GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!
GoWithGuide
GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!
Tokyo Private Tour - Buddha statue of the  Tennoji Temple
Buddha statue of the Tennoji Temple
Tokyo Private Tour - Echigoya liquor shop
Echigoya liquor shop
Tokyo Private Tour - Yanaka Ginza
Yanaka Ginza
Tokyo Private Tour - Nezu Shrine
Nezu Shrine
Tokyo Private Tour - Yanaka Cemetery
Yanaka Cemetery
Tokyo Private Tour - Asakura Museum
Asakura Museum

Lost in Old Tokyo Downtown: Explore Yanaka & Nezu

Off the Beaten Path
Tokyo Tour Guide - Chiaki K.

Joined 2019

Chiaki K.
4.93 / 5
(120 reviews)
Identity Verified
Interview-Based Quality Checks
Tokyo
English
4 hours
Private tour (only you and Chiaki K.)
Up to 5 people

The Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi areas are called “Yanesen”. The stairs leading to Yanaka Ginza Shopping Street is famous as a spot to see Japanese people’s real life. The areas have atmosphere of good old days of Tokyo downtown in 1960’ and also known as a religious town because they have many local temples, shrines and graveyards. There are small shops selling Japanese traditional kitchen items and souvenirs, and sweets shops and stalls basing on a concept of Japanese traditional colors.

Itinerary

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

10:00 AM

Meeting Point

Your hotel (inside of Tokyo area)

- I can meet you at any place you’d like. Please let me know your preference in advance.

10:30 AM

Tennoji Temple

Founded in 1274, this is the oldest temple in the area, offering visitors a glimpse into Japan's rich religious heritage. Situated on the edge of Yanaka Cemetery, this Tendai sect temple has a beautiful bronze Buddha statue in their peaceful garden.

10:40 AM

Yanaka Cemetery

Yanaka Cemetery is one of Tokyo's most famous graveyards and has the feel of a park with its profuse foliage, including a beautiful alley of cherry trees: a very popular spot in spring when the overhanging branches are heavy with bright blossom. The cemetery is also a beauty spot in autumn, with its many deciduous trees, including numerous gingkos. You can see Japanese traditional way to worship ancestors.

11:00 AM

Asakura Museum

This is a small, off the beaten path museum. Its building was used from 1907 as a residence and atelier by Fumio Asakura, the highest peak of Japan's modern sculpture. In the atelier, you can see his works and in the residential area, you can see the traditional Japanese lifestyle a hundred years ago. Admission ¥500. Closed on Monday and Thursday.

12:00 PM

Yanaka Ginza

"Yanaka Ginza” is a shopping district where you can feel the atmosphere of Japanese downtown and see people’s real life. You can buy street food and take it to the Echigoya liquor shop and have a glass of beer if you’d like.

01:00 PM

Nezu Shrine

Nezu Shrine has a legend to be founded about 1,900 years ago by legendary priest Yamato Takeru no Mikoto. It was built on the current site in 1706 at the order of the fifth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. It is famous for a tunnel made with lots of vermilon torii gates (red archways). Very good for photos.

Ending Point

Nezu Shrine

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

Guide fee, Hotel pick up (inside of Tokyo area)

What‘s not included

Transportation fee for you (about ¥1,000/pp, depending on the location of your hotel), lunch for you and guide (about ¥1,500/pp), entrance fee for you and guide (Asakura Museum ¥500/pp)

Tour Important Information

-This tour involves a lot of walking, so make sure to wear comfortable shoes.

-Asakura Museum is closed on Monday and Thursday.

- The ending point could be Ueno or any place you’d like.

Important message from the supplier

If you stay in the central area of Tokyo or Chiba, I will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel or anyplace you like.

We will take public transportation and walk a lot so please wear comfortable shoes.

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
Tokyo Tour Guide - Chiaki K.

Joined 2019

Chiaki K.
4.93 / 5
(120 reviews)
Identity Verified
Interview-Based Quality Checks

About Tour Guide Chiaki K.

