Japanese Gardens and Tokyo Life: Bunkyo City Customized Tour
Joined 2020
Bunkyo City is in the heart of central Tokyo, just north of Chiyoda City where the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station are. The city is Tokyo’s typical residential and academic area where I was born, grew up, and live now. We'll move around the city with a Bunkyo City Community Bus, B-guru ( “beagle”, the mascot character of the bus), and visit Edo-Tokyo Japanese gardens and other calm and pleasant sites. You'll also catch a glimpse of Tokyo citizens’ life during the tour.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
At your hotel in central Tokyo
8:00 to 8:30 AM: Pick up at your hotel
The tour will be designed to hear your preference and taste. The followings are candidates to visit.
Bunkyo Civic Center Sky View Lounge
Located on the 25th floor and 105 m above the ground level in Bunkyo Civic Center, the city hall building.
Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens
One of nine Japanese gardens of Tokyo Metropolis. Their strolling-style gardens have four areas representing landscapes of ocean, river, mountain, and countryside. Recently, a gorgeous wooden gate, Karamon, has been rebuilt in their inner garden. [sakura/colered leavea spot]
Rikugien Gardens
Also one of nine Japanese gardens of Tokyo Metropolis. The design of the strolling-style gardens has a fine and warm touch with images of sceneries in classical Japanese poems. The gardens have a great weeping sakura tree popular for people, and a woody area with Japanese maple trees colorful in fall. [sakura/colored leaves spot]
Nezu Jinja Shrine
One of Tokyo's 10 shrines. Several colorful buildings including the main hall and the main gate were constructed in the early 18th century. Many Tokyo citizens and tourists visit the shrine to see beautiful azaleas in the season.
Hakusan Jinja Shrine
Not a large shrine, but also one of Tokyo's 10 shrines popular with its beautiful hydrangeas in the rainy season before the hot summer.
Kodokan Judo Museum and Arena
Located adjacent to Bunkyo Civic Center, Kodokan is the most sacred place for Judo lovers. We can visit its Judo museum, and see its dojo or Judo arena. Judo training is done almost every evening from 4:30 pm in the arena.
Yanesen shopping area
A popular tourist spot with a lot of eat-out and souvenir shops, and also a daily shopping district for local citizens. It has many temples and is a walking distance to Ueno.
Queens' Isetan Kasuga
A quality food supermarket for local people in the city. Can Do Kasuga - A shop of the third biggest one coin (100 JPY + tax) shop chain in Japan.
Gokokuji temple
Gokokuji maintains a remnant of the Edo period still. There are several tombs of the shogun family and other historically important people. [sakura spot]
Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo
Six high-spec restaurants and a beautiful garden. Their garden has 20 species of sakura trees, and sakura blooming is expected for a long period. [sakura spot]
The University of Tokyo
The top national university in Japan. Its main hall and various designs of faculty buildings are picturesque. Yellow leaves of gingko trees are magnificent in autumn. A statue of Hachi with his master is in the canvas too.
Koishikawa Botanical Gardens
Originally established as Koishikawa Medical Herb Garden in the Edo period in the 17th, and now, is an R&D facility of the University of Tokyo and is open as an oasis for people to relieve their daily stress. The gardens have Newton’s apple tree and Mendel’s grapevine, a small Japanese garden, and the University Museum of Architecture (the museum closed temporarily due to Covid 19). [sakura/colored leaves spot]
Toyo Bunko Oriental Library
Library and museum of oriental studies. It is located adjacent to Rikugien.
Printing Museum, Tokyo
The exhibition includes technical and cultural aspects of printing in Japan and the world.
Origami Kaikan
An origami gallery and a shop for origami kits/paper/books for origami lovers worldwide.
Kanda Myojin Shrine
A colorful shrine popular among the Tokyo people. The main benefits of the shrine are business prosperity and success in life.
Ueno Ameyoko shopping street
A busy shopping street where local people buy various items at low prices. A Uniqlo tower and a Donqui Jote discount shop are nearby.
Yushima Tenjin Shrine
It is a shrine for examinees. People write their prayers for success in their entrance examination on Ema, small wood plates. The shrine is famous for its beautiful ume (Japanese apricot) blossoms in early spring.
Ending Point
JR or Tokyo Metro Komagome Station or other nearby station from the last visit place at around 15:30 PM
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
Guide fee, hotel pick-up, traveling expenses for your guide
B-guru one-day ticket(s) for you and your guide
Traveling expenses (for you): 500 to 1000 JPY/person
Lunch (for you and your guide): 1000 to 3000 JPY/person, but at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo, it may cost over 6000 JPY /person (see hotel HP)
Admission fees (for you and your guide): Toyo Bunko 720 JPY/person
Admission fees (for you only): 240 JPY/person for Koishikawa Korakuen, 240 JPY/person for Rikugien, 350 JPY/person for Printing Museum
Other fees and expenses (for you and your guide) during the tour, if any
Tour Important Information
- There are various sites to visit in Bunko City. You may find several places to visit. Let’s design a nice tour for your precious day in Tokyo together.
