A trip to Tokyo would not be complete without a visit to Shinjuku, home to Omoide Yokocho, Kabukicho, and the Golden Gai, some of Japan's most unique places. Enjoy Japanese soul food and soak in the atmosphere and neon lights in Japan's liveliest district! See and experience hidden gems that otherwise would not have been known without a guide. Customization of eating and drinking locations is possible on this tour, as well as exploring other areas.
Shinjuku Station
The tour starts in the retro izakaya area Omoide Yokocho, the nostalgic alleyway filled with great places to eat, where the pleasant smell of barbeque, local dishes, and cheers from the locals inspires. We stop for food and drinks here.
It's a short walk to Kabukicho, Japan's biggest neon-lit entertainment district, where interesting shops and characters will surely make an impression on you. As we walk through and explore this area the historical, social, and cultural aspects are discussion points.
Next, we enter the Golden Gai district, a delightful eclectic maze of over 200 bars and pubs unlike anywhere in the world. This area also has an interesting post WWII history and is great place to have a drink and talk to locals.
We continue our walk back through Kabukicho and explore a bit more as we make our back to the the starting point. Or guests can keep exploring and enjoying the night.
Shinjuku Station
*Guide fee
*Food and drink purchases are not included (Bring at least 4000 yen cash for food and drink purchases).
PLEASE NOTE:
*Customization is possible.
*This is a walking tour with one food/drink stop and one or two bar stops.
*Please let me know in advance if you have any food restrictions.
*Much of the walk takes place in Kabukicho. The historical, social, and cultural aspects are discussion points.
*Travel light and wear comfortable walking shoes.
*The tour price does not include the cost of food and drinks.
*Bring at least ¥4000 cash for food and drink purchases.
“Perfect Tour”
Best decision I made while traveling solo through Japan. My main interest was to get the local flavor of the best food and drink the area had to offer, and with hundreds upon hundreds of bars and restaurants to choose from it would have been a shot in the dark without Tim’s knowledge of the best Shibuya and Shinjuku has to offer. Great stroll through the fascinating historical areas that I didn’t even realize existed. Learned enough to feel extremely comfortable going back the next night and hitting some other food stalls and bars. Tim’s a great guy to hang out with, and knows his stuff. This was the highlight of my trip so far. Thanks again!
Tim D.
(5 reviews)Jeff, thank you for the great review and pictures. I'm happy to hear the tour was one of your highlights of Japan. I'm glad we had some delicious food and enjoyed the history and cultural information of the areas we visited and other areas in Tokyo and Japan. Sharing travel and life stories was also really fun. It was a pleasure talking to you. Thank you for being a super guest!
“Amazing tour of Shinjuku”
Great evening tour with Tim in Shinjuku. This is a rather overwhelming side of Tokyo, however under Tim's impeccable guidance it became a rather exhilarating evening. I would never have been able to navigate this on my own. Thank you Tim for a lovely unique experience.
Tim D.
(5 reviews)Derin, thank you for the kind review. I appreciate it. It was a pleasure talking to you and showing you some of the highlights in the Shinjuku area. Thank you for being a great guest! Please join me again if you come back to Japan.
“Unbeatable Experience!”
Where do I begin? What an incredible evening with Tim! This was by far one of our favorite evenings in Tokyo. First of, Tim is an American who has lived in Japan for many years, so he is fluent in Japanese. This was really beneficial as he was able to explain in detail the history of the Golden Gai and Omoide Yokocho in a way that was very entertaining and easy to understand. While we had good Japanese guides, having a native english speaker and someone familar with our own culture made the tour feel extremely personalized. We were taken to some extremely tiny bars and traditional restaurants and we thoroughly enjoyed the sights, sounds and tastes of these unique night life areas of Tokyo. Next time I visit Tokyo I will definitely do this tour with Tim again.
Tim D.
(5 reviews)Dominique, thank you so much for joining me! You and your group were so fun to be with. Thank you for the great pictures and night together. Please join me again if you come back to Japan.