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Japanese Gardens and Tokyo Life: Bunkyo City Customized Tour

Off the Beaten Path
GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!Tokyo
GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!English
GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!7 hours
GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!Private tour (only you and your group)
GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!Up to 5 people

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.

Tokyo Tour Guide - Koichiro Y.
Koichiro Y.
5.00 / 5
(4 reviews)
08:30 AM

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

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Inclusions & Exclusions

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What‘s included

Guide fee, hotel pick-up, traveling expenses for your guide

B-guru one-day ticket(s) for you and your guide

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What‘s not included

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 of interest. 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 fundamental 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 life.


- Sakura season in Tokyo is March to early April (the forecasted flowering date in 2023 in Tokyo is March 18), 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.

- Rainy season, tsuyu, starts in Tokyo in June, and we enjoy colorful hydrangea. After the rainy season, a hot & humid summer begins, but the woods in Japanese Gardens offer a fresh experience of forest bathing in the middle of Tokyo.


- 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'ill see the elaborated arrangement of artificial nature to welcome visitors in four seasons in the Japanese Gardens and know the fundamental nature worship which Japanese people have. And during the tour, you'll discover another face of Tokyo where you'll see citizens' daily lives.

- Information on other places to visit will be advised 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 characteristic temple


Plan SAKURA

Civic Center - Korakuen - Edogawa Park - Gokokuji - Harimazaka (lunch) - Koishikawa Botanical Garden

Important message from the guide

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Inbound tour has been resumed. Wearing a mask depends on individual decision, and you can enjoy tour and cultural experience in Japan now.

Cancellation Policy

  • GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!
    Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
  • GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!
    50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
  • GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!
    No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time

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Thank you for your comment. The day was a great day for me being with you, three beautiful couples. I could feel your love throughout the tour. Hoping to see you again, Yama.

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