Tokyo’s Old-town Tour: Asakusa & Taiyaki Making
Joined 2025
You might get overwhelmed by the busy main streets and the huge Sensoji-temple. This tour offers you an in-depth journey through the charming small shops and scenes in Asakusa that are often missed by first-time visitors along with a fun workshop, “hands-on taiyaki-making experience”at a local shop.
Learn the secrets of this beloved fish-shaped pancake, from preparing the sweet filling to pouring the batter. Join us to see the Asakusa and the authentic culinary workshop!!
Itinerary
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 (inside 23 wards)
- I will pick you up at your hotel. Before leaving the hotel, we will briefly review our itinerary and transportation pass. And let's go!!!
Explore Asakusa area(Senso-ji Temple)
The east side of Tokyo, where we dive into the old downtown with the Senso-ji Temple. We can explore the historic and vibrant town along with many traditional shops and streets.
Taiyaki-making experience(in Asakusa)
In the experience, you can try making Taiyaki by traditional process. After watching the instructions, you will make your own Taiyaki from mixing batter, pouring into a traditional mold plate, and put your favorite fillings from multiple flavors from a list.
*Taiyaki cooking class(approximately 50 mins) —4000JPY per person.
For further information, please contact me before booking.
Kappabashi or Asakusa area
Kappabashi, the “Kitchen street” is located close to the workshop. It is a long street(800meters!) and has historically catered to professional chef and restaurants. What attracts you is a wide variety of shops selling from kitchen tools, ceramics, and authentic cooking knives!
Ending Point
Kappabashi or Asakusa area
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
-Guide's transportation(1000-1500JPY)
-Hotel pick-up within central Tokyo area
-Your transportation fees(1000JPY per person)
-Refreshments(you and guide)
-Experience fee(4000JPY per person) The experience requires prior reservation.)
-Admission fee (you and guide, if needed)
Tour Important Information
*PLEASE send me a message in advance to make reservations for the taiyaki experience.
PLEASE send a direct message to me BEFORE booking a tour.
Important message from the supplier
* Some of the tours/ experiences require prior reservation. Please send a direct message to me before booking a tour.
* If you have any requests for the tour, please feel free to ask me in advance!!
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 2025
About Tour Guide Lily I.
Hello! I’m Lily.
I am a government certified tour guide. I have experienced more than 100 customized tours starting from March 2024 and have been receiving 5-star reviews on popular travel booking sites from over 90% of my guests.
I love Japanese food(eating and cooking!), cultures such as traditional arts and crafts, and so much more! I love exploring towns small or big to look for hidden gems and can't wait to share them with you!
I was born and raised in Tokyo for over 40 years with a few childhood years in the US. I am a mom of two boys and have work experience in the Japanese Education industry as a teacher and a public relations professional.
I am proud to be able to introduce the charms of Japan from multiple perspectives based on my experience of interacting with people from many different nationalities.
I am happy to tailor an original plan or to arrange your bucket list advancing it to a better option.
I’m looking forward to guiding and sharing the excitement of Japan!!
Reviews
Scott H.
“Tokyo Experience by the BEST!”
My wife and I enjoyed 1-1/2 days seeing important and fascinating parts of Tokyo with our guide Lily! What an excellent ambassador for this historical and special place. Lily was sooo professional, responsive, knowledgeable, and absolute fun from the very first inquiry all the way through our time together. Lily loves her town and loves to share her experiences and knowledge. We travelled to Tokyo a couple of days early to enjoy the city in advance of our cruise and Lily did an excellent job tailoring our time and sites perfectly to our interests and to avoid duplication with expected sites to be toured with our cruise excursions. Lily's help with our travel details (like getting from the airport to the hotel by train, recommending a Suica card for easy train access, etc.) once in Tokyo, all in advance of our arrival, was super helpful! All in all, our day and a half with Lily was a wonderful, educational, and fun filled time getting to experience the city with an exemplary guide and ambassador for Japan!!
Lily I.
Dear Scott, Thank you very much for your thoughtful comments! These words reminded me of the journey we had together. I felt so happy introducing culture, history, and all the delicacies along the way we explored. Since we have so many things to offer, I would be more than happy if you could make another visit in not so far future. All the best, Lily
Rahul W.
“Tokyo 7-hour Tour - May 2025”
Our family of 5 did the 7-hour tour of Tokyo with Lily and had a fantastic time. She was very considerate of our family’s dietary restrictions and adjusted the itinerary to match our interests (for example, we visited a garden instead of the fish market). Traveling with two seniors, we appreciated her patience and flexibility. Lily is personable, helpful, and her English was great, which made communication easy and enjoyable. We're so glad we did the tour on our first day in the city because we felt like the tour covered all the major highlights. We highly recommend her for anyone looking for a customized and personal Tokyo tour.
Lily I.
Dear Rahul, Thank you for your kind review!!! It was my pleasure to meet you all and spend a wonderful time together exploring the highlights of Tokyo. I’m grateful to spend warmly vibe with you and all the members of your family. Your excitement about the different features of the city made me even more happy. Always I feel happy to help your trip be more delightful! Best regards, Lily
Elizabeth M.
“Seeing Tokyo in 2 days!”
My two days with Lily were truly incredible! I was in Tokyo for the first time with my husband, but he had business meetings, which left me on my own. Having Lily guide me throughout Tokyo made it fun and stress free. Lily customized an itinerary for me, which enabled me to visit shops and areas that were of interest to me, yet made sure I saw the most important sights. We navigated the city via the subway and on foot, which made me feel more comfortable in the city. Lily was able to share her insider's view of the city and its nuances, which was like a living history lesson. We had a memorable lunch at an authentic tea house, which I would not have found without her. I feel like I would have missed so much with her guidance and highly recommend her as a guide!
Lily I.
Dear Elizabeth, Thank you so much for your thoughtful and great review! It was my pleasure to meet you and spend a wonderful time together exploring beautiful places in Tokyo! Your interests made me discover different features of the city. I couldn’t be more grateful if you had a deeper understanding of Japan. And I will be more than happy if you would revisit here in the future! All the best, Lily
$210/ per group
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