Guided walking tour in Tokyo – Japan’s cultural curiosities
Start off at Ningyocho, a district known for its old traditions and, as you’ll discover right away, tasty treats. That’s because the smell of cinnamon will lead us to our first stop, a shop that specializes in Japanese sweets.
Next up, we’ll stop at an incense store that dates back to 1705, where we’ll learn about Kōdō, the art of appreciating incense and the traditional Japanese incense ceremony.
Hungry? Good! We’ll stop at a snack shop from the Showa Era that carries treats popular in the early 20th century, including candies, caramels, Ramune soda, fish jerky, and bean paste snacks, to name a few.
We’ll then cross the street to a shamisen shop, and learn a bit about this traditional Japanese musical string instrument. From there, we’ll head to a local tenugui shop, where they sell woven hand towels depicting Japanese scenes.
Next you’ll go to one of the eight temples in Ningyocho. You’ll visit a shrine where virtue, longevity, learning, and wealth are worshipped. You can offer a prayer here, and wash a coin to ensure a prosperous life.
Once you’ve exhausted Ningyocho, you’ll visit another nearby neighbourhood, Nihonbashi. The district of Nihonbashi was a hub for merchants during the Edo period.
Visit a seaweed shop, as well as an old-fashioned stationery shop that was established in 1946. You’ll get to browse through the display of calligraphy brushes, inks, traditional paints, handmade greeting cards, and little dolls.
The tour will finish at the Nihonbashi information centre, where we will get to taste a few more traditional Japanese sweets before saying sayōnara.
Guided walking tour in Tokyo – Japan’s cultural curiosities
Tokyo West-Side walking and street-food tour
Join your guide on a walking and street food adventure in West Tokyo.
Dive headfirst into the eclectic neighbourhoods of Nakano and Koenji, as you stop by your guide’s favourite haunts to grab a bite to eat in these buzzing local eating, drinking and entertainment hubs.
Take joy in sampling a wide array of popular eats from local vendors, independent markets and Japanese franchises as we wind our way through the rustic streets and never-ending ‘shotengai’.
With the insider knowledge of a seasoned local, nothing’s off-limits as we fill our stomachs and explore the urban landscapes, dingy backstreets, neighbourhood attractions and mouthwatering cuisine that gives these culturally rich enclaves their distinctive character.
Tokyo West-Side walking and street-food tour
1400-year history exploration tour in Asakusa
While bus tours are very handy in terms of efficiently covering a large area in a short time, this tour is for those who want to visit or revisit an area of particular interest to get to know much more about it. Therefore, the tour is designed to cater only six guests or less so the guide is able to communicate with each guest firsthand, and visitors have the chance to ask all their questions. Especially since things taken for granted by Japanese are very often new to tourists.
The itinerary starts at the meeting point at the Azumabashi bridge. After viewing Tokyo Sky Tree and Sumida river, the visit will continue at the Culture Center. You may have a preview of the tour by overlooking Asakusa from high up the building designed by a well-known Japanese architect. You will then head to Sensoji temple, Tokio’s essential sightseeing spot, but you will also be sight-touching, tasting and learning the history and secrets of the ancient place while participating in the shrine-visiting rituals that Japanese people know. You will enjoy drawing a paper fortune, and then you will detour into the quiet back streets to pick up some freshly-made ‘melon pan’ sweet bread.
Afterward, the tour will continue to the ‘Rokku’ area, it is Asakusa’s traditional entertainment area, always busy and bustling with life. Take your chance to walk through the Meiji period (1868-1912) towards the present day, with stops along the way for more Japanese sweet snacks. The district of endless novelty, between movies, comedians, and exotic animals, transformed in a quaint neighborhood of handicrafts and nostalgia.
1400-year history exploration tour in Asakusa
Tokyo West-Side bike and food tour
- Discover on your bike the eclectic Tokyo neighborhoods of Nakano, Koenji and Asagaya
- Experience neighbourhood life on a salvaged Japanese ‘mamachari’ bicycle
- Taste a wide selection of local Japanese snacks along the route
- Let the atmosphere of the city surround you as your guide takes you through the streets
- Learn more about the local culture first-hand
Tokyo West-Side bike and food tour
Asakusa Guided Tour
Going on a trip to Tokyo without going to Senso-Ji Temple, would be a bit like visiting Paris without going to see the Eiffel Tower. Located in the heart of the Asakusa district, Sensô-Ji is the oldest temple Buddhist of Tokyo.
Erected in honor of the goddess Kannon (a bodhisattva of the compassion, very famous in Japan), you will be dazzled by the Senso-ji Temple and awed by its traditional beauty and the legendary stories.
Once there, you will cross the main arch “Nakamise-dôri” leading to the Temple, where you will find stands of traditional items. Then, you will go to the impressive portal of the sanctuary: the Kaminari-mon (thunder’s door), where the red largest lantern in Japan is suspended.
Located in the center of an extraordinary Buddhist complex, the Sensô-Ji is not the only magical spot of your visit. Your visit will take you to charming temples, the five-storeys pagoda, the Japanese garden and its artificial pond…
This place attracts every day thousands of visitors from all over the world wanting to discover Japan in its most beautiful and pure authenticity.
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