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Offered languages
- English
This tour uses Tokyo's historic Asakusa district as a gateway to understanding Japanese history and culture, from the samurai era to modern Tokyo. After building this foundation, you can customize your experience with optional extensions.
Tokyo Skytree: See how Japan's modernization transformed Tokyo over the last 150 years as your guide points out key landmarks across the city.
West of Senso-ji: Explore Asakusa's entertainment and everyday-life districts to learn how ordinary people lived, worked, and socialized.
Sake Tasting: Discover how sake reflects Japanese craftsmanship, agriculture, religion, and social customs through guided tastings.
Kappabashi Kitchenware Street: Learn how Japanese values such as craftsmanship, mastery, and continuous improvement are expressed in daily life.
Traditional Kaiseki Meal: Experience Japanese culture through cuisine in a traditional ryotei, with your guide connecting the meal to themes explored during the walking tour.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
The meeting place is in front of a Burger King restaurant right next to Exit 4 of Asakusa subway station (G19) on the Ginza line. Please step outside when you reach Exit 4. See below for details. https://bit.ly/3KBlIr5
Itinerary
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1Sumida River Walk
Begin along the Sumida River, where the story of Japan’s isolation and opening to the world comes alive. Learn why the Edo shogunate sealed the country for over 200 years, why the Netherlands alone was permitted to trade, and how Admiral Perry’s arrival forced Japan to reopen. The guide connects this past to modern Tokyo—right down to Odaiba’s former gun batteries and today’s Statue of Liberty replica facing the Pacific.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center
Get a clear introduction to Japan’s two major religions, Buddhism and Shinto, setting the foundation for everything you’ll see ahead.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
3Kaminarimon Gate
At Asakusa’s iconic gate, explore the fascinating contrast between Japanese and Western dragons—and learn why the Japanese dragon plays exactly an opposite role from the Western one.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
4Nakamise Shopping Street (Kaminarimon)
Stroll through one of Japan’s oldest shopping streets while learning about Buddhist symbols like the vajra (tokko) and the world-changing impact of ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Discover how these prints unexpectedly reached Europe—and inspired Western Impressionist painters.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free -
5
Here, your guide reveals a surprising truth: people in Japan and the West shared remarkably similar ways of thinking 1,000 years ago.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
6Senso-ji Temple
Tokyo's oldest Buddhist temple offers another striking comparison between medieval Japan and Europe, along with a clear explanation of how prayer differs in Buddhism and Shinto.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
7Asakusa Shrine
End the tour at a place that amazes many visitors: a Shinto shrine and Buddhist temple sharing the same grounds, worshippers, and history—peacefully coexisting for over a millennium. Learn why.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
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Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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