Shibamata is a small and old downtown with a temple and beautiful Japanese gardens, located in the east end of Tokyo. You will find the nostalgic lifestyle of ordinary people in 1960’s. The town is not stylish nor modern, but full of atmosphere of Japanese traditional neighborhood life.
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
At your hotel in Tokyo
Meeting Point
Pick up at your hotel or anyplace you’d like.
Shibamata
Walk along the street to Shibamata Taishaku-ten temple from the nearest station and see the local sweets and food shops. You can reach the temple in 10 min. The whole area shows the atmosphere of traditional busy downtown in 1960’s.
Taishaku-ten Temple
Taishaku-ten is a temple known for its beautiful Japanese garden and engraved Buddha stories on the outer walls of Taishaku-do inner shrine. The admission is 400 yen per person. You can go-around the garden by walking through the outside corridor with roof.
Yamamoto-tei
Yamamoto-tei, a traditional Japanese-style architecture built in 1920s. It was once used as the residence of the wealthy president of a company. You can see the inside of the house and the beautiful garden through “engawa” (a narrow wooden deck along the edge of a house facing the garden). Admission 100 yen. You can also have tea and sweets in the Japanese style tatami tea room.
Lunch
We can have lunch at a restaurant nearby as you like. There are noodle, tempura rice-bowl restaurants, etc.
End tour at your hotel or anyplace you’d like
You can visit Tokyo Skytree or Asakusa in less than 30 min. I will take you there if you’d like.
Ending Point
At your hotel or anyplace
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Guide fee, hotel pick-up, guide’s transportation fee
Your transportation fee (about 1,500 yen per person), lunch (about 1,500 yen per person) and admission fee for you and guide
This is a flexible tour you can change places to visit upon your wish. I will make an itinerary customized for you, so you can fully enjoy the city with your limited time.
This is a private tour, you can change the route according to your interest, condition or the weather during the tour.
In this tour, we will take public transportation and walk a lot so please wear comfortable shoes. If your group has someone who prefers not to walk a lot, please let me know.
And if you have someone with allergies or dietary restrictions, please let me know in advance.
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.
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.
“An amazing day exploring Tokyo with a lovely person”
We spent half a day exploring Tokyo with Chiaki. We are a family of 6 (2 adults and 4 kids) from Australia and wanted a day where we could take in the city and learn about Japanese history and culture from a local perspective. Chiaki gave us exactly what we needed. She was exceptionally patient with the children and she designed the tour to include things that they wanted to do. Chiaki answered all of our questions as well as the many questions from the children. She even thought about things that would be needed when travelling with little children! Chiaki is very knowledgable and her perspective on Japan and Japanese culture was very helpful. We would highly recommend Chiaki as a guide in Tokyo.
Chiaki K.
Dear Nallini, Thank you so much for your kind and detailed review! It was truly a pleasure spending the day with your lovely family. I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour and that it suited both the adults and the children. It was a joy to see how curious and engaged the kids (especially Annabel and Gabriel) were, I loved their questions and interests! I hope you spend wonderful time in Japan, and I’d love to guide you again if you ever return to Tokyo. Arigato Nallini, Andrew and lovely kids!
“Family First day in Tokyo ”
We are a family of 4, kids ages 11 and 9. We loved our time with Chiaki. She met us at our hotel and brought us through Tsukiji Outer Market, Hongwanji Temple and through food hall and Ginza six garden. She helped so much finding food for all of us to try, especially the kids. We had a wonderful time. Chiaki is kind and knowledgeable.
Chiaki K.
Dear Matt, thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thoughtful review! It was my pleasure guiding you and your wonderful family around. I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed exploring these places. Watching your girls try the food and have new experiences at the market made me happy. I hope you enjoy your trip through Asian countries. Thank you again!
“Great start for my first visit in Japan”
My family and I had a great time exploring some of Tokyo's highlights with Chiaki-san! It was my first time in Japan and I needed a local guide to help us navigate the train system and the cultural aspects, such as temple etiquette and routines. Chiaki-san was very helpful, and she gets along well with my family. We feel very comfortable! I also admire Chiaki-san for being active online as a guide, being a woman and mother. She's a great role model. Thank you Chiaki-san!
Chiaki K.
Thank you Evelyn-san, for your wonderful review! Like I already wrote in my previous message, you have a beautiful family and a lovely teacher. I had a great time and felt comfortable with you, too! Please send my best wishes to your mom, Albert, Hans and April. I look forward to meeting you and your family again in the future! Thank you so much! Arigato Evelyn-san!
$109/ per group