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One-Day Imperial and Cultural Tokyo (Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Imperial Palace Gardens, Ueno)
Joined 2018
Enjoy old and new Tokyo through this tour!
Meiji Shrine is one of the biggest and most famous shrines in Tokyo. Along Omotesando Street in Harajuku many luxury brand shops are located, and Takeshita-dori Street near Omotesando Street is known as a shopping place for young people.
Imperial Palace East Gardens are a big beautiful park near Tokyo Station.
In Ueno they have a lot of temples and shrines, and also museums such as Tokyo National Museum, National Museum of Nature and Science, etc.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
Your hotel
Your Hotel
Pick up at your hotel. Go to Meiji Shrine by public transportation.
Meiji Shine
Visit Meiji Shrine and Harajuku.
Meiji Shrine
Meiji Shrine is one of the biggest Shinto shrines where the soul of Emperor and Empress Meiji are enshrined. Surrounded by forests, this area of Meiji Shrine is a place for Japanese people to relax. If you are lucky, you may see a Japanese traditional wedding.
Harajuku
There are two main streets in Harajuku. One is Omote-sando Street where many famous boutiques are located, and the other is Takeshita-dori Street where many shops that young people are interested in. Takeshita-dori Street is known as a fashion hub for young generations. You can find a lot of interesting things in Harajuku.
Imperial Palace East Gardens
Imperial Palace is former Edo Castle, and the East Gardens are a big beautiful park near Tokyo Station. You can see buildings of the Edo period such as stone walls and watch towers, and walk around the Japanese garden with a pond, stone lanterns, flowers, etc. We will have lunch nearby.
Ueno
We will walk around Ueno Park.
During the period of Tokugawa shogunate, Ueno was a home for Buddhist temples and people living in those days. One of the most famous temples is Kan-eiji Temple which was originally established in 1625 as a family temple of Tokugawas.
Kan-eiji temple has several sub-temples such as Kiyomuzu Kannondo, Bentendo, etc. Kiyomizu Kannondo was built in the 17th century and modeled after Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto. They enshrine one-thousand-armed Kannon in the hall.
Bentendo was originally built in the 17th century, but rebuilt in the middle of the 20th century because it was burnt down during WWII. They enshrine eight-handed goddess of knowledge, art, and beauty.
You can also visit Toshogu Shrine where Tokugawa's three shoguns, the 1st shogun Ieyasu, the 8th shogun Yoshimune, and the 15th shogun Yoshinobu, are enshrined. This shrine is said to have benefits for the success in business, victory in competition, health and longevity, etc.
In addition, there are several museums, festival hall, zoo which is famous for pandas, etc. in Ueno Park.
Ueno
Go back to your hotel by public transportation.
Your Hotel
End of the tour.
Ending Point
Your hotel
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
1. Guide fee
2. Hotel pick-up
* Hotel pick-up is included if your hotel is located near a station on JR Yamanote Line or inside the circle of JR Yamanote Line. If extra transportation fees are necessary for hotel pick-up, I will let you know.
1. Transportation fee (you and your guide) : About 1000 yen/adult
2. Admission fee (you and your guide)
3. Lunch (you and your guide)
4. Beverages (beer, juice, etc.)
Tour Important Information
The Imperial Palace East Gardens are usually closed on Mondays and Fridays, except for national holidays.
*** FAQ ***
(Q) Can I add or delete the places to visit?
(A) Yes! You can add or delete the places to visit. Please let me know the places you want to visit. I will make a customized tour for you.
Important message from the supplier
Nothing speceial.
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 2018
About Tour Guide Hiroshi S.
Hello, I'm Hiroshi.
I am a National Government Licensed Tour Guide Interpreter in English. I have got a master's degree in Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the U.S.
I have been living in a city of Fujisawa, which is the city next to Kamakura, for more than 20 years, and also lived in Kamakura for more than 10 years. So far, I have visited almost all the temples and shrines in Kamakura. So I am sure I can offer you a pleasant trip to the historical city, Kamakura.
In addition to Kamakura, I can also guide Tokyo, Yokohama, Hakone, Nikko, etc. because I have visited many places in Kanto area. For example, in Tokyo I can show you around the sightseeing spots such as Asakusa, Tsukiji, Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine, Tokyo Skytree, etc.
I like baseball and used to play baseball, but now enjoy watching professional baseball games. And I like watching Rakugo, Japanese traditional story-telling performance.
Of course, I also like travelling very much, and am interested in Japanese culture and history. So I would like to show you Japanese tradition and culture.
