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- Off the Beaten Path
Nostalgic Yanaka Stroll (half day)
Joined 2018
This tour is recommended for those who love strolling and look for a less touristy travel experience. Yanaka is one of the few areas in Tokyo where you can enjoy relaxing, retro atmosphere. If you like taking photos, Japanese daily lifestyle and architecture, or even cats, this is your choice.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
at JR Ueno or Nippori station (details can be discussed)
1. Temple town
2. Yanaka Cemetery
3. Yanaka Ginza & Yomise-dori (local shopping streets)
4. Asakura Museum of Sculpture (closed on Mondays and Thursdays)
Ending Point
at the nearest station or our last visiting spot
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
- transportation fee (you and guide)
- admission fee (Asakura Museum of Sculpture 500 yen/adult, 250 yen/child)
- food and drink if needed000
Tour Important Information
■ wear comfortable shoes and clothes
■ Asakura Museum of Sculpture is closed on Mondays and Thursdays. Wear or bring socks to enter. *admission: 500 yen/adult
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 Tomoko H.
Hi everyone! Hearty welcome to Japan.
I’m Tomoko.
I am an English-speaking licensed tour guide, and a registered nurse as well.
“Fun Discovering Experience Walking like a Local!” – F-D-E-W-L!
That’s what I suggest.
【Experiences】
My work history is as follows.
1) high school teacher ---12 years
2) nurse--8 years + 2 years as operational manager for Kamakura city vaccination team (during COVID period)
3) tourism related jobs such as tour conducting, guiding, and backyard supporting---10 years
As a tour conductor, I’ve visited about 20 foreign countries (possibly yours?) as well as countless number of towns and villages in Japan.
I’ve enjoyed these jobs while being a mother.
Through these experiences with lots of people from different backgrounds, I've found it a great pleasure to share the joy of learning and experiencing something new!
【Guiding Areas】
<Basic> Tokyo, Kamakura, Hakone, Fuji, Yokohama, Nikko, and other neighboring areas from Tokyo
I’m a specialist in Tokyo and Kamakura as I have lived and enjoyed walking a lot in those cities for decades. To be honest, even after all my years here, I still enjoy exploring like a tourist as Tokyo is such an enormous city with great diversity and is constantly changing.
Kamakura is a historical small city with nice beaches and hills and lots of hidden spots of beauty. Almost every time I go out, I feel I’m still making new discoveries. That’s why I cannot stop exploring.
I would take you to some neighboring areas like Hakone, Yokohama, Nikko, and Mt. Fuji area (Lake Kawaguchiko), etc.
<Based on Requests > *if my transportation & accommodation are covered
Nagoya, Kyoto, Nagano(Nagano city, Snow Monkey park, Kisoji trail, etc.), Hida (Takayama, Shirakawa-go), Kanazawa, Oita, Yamagata, Akita, etc.
My original family is from Nagoya, so I know their culture and even their language(dialect) well. Later in my life, I have lived in Oita, Kyushu(far south west of Tokyo) for nearly 10 years and traveled a lot in Kyushu. I love traveling Tohoku, the northern Japan area, too. I’ve planned and enjoyed visiting many of those local areas in the north, too. So, I could share those experiences with you even while having tours in Tokyo or online.
【Personality and others】
- I love meeting people, listening and talking to them.
- I'm friendly and caring, I hope:)
- I love nature and enjoy hiking and skiing.
- I love seasonal flowers and good local food.
- You will see a lot about Japanese culture, nature, and lifestyle with me.
What has made you decide to come to Japan, by the way? Is it its scenic beauties, exotic culture, history, food, anime, or what else? Is it your business that has brought (or will bring) you here? Let me have a clue and customize your tour. I will make the best tour suggestion for you.
Why don’t you contact me now? I’m looking forward to seeing you soon!
Thank you! Arigato-gozaimas!
Reviews
“Highly recommended!”
Our guide, Tomoko, was hands down the best guide we’ve ever had. She is knowledgeable, flexible, warm annd fun. Tomoko worked with me well in advance to plan the tour and we ended our time together as friends. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her.
Tomoko H.
(174 reviews)Debbie, thank you for your warm review. Needless to say, I too enjoyed working with you from pre-planning to the day of the tour. I am also honored that you invited me for dinner on the special day:) Best wishes to Tony, Michelle and Mark. I look forward to seeing you again. - Tomoko
“Amazing 2 days experiencing Tokyo”
Touring with Tomoko felt like visiting a friend. She listened to our requests and turned them into a casual but intentional stroll through various parts of Tokyo, sprinkling in a few surprises, including a visit to her own neighborhood. She is extremely well informed about history and culture and genuinely proud of her city and country - we learned a few Japanese phrases that increased our enjoyment interacting with shopkeepers and other locals. We recommend her wholeheartedly!
Tomoko H.
(174 reviews)Thank you, Jami, for your very positive review. I also enjoyed the two days with you and Ann as if I was spending time with school friends after a long time. I was surprised to see that your itinerary in Japan before and after Tokyo included pilgrimage mountaineering and Edo period travel routes, but even in Tokyo we made a lot of discoveries while walking around plenty of different areas of the city, each with its own unique characteristics. When planning together in advance, the specific requests you made were very helpful in creating the route. Thank you for finding me and giving me the opportunity to have a great time with you. Hope to see you again, Jami and Ann!
“A Great Way to Experience Kamakura”
We had an amazing time with Tomoko touring and hiking through Kamakura. It was a very hot day but Tomoko helped us take a route with an abundance of shade and places to rest along the way. This is the town where she grew up so our time was filled with stories and insights from her first hand experiences. Our favorite part of the trip was finishing the hike and seeing the great Buddha statue, it was even more enjoyable after a hot hike than it would have been just taking the train or cab. Tomoko is by far the best guide for this excursion from the bigger metro area of Tokyo to a local charming seaside town. Thank you Tomoko
Tomoko H.
(174 reviews)Thanks for sending me a separate review of the Kamakura hike. I had mentioned the hike in my previous reply! At first, I wondered if it would be safe to hike on such a hot day, but then I realized that Kamakura is a town full of greenery and shady places with rich history. Rather than visiting places full of people and scorching sun, your choice was the right one. About the same year as Bailey, my classmates and I planned to visit all the temples and shrines in Kamakura, and we walked around for a week with bentos (packed lunches). I realized that Kamakura is a walkable town and that it is fun to walk around. Other than that, over the years, Kamakura has been a place where I have walked with my family daily as my hometown, and I also have memories of my friends at Daibutsu, the small Zen temple where my mom stays asleep, and etc. As a small town, it has an overtourism problem, but I am grateful for your respectful visit to the citizens' lives. Thank you again, Josh, Bailey, and Tia.
$219/ per group
Reserve
