Tokyo Private Tour with Drumming

Discover Tokyo’s culture with a 6-hour tour, including a customizable itinerary and an exhilarating Wadaiko drumming lesson. Perfect for all ages!

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Asakusa - This tour offers a more efficient way to explore Tokyo in a single day. Start at your hotel and move to any location of your choice. You can visit 3 to 4 spots within 6 hours. Select your preferred destinations from the list below and customize your tour with your guide!
  • Imperial Palace - This tour provides an efficient way to explore Tokyo in one day. Begin at your hotel and move to any location of your choice. Note that visiting inside the Imperial Palace is not permitted.

Legend has it that in 628, two brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River. Despite returning the statue to the river, it always came back to them. As a result, Sensoji was built nearby for the goddess Kannon. The temple was completed in 645, making it Tokyo’s oldest temple.

  • Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden - Shinjuku Gyoen is one of Tokyo’s largest and most popular parks. Located a short walk from Shinjuku Station, the park’s spacious lawns, winding walking paths, and serene scenery offer a relaxing escape from the bustling urban center. In spring, Shinjuku Gyoen becomes one of the best places in the city to see cherry blossoms.

  • Rikugien Garden - Rikugien is often considered Tokyo’s most beautiful Japanese landscape garden, alongside Koishikawa Korakuen. Built around 1700 for the 5th Tokugawa Shogun, Rikugien means “six poems garden” and recreates 88 scenes from famous poems in miniature. The garden is a prime example of an Edo Period strolling garden, featuring a large central pond surrounded by manmade hills and forested areas, all connected by a network of trails.

  • Tsukiji Fish Market - Explore Tokyo’s old fish market and try a variety of fresh fish!

  • Hama Rikyu Gardens - Hama Rikyu is a large, attractive landscape garden in central Tokyo. Located alongside Tokyo Bay, it features seawater ponds that change level with the tides and a teahouse on an island where visitors can rest and enjoy the scenery. The traditionally styled garden stands in stark contrast to the skyscrapers of the adjacent Shiodome district.

  • Meiji Jingu Shrine - Meiji Shrine (明治神宮, Meiji Jingū) is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken. Located next to the JR Yamanote Line’s busy Harajuku Station, Meiji Shrine and the adjacent Yoyogi Park form a large forested area within the densely built-up city. The spacious shrine grounds offer walking paths perfect for a relaxing stroll.

The shrine was completed and dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken in 1920, eight years after the emperor’s passing and six years after the empress’s passing. The shrine was destroyed during World War II but was rebuilt shortly thereafter.

  • Akihabara - Taiko LAB Akihabara offers Japanese drumming lessons for visitors who want to experience this aspect of Japanese culture. The one-hour lesson is suitable for all levels and has no age limit. ※After your guide brings you to Taiko LAB Akihabara, they will leave.

  • Shibuya Crossing - This tour allows you to explore Tokyo more efficiently in one day. Start at your hotel and move to any location of your choice.

  • Koishikawa Korakuen Garden - Koishikawa Korakuen (小石川後楽園, Koishikawa Kōrakuen) is one of Tokyo’s oldest and finest Japanese gardens. Built in the early Edo Period (1600-1867) at the Tokyo residence of the Mito branch of the ruling Tokugawa family, the garden was named Korakuen after a poem encouraging a ruler to enjoy pleasure only after achieving happiness for his people. Koishikawa is the district where the garden is located.

  • Tokyo National Museum - The Tokyo National Museum (東京国立博物館, Tōkyō Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan) is the oldest and largest of Japan’s top-level national museums, which also include the Kyoto National Museum, the Nara National Museum, and the Kyushu National Museum. Originally established in 1972 at Yushima Seido Shrine, it moved to its current location in Ueno Park a few years later. The Tokyo National Museum boasts one of the largest and finest collections of art and archaeological artifacts in Japan, with over 110,000 items, including nearly a hundred national treasures. At any given time, about 4,000 items from the permanent collection are on display, along with regular temporary exhibitions. Good English information and audio guides are available.

  • Senso-ji Temple - Sensoji (浅草寺, Sensōji, also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple) is a Buddhist temple located in Asakusa. It is one of Tokyo’s most colorful and popular temples. Legend has it that in 628, two brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River. Despite returning the statue to the river, it always came back to them. As a result, Sensoji was built nearby for the goddess Kannon. The temple was completed in 645, making it Tokyo’s oldest temple.

  • Rikugien Garden - Rikugien (六義園) is often considered Tokyo’s most beautiful Japanese landscape garden, alongside Koishikawa Korakuen. Built around 1700 for the 5th Tokugawa Shogun, Rikugien means “six poems garden” and recreates 88 scenes from famous poems in miniature. The garden is a prime example of an Edo Period strolling garden, featuring a large central pond surrounded by manmade hills and forested areas, all connected by a network of trails.