Let’s enjoy a trip in Japan together.
I am looking forward to seeing you soon.
Reviews
Cathleen N.
Nikko Full Day Customized Tour (Updated)
Customized
“Tokyo to Nikko Full Day Personalized Tour”
Hiroshi goes above and beyond to exceed your expectations. If you are looking for a guide that will respond timely to your inquiries, make suggestions on how to efficiently use your time, and consider your interests to build a personalized itinerary, then Hiroshi-san is for you. Through GWG, I corresponded with Hiroshi to build out an itinerary that included a pick up at our hotel in Tokyo, round trip train(s) to Nikko, and full day tour. Hiroshi promptly answered all my questions and made suggestions for which public transportation (bus/metro/train) to use including detailed timelines of the most time efficient routes. On top of all that, he provided a day's worth of education on Japanese history, religions, and culture. During the train ride he gave us a quick Japanese lesson on the most useful words/phrases and had a pictorial explaining Japanese characters. He answered our questions all day long, regardless of how obscure. We learned and laughed together. Aside from being knowledgeable, Hiroshi-san is kind and caring. He made sure that we understood how to use the public transportation system's automatic ticketing kiosks and even helped us purchase a physical SUICA card for one of our group members who could not get the electronic version. The following day we were traveling on our own to Kyoto via bullet train. He explained that process for us and even sent texts the next day making sure that we arrived safely at the correct outbound Shinkasen train station and found the correct train. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with Hiroshi-san. If you choose him as your guide, you will too.
Hiroshi S.
(35 reviews)I am very happy to hear that you enjoyed the Nikko tour. The day of the tour was very crowded because there was a yabusame (horseback archery) event at Toshogu Shrine. But we could see people dressed in samurai clothes riding horses. We studied Japanese on the train. It was just simple greetings in Japanese, but I hope it was of some use to you during your stay in Japan after the Nikko tour. Tokyo Station is a very large central station in Japan and is always crowded with people. It might be a little complicated to go through the ticket gates when boarding the Shinkansen, but I am relieved to hear that you were able to board the Shinkansen to Kyoto smoothly at Tokyo Station. Please contact me if you have a chance to come back to Japan. I can show you around Tokyo, Hakone, Kamakura, Yokohama, etc. Let's experience Japanese culture and customs, and enjoy delicious Japanese food and beautiful scenery! Hope to see you again! Hiroshi
Norma V.
Hakone Full Day Customized Tour (Oct. 25)
Customized
“Excellent tour guide Hiroshi Suzuki”
Hiroshi met us at our hotel exactly on time and shepherded us through four sites in Hakone by bus train cable car gondola and back home He explained everything, gave us a map and we first saw the amazing Hakone Open air museum with its sculptures by Moore, Rodin and many other famous artists as well as the Picasso Pavilion. We ate black eggs with him at Owakudanu,cruised on Lake Ashi, surveyed the Hakone Checkpoint ruins and ended the tour at the Hakone Shrine.A really satisfying day made better by Hiroshi’s expert and friendly guidance . Five stars from us !! Norma and Ron from Sydney- Australia
Hiroshi S.
(35 reviews)Thank you for your review. I'm very glad to hear you enjoyed our tour in Hakone. I also enjoyed the tour with you. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't that great, so we couldn't see Mt. Fuji and Owakudani was covered in mist. However, we were able to enjoy many artworks at the Hakone Open-Air Museum and we were able to extend our lifespan by eating black eggs at Owakudani! If you have a chance to come to Japan again, please contact me. I can show you around Nikko, Kamakura, etc. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Japan! Hiroshi
Penny L.
Tokyo Full Day Customized Tour (September 25)
Customized
“An enjoyable day”
It was a pleasure to meet Hiroshi. He was very informative about where we were going, how to get there and historical background. He designed the day to fit our interests. His English is excellent and my friend and I were very happy with our tour.
Hiroshi S.
(35 reviews)Thank you for writing a review of our tour. I'm very happy to hear you enjoyed the tour in Tokyo. We visited the Imperial Palace and Ueno Park. At the Imperial Palace Museum, we were able to see wonderful paintings and sculptures owned by the Imperial Family. In Ueno Park, we visited shrines and temples to experience the Shinto and Buddhist atmosphere. You are very knowledgeable about art, and I enjoyed the tour with you and increased my knowledge about art. Please enjoy the rest of your stay in Japan, and I look forward to meeting you again in the near future! Hiroshi
$233/ per group
Reserve
