 6, when the annual town festival was going on. Thanks to that, they had more food stalls than usual. It was a very hot day but you and your wonderful family was so nice that I enjoyed spending time together with all of you. As I said, January and February will be less crowded and I would like to show you the winter sakura so I'll be looking forward to showing Tokyo and other places some day. Thank you again, Yoko