Highlights

• ✓Explore Asakusa’s history, religions, symbolism, and art with a guide
• ✓Check off several landmarks, temples, and parks in just a few hours
• ✓Skytree entrance tickets for upper and lower observation decks are included
• ✓Upgrade to a private tour for a more personalized experience

What you'll see & do

• ✓Begin beside the Sumida River, where your private guide introduces Japan’s remarkable journey from more than 200 years of national isolation to its reopening and modernization. Learn why the Netherlands became Japan’s key European trading partner, how Commodore Perry changed the country’s course, and how this history helped shape modern Tokyo. Across the river, see Tokyo Skytree—the modern landmark you will visit later in the tour.
• ✓Receive a clear introduction to Buddhism and Shinto, Japan’s two major religious traditions. This background will help you understand the temples, shrines, customs, and symbols encountered during the rest of your private walk.
• ✓Visit Asakusa’s iconic Thunder Gate and discover the meaning behind its enormous lantern and guardian statues. Your guide will also explain the symbolism of Japanese dragons and how their traditional role differs from that of dragons in Western culture.
• ✓Walk along one of Japan’s oldest shopping streets while learning about Buddhist symbols and traditional crafts. Discover how ukiyo-e woodblock prints unexpectedly reached Europe and influenced Western Impressionist artists. Your private guide can adjust the conversation to your interests as you explore.
• ✓At Senso-ji’s impressive inner gate, examine its guardian figures and enormous traditional sandals. Learn about the surprising similarities between the ways people in medieval Japan and Europe viewed religion, protection, and the unseen world.
• ✓Explore Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple and hear the story of its founding. Learn how to pray at a Buddhist temple, what the incense and purification rituals mean, and how Buddhism became deeply connected with everyday life in Japan.
• ✓Visit the Shinto shrine standing beside Senso-ji and discover why a Buddhist temple and a Shinto shrine have shared the same grounds, worshippers, and history for centuries. Your guide explains how these two traditions have coexisted—and influenced each other—throughout Japanese history.
• ✓Take a short train ride across the Sumida River, creating a vivid transition from historic Asakusa to one of modern Tokyo’s most recognizable landmarks. The train journey itself takes approximately two minutes, with additional time allowed for walking and boarding. Enter Tokyo Skytree with your private guide and ascend first to the Tembo Deck at 350 meters, then continue to the Tembo Galleria at 450 meters. Admission to both observation levels is included. From high above Tokyo, your guide will help you identify major landmarks and understand how the vast modern city developed. Step onto the glass floor for a dramatic view of the streets below, enjoy the curved walkway of the Tembo Galleria, and take memorable photographs from one of the world’s tallest towers. After descending, the guided tour ends at Tokyo Skytree. You are welcome to remain in the area and explore the shops, restaurants, and local treats at Tokyo Solamachi at your own pace.

What's included

• ✓Tokyo Skytree combo tickets for upper and lower observation decks

What's not included

• ✓Hotel pickup and drop-off
• ✓Train fare of JPY160 from Asakusa Station to Tokyo Skytree Station

Good to know

Cancellation policy

This experience is non-refundable — once booked, it can’t be changed or refunded.