  • Yoyogi Park - Yoyogi Park (代々木公園, Yoyogi Kōen) is one of Tokyo’s largest city parks, featuring wide lawns, ponds, and forested areas. It is a great place for jogging, picnicking, and other outdoor activities. Although Yoyogi Park has relatively few cherry trees compared to other sites in Tokyo, it is a lovely spot for cherry blossom viewing in spring. Additionally, it is known for its ginkgo tree forest, which turns a vibrant golden color in autumn.

  • Takeshita Street - Harajuku (原宿) refers to the area around Tokyo’s Harajuku Station, situated between Shinjuku and Shibuya on the Yamanote Line. It is the center of Japan’s most extreme teenage cultures and fashion styles, but also offers shopping for adults and some historic sights. The focal point of Harajuku’s teenage culture is Takeshita Dori (Takeshita Street) and its side streets, which are lined with trendy shops, fashion boutiques, used clothing stores, crepe stands, and fast food outlets catering to fashion-conscious teens.

  • Odaiba District - Odaiba (お台場) is a popular shopping and entertainment district on a man-made island in Tokyo Bay. It originated as a set of small man-made fort islands (daiba literally means “fort”), built towards the end of the Edo Period (1603-1868) to protect Tokyo from potential sea attacks, specifically in response to Commodore Perry’s gunboat diplomacy. Over a century later, the small islands were joined into larger ones through massive landfills, and Tokyo began a spectacular development project to transform the islands into a futuristic residential and business district during the extravagant 1980s. However, development slowed significantly after the burst of the “bubble economy” in the early 1990s, leaving Odaiba nearly vacant.

  • Shibamata - Shibamata (柴又) is a neighborhood on the eastern edge of Tokyo, near the Edogawa River, which serves as the natural border between Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture. The town retains its old-school charm from yesteryear and offers a perfect break from modern Tokyo. One of the main attractions is the Shibamata Taishakuten Temple, located not far from the station.

  • Nezu - Miraculously avoiding major damage during world wars and natural disasters, Yanaka and Nezu—two neighborhoods that make up shitamachi, Tokyo’s old downtown—retain their last-century charm. You’ll find historical sites such as Yanaka Cemetery and Nezu Shrine tucked away among shitamachi’s narrow back alleys, traditional wooden houses, izakaya pubs, atmospheric coffee shops, and retro stores selling old-style sweets and snacks. Here, you can step back in time to a slower-paced, more genteel Tokyo.

  • Shinjuku Golden Gai - Golden Gai is said to have started around 1950 when the black market that had arisen in front of Shinjuku Station moved, and a number of eating and drinking establishments set up shop in this new area. Although Shinjuku has undergone considerable modernization since then, Golden Gai has remained largely unchanged. The alley is narrow and cramped, with countless signs advertising the various establishments that line the way. Many of the buildings are made of wood, remnants from the Showa Era, and most measure only around thirteen square meters (142 square feet). It’s a dim, lively place filled with the aromatic smoke of grilling meats. Despite the nearly endless number of sleek new restaurants available in Shinjuku, this little alley continues to attract foreign tourists. Golden Gai is a popular “un-touristy” tourist spot.

  • Tokyo Tower - The retro-cute version of Tokyo Skytree! This vermillion tower has been a symbol of Tokyo for a generation and can be seen in the background of many famous animes!

What's Included
  • 60 min Wadaiko drum experience at TAIKO-LAB
  • Meet up with guide within Tokyo’s 23 wards on foot
  • Customizable Tour of your choice of 2-3 sites from ‘What to expect’ list
  • Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
What's Not Included
  • You cannot combine tour groups
  • Private Vehicle
  • Transportation fees, Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
  • Transportation fees: 24 hour Metro Pass Adult: 800 yen, Child: 400 yen
  • Guide Entry fees are only covered for sights listed under What to Expect.
Additional Information

This 6-hour walking tour includes a 60-minute Wadaiko Japanese drumming lesson at TAIKO-LAB Akihabara or Aoyama. Before your drumming lesson, enjoy a walking tour with our licensed guide! You can customize your tour itinerary after making a reservation. The guide will drop you off at TAIKO-LAB after a 5-hour walking tour. The drumming lesson lasts about 60 minutes.

Taiko LAB Akihabara offers Japanese drumming lessons for visitors who want to experience this aspect of Japanese culture. The one-hour lesson is suitable for all skill levels and open to anyone aged 3 and above.

※After your guide brings you to Taiko LAB Akihabara, they will leave.

Start time: The start time for the experience may vary. The total experience time is approximately 5 hours from the tour start.

Please craft your itinerary by choosing 2 to 3 spots from the ‘what to expect’ or ‘itinerary’ list.

Location
Asakusa
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Select Date and Tickets
up to 10 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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