Welcome to Japan! My name is Chiaki. I’m a government licensed guide interpreter, a wife and mother of two grown-up children. I’ve been living in Tokyo for 30 years so I know the area well.

If you don’t want to miss popular “must see” places, wish to eat a variety of Japanese popular and delicious food, have particular interest in Japanese theatrical arts, architectures, gardens, tea ceremony and “kawaii” characters, or are tired of tourist spots and like to see the real life of people in Japan, I can help you.

My goal is to help you to make your stay in Japan as memorable and fulfilling as possible. If I can serve you to make your special trip more special, it will be my pleasure.


Reviews

Tokyo Customised Tour

We had an amazing day with Chiaki. She is very engaging and was very knowledgeable about the places she took us to. She encouraged us to see authentic places in Tokyo and experience the atmosphere of Japanese life. She has excellent English. She was fantastic at negotiating the transport system. She is a highly organised and very professional lady. We visited The Tsukiji Fish Market, Fukagawa Fudodo, Asakusa (Sensoji Temple and Nakamise Shopping Street, Imperial Palace Square and the Observatory at the Metropolitan Government Building.

Yvonne K.

Chiaki K.

Thank you Yvonne, for your lovely words! I’m delighted to hear that you enjoyed exploring Tokyo and experiencing some of its authentic local spots. It was such a pleasure guiding you and Eamonn through the city and talking about our countries and daily life. I hope the wishes you wrote on the wood sticks at Fukagawa Fudodo will come true. I truly appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you back to Japan again in the future! Please send my best wishes to Eamonn!

The most organized, responsive guide

We cannot say enough good things about Chiaki and feel very fortunate to have found her. From the numerous messages we exchanged, Chiaki felt like the best fit for a guide. It ended up being the perfect first day in Japan and Tokyo. It was a full day, with Chiaki explaining everything from the subway to the places we visited. The Fudodo Twmple was incredible and without Chiaki’s suggestion, we would have missed it. We saw the fire ritual, drumming, chanting. Chiaki also took us to an outstanding vegan restaurant that did Buddhist temple cooking. Tucked away on the third floor of a building in Roppongi, it would have been hard to find it on our own. Chiaki also helped us buy our Shinkansen tickets and was extremely thorough in organizing them with detailed instructions. We truly had the perfect guide We covered more ground than we could have on our own, it was a good orientation on the subway, and it did not feel rushed. And throughout the day, Chiaki was and considerate. She was always eager to help and had suggestions for the days we are going to explore on our own. Thank you, Chiaki!

Meena M.

Chiaki K.

Dear Meena, thank you so much for posting your lovely review! I’m so glad you enjoyed the tour and that I could make things like navigating the metro easier for you. It was a real pleasure spending the day together. You find fun everywhere, like when I explained about A-Un statues at the gate of Sensoji Temple and when we crossed the Shibuya Crossing. When we were at the gate of Meiji Jingu Shrine, you found beauty in its simplicity. It’s the philosophy of Wabi-Sabi. Now I’m very happy that you have found me! I hope the rest of your travels are full of wonderful experiences! Please say hello to your charming sons. Thank you!

Perfect way to spend the first day in Tokyo

Chiaki was an excellent guide from the first contact. We messaged in advance to agree an itinerary for the day and Chiaki made sure the day was well paced. Having help to understand and navigate the metro was really helpful and Chiaki even helped us retrieve our tickets for our ongoing travels at the JR station. (This saved us a bit of stress I’m sure!). Chiaki is a very considerate and friendly guide and I couldn’t recommend her enough.

Lynsey M.

Chiaki K.

Thank you Lynsey, for your wonderful review! And thank you for the photo you uploaded. I wanted to ask Nigel to share it but couldn’t. I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed the day and felt comfortable. It was such a pleasure spending the day together, and I truly appreciate your recommendation. I hope you enjoyed the bike tour today and will have a lot of fun in Tokyo, Takayama and Kyoto. Thank you again!

Want to Personalize?

$120/ per group

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