Tokyo: Private Walking Tour with a Local Guide

I was looking for a small tour guide service for a couple’s trip for our first trip to Japan, that would provide “concierge” service. I could not have been happier with “Tokyo Vibes” from beginning to end. We dealt directly with the owner Gabriel, who could not have been kinder or more helpful. He meticulously planned our itinerary over a couple Zoom meetings before our trip and booked a variety of interesting excursions like Team Lab and watching a sumo wrestling practice at a stable which brought us close to the action. He was attentive to our every need. He also offered to make dinner reservations and suggestions for places to eat. Our guide in Tokyo was excellent and went above and beyond, thinking of many details and making sure we were comfortable and adjusting the tour to our needs. She shared her enthusiasm with the sights and history of the temples and shrines. We were able to participate in a small Shinto ceremony at a temple at her suggestion that was very meaningful. Having someone guide us through the customs and rituals greatly enhanced our understanding of the Shinto traditions. We scheduled a stay at an Onsen in Hakone and Gabriel picked us up at our hotel in Tokyo and drove us to Hakone, and provided personal guiding in Hakone like the Hakone Open Air Museum, a beautiful sculpture garden, followed by lunch at a traditional ramen restaurant. Our guide in Kyoto was Ai who was awesome. She met us at our hotel every day and provided personalized tour experiences after asking about our preferences. At her suggestion, we attended a Meiko/Geiko performance. She took up to to a small brewery for a Sake tasting, to small art exhibits and of course many temples and shrines including small shrines and well known shrines. All along she explained the rituals and history of the shrines and temples. She was kind and considerate upbeat and positive, and attended to our every need. By the end of the 4 days she guided us, we became friends. Tokyo Vibes from beginning to end was way beyond our expectations. All guides tailored the tours to our wishes and gave us a great mix of experiences and education of Japanese culture and history. We will definitely use Tokyo Guides again on our next trip, and can wholeheartedly recommend booking with Tokyo Guides. It was very easy working with Gabriel, and felt the value was excellent for the high level of service provided.

This tour was the absolute BEST tour we had on our trip to Japan. Rika was phenomenal! She reached out days in advance to ask about our interests (we were with two teenage girls) and she sent back a proposed itinerary right away. She was so fun to spend the day with! We got to just relax and follow her all over Tokyo without worrying about anything. On top of all of that, she sent me a detailed guide on how we could navigate the next day in Tokyo so the girls and I could shop all over the world’s most populous city. She was the reason we were able to figure out the train system for 8 hours the next day to shop. She went above and beyond!! Thank you, Rika, for being the highlight of our trip to Japan!!

Rika organized a lovely “off the beaten path” tour that included the fabric street in the Nippori area at my request. She was very informative about the history of the area and also bright U.S. to two lovely local shrines. I would highly recommend her tours.

We had a brilliant day with Hina! She is a lovely and knowledgeable guide, who took us through the history and culture of Tokyo. We discovered traditional sweets and learned a lot about Shinto Buddhism and worship. Hina was very helpful with everything and took great care if us. She provided lots of recommendations for us to consider for the rest of our trip. We highly recommend Hina for your great day out in Tokyo!

Our guide Yuko Higashi planned and led us through a wonderful day tour in Tokyo. We saw historic Tokyo in the location of the oldest temple in the city, modern Tokyo at the Aquarium, and everyday Tokyo on the subways and at a delicious Ramen lunch at a tiny restaurant with a delicious meal. Despite the pouring rain and cold weather she selected a great mix of sights and activities and left us with warm memories of our visit.

We spent an amazing day with Miwa. She had a difficult task, since we only got 8 h to vitis Tokio but she made it amazing experianceand a beautiful and fullfilling sample of the city. She was changing the plan by the intrest of the members of our family, the plan was flexible according to the things we were most intrested in. We made it safely on time to the cruise ship with all our souvenirs, belly full of delicious sushi and a head full of memories and phones full of photos. We wish we had more time! Thank you a lot and hopefully see you again!

Fantastic experience with Kanako! She went above and beyond by visualising our daily plan on a map to ensure a smooth trip. She is organised, proactive, and a joy to explore Tokyo with.

We had the most fantastic tour with Hina-san. Hina showed us various hidden gems, gave us an oversight in the Japanese culture and thoughts. It was the best tour we ever had and are in awe of all we learnt in those hours. Hina is a excellent guide who goes above and beyond to ensure that all expectations and needs are met. Strongly recommend to book her and the agency if you are looking for the perfect guide.

Tour was designed around what we were interested in. Travelled mostly by train and great to have the guide as the stations are enormous.

We were able to customize the experience to exactly what we wanted. It was absolutely perfect.. we had a wonderful experience.