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, grown 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.
At your hotel in central Tokyo
The tour will be designed hearing your preference and taste. The followings are candidates to visit.
Located on the 25th floor and 105 m above the ground level in Bunkyo Civic Center, the city hall building. [Temporary closed and served for Covid-19 vaccination site]
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 spot]
Also one of nine Japanese gardens of Tokyo Metropolis. Design of the strolling style gardens have 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 spot]
One of Tokyo 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.
Not a large shrine, but also one of Tokyo 10 shrines popular with its beautiful hydrangeas in rainy season before hot summer.
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.
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.
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 maintains a remnant of Edo period still. There are several tombs of shogun family and other historically important people. [sakura spot]
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 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.
Originally established as Koishikawa Medical Herb Garden in Edo period in the 17th, and now, is an R&D facilities of the University of Tokyo and 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 spot]
Library and museum of oriental studies. It is located adjacent to Rikugien.
Exhibition include technical and cultural aspects of printing.
An origami gallery and a shop for origami kits/paper/books for the origami lovers in the world.
A colorful shrine popular for Tokyo people. Main benefits of the shrine is business prosperity and success in life.
A busy shopping street where local people buy various items in low prices. A Uniqlo tower and a Donqui Jote discount shop are nearby.
It is a shrine for examinees. People write their prayer 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.
JR or Tokyo Metro Komagome Station or other nearby station from the last visit place at around 15:30 PM
There are various sites to visit in Bunko City. You may find several places of your interest. Let’s design a nice tour for your precious day in Tokyo together.
In the Japanese Gardens, you will see elaborated arrangement of artificial nature to welcome visitors in four seasons, and know fundamental worship to the nature which Japanese people have at the bottom of our hearts. And during the tour, you will discover another face of Metropolitan Tokyo where citizens are living their daily life.
Guide fee, hotel pick-up, travelling expense for your guide
B-guru one day ticket for you
Traveling expenses (for you): 500 to 1000 JPY/person
Lunch (for you and your guide): 1000 to 3000 JPY/person, but when 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, 350 JPY/person for Printing Museum,
Admission fees (for you only): 240 JPY/person for Koishikawa Korakuen, 240 JPY/person for Rikugien, 500 JPY/person for Koishikawa Botanical Gardens
Any other fees and expenses (for you and your guide) during the tour
Tours, except Online Experiences, will resume when the situation allows you to travel around.
- There are various sites to visit in Bunko City. You may find several places of your interest. Let’s design a nice tour for your precious day in Tokyo together.
- In the Japanese Gardens, you will see elaborated arrangement of artificial nature to welcome visitors in four seasons, and know fundamental worship to the nature which Japanese people have at the bottom of our hearts. And during the tour, you will discover another face of Metropolitan Tokyo where citizens are living their daily life.
- Autumn in Tokyo starts in October, and beautiful coloured leaves greet you in November. There are not many Christians in Japan, but we cerebrate and enjoy Christmas season for shopping and dating. During new year period, many Japanese people visit temples and/or shrines praying a new year to be delightful. Business slows down in the new year period, and Tokyo is calm. Before welcoming sakura, you can enjoy beautiful red and white ume, Japanese apricot blossoms, in February. Tokyo area is dry in the winter season, and air is clean. We can clearly see a 100 km-away Mt. Fuji from many veiw points.
- Sakura season in Tokyo is March to early April, and a season of fresh green leaves follows. We expect flowers of azalea, wisteria, and iris as well as fresh young leaves that are full of hope and vitality in the gardens in May and June. Soon rainy season, tsuyu, will start in Tokyo, and we enjoy colorful hydrangea in rain. After tsuyu season, hot and humid summer begins, but the forests in Japanese Gardens offer you fresh experience of forest-bathing in the middle of the metropolis.
- The third B-guru route was introduced in September 2021. The route covers neighboring Ochanomizu area in Chiyoda City and Ueno area in Taito City to expand the tour furthermore. Several visiting sights and an example of the course plan have been added.
- You will see elaborated arrangement of artificial nature to welcome visitors in four seasons in the Japanese Gardens, and know fundamental worship to the nature which Japanese people have at the bottom of our hearts. And during the tour, you will discover another face of Metropolitan Tokyo where citizens are living their daily lives.
- Information on other places to visit will be advised while tour planning.
- The following are several examples of course plans.
Course Plan A
Civic Center Sky View Lounge - Koishikawa Korakuen - Nezu Jinja shrine - Yanesen shopping area (lunch) - Rikugien - break up at JR/Tokyo Metro Komagome Station
Course Plan B
Civic Center Sky View Lounge - Koishikawa Korakuen - A local park - Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo (lunch) - Gokokuji temple - A local characteristic temple- break up at Tokyo Metro Korakuen Station or Toei Subway Kasuga Station.
Course Plan C
Civic Center Sky View Lounge - Koishikawa Korakuen - Kodokan Judo Arena - Queens' Isetan supermarket/Can Do one coin shop (lunch around the area) - Nezu Jinja shrine - Yanesen shopping area - break up at JR/Keisei Nippori Station or Tokyo Metro Sendagi Station.
Course Plan D
Civic Center Sky View Lounge - Origami Kaikan - Kanda Myojin Shrine - Ameyoko shopping street & Uniqlo (lunch in Ueno) - Yushima Tenjin Shrine - Kingyo-zaka goldfish shop - A local characteristic temple - break up at Tokyo Metro Korakuen Station or Toei Subway Kasuga Station.