Yanaka gives you a side of Tokyo that high-rise districts cannot. On this three-and-a-half-hour walk, you move through temple grounds, cemetery lanes, old homes, small galleries, and Yanaka Ginza, with an English-speaking guide explaining the customs and stories behind the scenery. It feels like a calm break from the city without leaving Tokyo. I like…
Tokyo is easier to understand when someone local helps you connect the dots. This private custom walking tour can take you from Senso-ji and Asakusa to Shibuya, Shinjuku, the Imperial Palace Gardens, or quieter places such as Odaiba Marina, with the route shaped around what you want. I especially like two things here: your guide…
Mt. Fuji day trips are often about luck, but this one gives you plenty of chances to find the mountain. You may see it behind Chureito Pagoda, reflected in Lake Kawaguchi, rising over tea fields, or appearing above one of five lakes. Arakurayama Sengen Park and its famous pagoda are the headline stop, but the…
Mt. Fuji is the star, but the best part of this day trip is the way it gives you several chances to see the mountain from different heights and angles. You’ll reach Fuji 5th Station at 2,305 meters, then head down to Lake Kawaguchi for a ropeway ride and a short cruise. I like the…
Tokyo After 5 gets to the good stuff in an appealingly local way: you cook monjayaki on a hot grill in Tsukishima, then settle into a small Yurakucho drinking alley for yakitori, beer, or sake. It is a food tour, subway ride, and gentle introduction to Tokyo nightlife rolled into one. I like the small…
Mt. Fuji is a shy mountain, so the best part of this day trip is not simply reaching the famous 5th Station. It is the chance to pair a high mountain viewpoint with Lake Kawaguchiko, a boat ride, and time to explore beyond Tokyo’s crowded streets. On a clear day, the views are superb. I…
Asakusa is where Tokyo’s past feels easiest to see. This two-hour walk links the Kaminarimon gate, Nakamise Shopping Street, Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa Shrine, Hoppy Street, Shin Nakamise, and Azuma Bridge, giving you a clear route through a neighborhood that can otherwise feel confusing. I love the small group of up to 12, which makes it…
Tokyo’s sumo wrestlers do not train in a theater built for tourists. They practice inside working stables, where young rikishi live together, eat together, and train for the next tournament. This tour gives you a rare look at that daily routine from only a few feet away. I like the genuine setting and the chance…
The best part of this Ryogoku sumo experience is the close contact. You sit beside the dohyo while former professional wrestlers demonstrate their strength, explain basic techniques, and invite you to try them yourself. It is sumo as a lively cultural show, not a quiet morning training session. I like two things especially. First, the…
Tokyo sumo is often hard to decode from the outside. This two-hour Asakusa show fixes that with clear English and Japanese commentary, demonstrations, jokes, live bouts, and a chance to push against a retired wrestler in the ring. You get the sport explained before the action begins, not just a noisy match with no context….
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.