- In the Japanese Gardens, you'll see the elaborate arrangement of artificial nature to welcome visitors in all seasons and know the nature worship that Japanese people have at the bottom of their hearts. And during the tour, you will discover another face of Metropolitan Tokyo where citizens are living their daily lives.
- The rainy season was over, and a hot and humid summer started, but the woods in Japanese Gardens offer a fresh experience of forest bathing in the middle of the city.
- Autumn starts in October, and beautiful colored leaves greet you in November.
- The winter season is from December to February, but the temperature rarely drops under 0 deg C (32 deg F).
- During the new year period, people visit temples and shrines praying for a new year to be delightful. Business slows down in the period, and Tokyo is calm.
- The third B-guru route was introduced in September 2021. The route covers the neighboring Ochanomizu area in Chiyoda City and the Ueno area in Taito City to expand the tour further. Several visiting sights and an example of the course plan have been added.
- You'll see the elaborated arrangement of artificial nature to welcome visitors in four seasons in the Japanese Gardens and know the fundamental nature worship that Japanese people have. And during the tour, you'll discover another face of Tokyo where you'll see citizens' daily lives.
- Other places to visit will be informed during tour planning including some plans below.
Plan A
Bunkyo Civic Center - Korakuen - Nezu Jinja - Yanesen area (lunch) - Rikugien
Plan B
Civic Center - Korakuen - Edogawa Park - Chinzanso (lunch) - Gokokuji - A local temple
Plan C
Civic Center - Origami Kaikan - Kanda Myojin - Ameyoko & Uniqlo (lunch in Ueno) - Yushima Tenjin- Kingyo-zaka - Kon'nyaku Enma
Important message from the supplier
The inbound tour has been resumed. Wearing a mask depends on individual decisions, and you can enjoy tours and cultural experiences in Japan now.
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 2020
About Tour Guide Koichiro Y.
Hello! I’m Koichiro. Please call me “Yamasan”. It derives from my family name and my friends call me so.
I worked for a machinery company as a project manager and engineer for mechanical and electrical construction projects both domestic and overseas for over 35 years. I recall my first overseas project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia when I was 26, and the second was in Singapore. I visited many countries for surveys, meetings, commissioning, project handing over, and so on.
In 2014 at the age of 60, I decided to retire from the company and live the expected further 30 years of life with a new career and experiences. I, then, studied translation and guide interpretation. I passed the national examination for licensed guides (English) in 2015 and registered with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in February 2016.
Until now, I have been guiding many beautiful guests mainly to popular sightseeing spots such as Asakusa, Tsukiji, Omote-Sando, Meiji Jingu Shrine, and Tokyo Skytree, and also cultural experiences of Origami making, Furoshiki wrapping, and Sushi cooking.
I am happy that I can freely arrange a customized tour together with you, or can propose my tours to you. I want to show you some parts of daily Tokyo life and introduce you to Bunkyo City which is located in the heart of Tokyo, just north of Chiyoda City where the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station are. The city is Tokyo’s typical residential and academic area where I was born, grew up, and live a happy life now.
Now, we can tour around the world but have not yet overcome COVID-19 completely. Recently, the number of passengers wearing masks on public transportation in Tokyo reduced to some 25% but we should mind about it still. Please carry your mask to wear it where or when necessary (December 2024, Yamasan).
Reviews
Florin B.
Japanese Gardens and Tokyo Life: Bunkyo City Customized Tour
“Very good first day in Japan and Tokyo”
Yamasan guided us exceptionally well in our first contact with the city, the japonese culture and gardens. He sent us days before the tour plan, the interest sites and updated then a couple of times according to our interest. He was also very kind to come with us and help us solve a personal problem. We were very delighted with his services. Thank you, Yamasan!
Koichiro Y.
Thank you so much for your comment. It was a rainy day in Tokyo, and I was afraid that your first day here was not perfect. You, however, didn't complain about the rain at all during the tour and in your comment too. I was (and am still) very happy with your beautiful family, and hope you are continuously enjoying this first tour to Japan. Please contact me when you plan the second Japan tour. Will it be when your son graduates from the university?
“Day tour Tokyo”
Yamasan went beyond the call to insure the needs of my group. Traveling with 2 wheelchairs, he made sure to customize an itinerary that would fit out needs. He made sure everything was perfect.
Koichiro Y.
Thank you very much for your quick and heartful comments. I was very happy with you and your beautiful family. Thanks to the best guests, the nice weather, pretty cherry blossoms, and the gentle driver, today's tour could be completed with the happy smile of everybody. Please enjoy your cruising tour with your splendid parents.
$232/ per group
More tours by Koichiro Y.
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The tour consists of two characteristic Japanese cultures; typical strolling style Japanese gardens, Rikugien, and origami paper folding. Rikugien is one of nine Japanese gardens in the Tokyo Metropolis. Its strolling-style garden has a fine and warm touch with scenery images from classical Japanese poems. After the visit, you will be invited to the guide’s residence nearby, and have a joyful origami workshop of 90 minutes.
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