Tokyo is a city made for trains and walking, so seeing it from a small go-kart is wonderfully odd. You roll through Ginza, Asakusa, Akihabara, and the Tokyo Bay area on public roads, with the city passing at eye level rather than through a coach window. I like two things in particular: the route covers…
Narita Airport sits well outside central Tokyo, so a private transfer can spare you a tiring train change or a long taxi wait. This service sends an air-conditioned vehicle to your hotel, Airbnb, cruise port, or airport meeting point, with the driver holding a sign bearing your name. The ride usually takes one to one…
Nikko’s Toshogu Shrine is the star here, but the day gives you much more than carved gates and old cedar trees. You’ll also ride the dramatic Irohazaka Winding Road, look across Lake Chuzenji, and watch Kegon Falls drop 97 meters into the gorge below. It is a full day of culture and mountain scenery without…
The best part of this private Mt. Fuji day trip is the freedom to shape the day around your group. You can focus on Fuji’s lakes, shrines, ponds, and photo spots, or choose Hakone for Lake Ashi, the Ropeway, hot spring country, and art. Your guide picks you up at your Tokyo hotel or apartment…
Japanese traditional music can feel distant if you only encounter it in a large theater or a formal cultural presentation. At the Zakuro Show, the musicians sit close to a small numbered audience, so you can see the hands, strings, breath, and drum technique up close. The one-hour program combines performance with clear explanations in…
Tokyo to Narita is not a trip to leave to chance, especially when you have luggage, an early flight, or a family to move across the city. This private departure transfer picks you up at a selected hotel in Tokyo’s 23 wards and takes your party straight to Narita International Airport, usually in one to…
Driving a go-kart through Shibuya Crossing puts you right in the middle of Tokyo’s famous city theater. You are not watching the crowds from a pavement or a tour bus. You are in a small, open kart, passing taxis and buses, while people wave and take photos. I like the free costume rental, which adds…
The best part of this Asakusa activity is that you do not simply pose in a costume. Jiro Sensei leads you through greetings, sword drawing, sheathing, basic forms, and a choreographed battle, then turns the session into a photo and video shoot. It feels part lesson, part theater, and part family keepsake. I like the…
Tokyo’s old food district and one of its finest Edo-era gardens make an excellent pair. At Tsukiji Outer Market, you can move from seafood stalls to tamagoyaki, sushi, wagyu skewers, and matcha sweets, then trade narrow market lanes for the quiet ponds and tea houses of Hama-rikyu Gardens. I like the way this tour connects…
Tokyo’s Grand Sumo Tournament is far more than a ticket to a wrestling match. You begin in Ryogoku, Tokyo’s sumo district, then enter Kokugikan to watch the bouts with a local guide explaining rituals, wrestlers, rankings, and the action as it happens. The live commentary turns a sport that can seem mysterious into something you…
Reporting and features on Tokyo and Japan: the politics, the neighbourhoods, the culture, and how to get around it.