Tokyo Private Tours

  Terrific time in Tokyo  - We had a very enjoyable day touring Tokyo and seeing the sights we requested plus a few others recommended by our guide, Rei. The restaurant she chose for lunch... read more was excellent and both Rei and our driver were very helpful and accommodating for the older members in our group. It was a great experience we won’t forget!

  Do it... you won't regret it! - Great tour with Mana Nakano.
She was prompt in meeting at hotel, had a historical presentation about Tokyo. We went to the Ueno station, Imperial Palace Gardens, and several other... read more places. It was very interesting. I enjoyed the whole day!
I also did a day tour with Rie to Kamakura, and that was really good, too. Kamakura is a wonderful coastal town just south of Tokyo. The last time I was there was 16 years ago, and happy I went back.

  Historic Tokyo Tour  - Our customized trip with Rie was perfect and efficient. Rie fit a lot in for a full city tour and explained so much of the context and history. 10/10 stars.

  Great tours with Backstreet Guides  - Great tours with Backstreet guides in Tokyo and Kyoto. We had been to both cities before and they were great in making suggestions for things we had not seen... read more that were really good! The guides in both cities were great and very flexible. We recommend this company very highly and would not hesitate to book with them again.

  I had the best day. visiting Nikko dressed in its Autumn foliage- Mayu from Backstreet Guides was so organised and thankfully her English was impeccable (as my Japanese was very,... read more very limited). Mayu picked me up from my hotel and we headed via metro to the Nikko train- Mayu explained what we were doing on the day and after some obligatory photos at the train station (as the leaves of the trees were superb), we were introduced to our wonderful driver who drove us all over Nikko- showing us the best leaves and going to the magnificent Nikko Shrines and Temples as well as the countryside and the sublime views and vistas of this area. This tour was more than I had hoped for and Mayu provided information about the places we visited and the best things we should note- it was a wonderful, calm way to see this amazing area and exceeded all of my expectations!! Thank you for such a brilliant day in Nikko- I shall always remember the fun time we had.

  Highly recommend this tour with Rie! - Rie was an excellent guide. Besides her knowledge about the sites visited, we learned a lot about Tokyo’s history. Highly recommend!

  Historical Tokyo tour  - We enjoyed this tour with Mana, she was amazing and we covered so much history and beautiful gardens full of cherry blossoms. Some of the best places were the small... read more streets and quiet shrines and wonderful tiny shops . It was raining most of the day but we still enjoyed it all. Thank you Mana for a wonderful and inspiring day.

  Exceptional Tokyo Experience with Backstreet Guides and Rie  - Our experience with Backstreet Guides was absolutely perfect. Planning our trip was really fun thanks to Hiroko, who helped us craft a thoughtful two-day itinerary: she made sure everything flowed... read more well in terms of travel distances and incorporated all the special stops we wanted to include. Her attention to detail made a huge difference and it was incredibly rewarding to see it all come to life during our visit.

Our guide Rie was phenomenal! She is a true professional who brought so much knowledge, energy, and joy to our time in Tokyo. Her historical context added so much meaning to every place we visited, and she always knew the most efficient ways to navigate the city. Rie is also a fantastic photographer! She knew exactly how to pose us to capture the perfect shot every time (a huge bonus we hadn’t expected!). What we really appreciated was how she was able to adapt our itinerary on the fly. Whether we wanted to spend more time somewhere or make a spontaneous change, Rie was always flexible and made it all feel seamless.

Rie and the Backstreet Guides made our Tokyo experience truly unforgettable!

  Tour guide in Kyoto and Tokyo  - We used Backstreet twice. Once in Tokyo and once in Kyoto. In Tokyo we had Rie. she took us around and we saw historical sites modern... read more streets and even quiet neighborhoods where we could learn a lot about daily Japanese life. We highly recommend her In Kyoto Junko was really nice. Very knowledgeable; took us all around the city in one day. We saw a lot and she was eager to help us see everything in a packed day. We highly recommend her

  We completed two half day walking tours of Tokyo. We had a fabulous guide by the name of Yoko and she was fantastic. If you have not visited Japan before,... read more then this is a great way to learn about the basic customs and an excellent way to understand how the public transportation works especially the train system. Make no mistake, Tokyo is always busy so get accustomed to dealing with crowds.

Our trip was for 9 days and we had purchased a Japan Rail Pass which we did not want to activate until day 2 as we needed it for longer trips in the latter half of our stay, so she helped us purchase Pasmo travel cards (tap on and off) which can even be used on vending machines. It costs 500 Yen per card (refundable) plus whatever you need for fare costs. You need to purchase one for the guide as well. On day 2 she then helped us activate our Japan Rail Passes at Tokyo Station which was remarkably quieter than Shinjuku-Ku Station and also assisted us to book our trip to Kyoto.

We visited the outer market at Tsukiji. This was filled with traditional Japanese foods and food-related items. We then went on to Asakusa to have a look at the Buddhist Sensoji temple and then had lunch (Chicken rice bowl) at a side street restaurant. From there we traveled to Yanaka which is a suburban shopping street. We could have spent more time there however we needed to get back to our hotel for another commitment.

On day 2 we started off going to the East gardens of the Imperial Palace which stands on the site of the original Edo Castle and is home to the emperor. We then moved on to the Shinto Meiji Jingu shrine. After that we had a ramen lunch.
From there we were taken to the Harajuku and Omotesando districts. This is a crazy busy and vibrant area. We also got to visit a photo booth store where we experienced a Japanese teen hangout zone. We also asked Yoko to take us to the Shibuya Scramble which was not a problem, so don’t be afraid to tailor the trip if you need to.

This is a walking tour and you do walk a reasonable amount including traversing stairs and escalators. If you don’t enjoy walking or crowded public transportation then this trip is not for you. We however could not recommend it more highly! Thanks Yoko for your excellent knowledge and for taking care of us so well over the two days!