Haneda is close to Tokyo, but arriving with luggage, jet lag, and a hotel address you cannot yet pronounce is no time to solve a transport puzzle. This shared airport transfer puts a Cherry Tomato representative at the terminal meeting point and takes you by van or coach to your accommodation. I like the door-to-door…
Shinjuku’s bright signs are only the front door. This 90-minute walk through Kabukicho takes you from smoky-looking alleyways and tiny bars to a shrine, a giant Godzilla head, and streets most first-time visitors might pass without understanding. The focus is less on ticking off sights and more on explaining how this lively part of Tokyo…
Edo Kiriko turns an ordinary glass into a small work of art through careful cutting, polished patterns, and plenty of patience. In this 90-minute Asakusa workshop, you choose your glass and design, practice first, then carve a piece to take home. I like the personal result: you leave with something you made rather than another…
Daikoku Parking Area is the main event here: a huge meeting place where classic Japanese cars and modern performance machines may gather beside the expressway. You ride there in a silver luxury Lexus, taking in Tokyo and Yokohama along the way rather than simply sitting in a parking lot. I like the tiny group size,…
Mt. Fuji provides the star attraction here, but the real value is getting five hours in the snow without arranging trains, buses, rentals, and lift access on your own. You can ski, take a basic lesson, sled with the family, or simply enjoy the resort grounds. I like the simple package choices and the useful…
Tokyo is huge, and this eight-hour private charter gives you a practical way to connect its far-flung sights in one day. You can move from Senso-ji in Asakusa to Meiji Jingu, Harajuku, Shibuya, and the Imperial Palace without wrestling with crowded trains or changing lines with a tired family. I like the small private group,…
Making sushi in Shibuya gives you more than a meal. In 90 minutes, you learn to shape California rolls and nigiri, hear a few lively facts about sushi, and eat the results. The class works especially well for visitors who want a hands-on Japanese activity without spending half a day in a kitchen. I like…
Tokyo looks different from a bicycle after sunset. This two-hour ride leaves near Yoyogi, then threads through Meiji Jingu Gaien, Aoyama, Roppongi, and Tokyo Tower, mixing famous sights with streets you would likely skip on foot. I like the small group, capped at six, and the way the route reaches places that public transport cannot….
Japan’s grand sumo tournament is not a staged cultural show. It is a real sporting event, complete with roaring fans, formal rituals, food stalls, and wrestlers moving through the arena. I like the chance to see Japanese sports culture up close, and I like that advance ticket arrangements can help when popular tournament days sell…
Mount Fuji is best seen with room to change plans, and this private chauffeur tour gives you that freedom. You can combine famous viewpoints with quieter cultural stops, from the ponds of Oshino Hakkai to Chureito Pagoda and the shores of Lake Kawaguchiko. I especially like the hotel pickup and the chance to shape the…
Insider guides, cultural deep-dives and current-affairs reporting on Tokyo and Japan, written by people who live here and go to the places they write about.