Would you like to explore the 'food capital' of Japan? This is a food-themed tour, which takes you to ①Tsukiji, the bustling fish and vegetable market, ②Ginza, the elegant shopping area where food takes on a different note, ③Asakusa, an old temple town with traditional sweets, and ④Kappabashi, the 'kitchen town', where you can make your own food replica!
At your central Tokyo hotel or at any station convenient for you in central Tokyo
Pick up / meet up
Tsukiji was the world's No.1 fish and vegetables market until 2018, when its wholesale section was moved to Toyosu. The retail section and a part of the wholesalers remained in Tsukiji, and the place is bustling with ordinary customers and professionals as before. The shelves are packed with seasonal goods of superior quality that cannot be found elsewhere and sampling them would be a good introduction to understanding our rich food culture. Ideal place to have an early lunch of sushi!
Two stations from Tsukiji is Ginza, Tokyo's most expensive and elegant shopping district. At the basement floor of a department store, you will find an incredible array of foods at delicatessen section.
Asakusa is a temple town retaining an old-Edo (former Tokyo) feel. The Thunder Gate, with its iconic giant red lantern, and the Nakamise Shopping Street are the approach to the Senso-ji Temple. You can try various traditional sweets and enjoy looking at Edo-style goods sold along the street. At the Main Hall of the temple, let's pray for your safe trip!
Kappabashi, the 'kitchen utensils town', lies next to Asakusa. It is an 800m street almost entirely populated with shops supplying the restaurant trade. What you cannot miss here is the elaborate replica food, a Japanese invention. They are often displayed outside restaurants to show what you should expect for what price you pay. You may have found them very helpful when no English menu is provided. And they do look very tasty, don't they? Here you can actually make wax replica yourself. You would be really surprised to know how miraculously they are made, so come on, let's try!
(If you and your group wish to try other experiences instead of food replica making, like traditional indigo dyeing, please let me know.)
Fee: replica food making - ¥3,000/person, indigo dyeing experience - ¥2,000～/person
End of the tour
The tour ends here, but if the weather is fine and you are still full of energy to call it a day, the Tokyo Skytree is right in front of you, so why not extend the tour a little and see the daytime view from its observation deck gradually change into the gorgeous night view? Tokyo Skytree is the world's tallest TV tower. At the foot of the tower is Soramachi, with 300 shops and restaurants, aquarium, planetarium, etc.
You can decide on the tour extension on the day of the tour, because the visibility depends largely on the day's weather. Extra hour cost: ¥6,000 per hour / group.
Admission Fee (adult/weekday or holiday): up to Tembo Deck at 350m ¥2,100 or ¥2,300/person, up to Tembo Galleria at 450m ¥3,100 or ¥3,400/person
At the place of last visit or at a pre-arranged place
Tsukiji was the world's No.1 fish and vegetables market until 2018, when its wholesale section was moved to Toyosu. The retail section and a part of the wholesalers remained in Tsukiji, and the place is bustling with ordinary customers and professionals as before. The shelves are packed with seasonal goods of superior quality that cannot be found elsewhere, and sampling them would be a good introduction to understanding our rich food culture. There are many sushi shops here, but simply buying a box of sushi at the market, you can have an equally good lunch at the rooftop space with a great view!
Two stations from Tsukiji is Ginza, Tokyo's most polished neighborhood with luxury stores. Let's wander into their underground food maze, and see what we can find there.
Asakusa is a temple town retaining an old-Tokyo feel. The Thunder Gate, with its iconic giant red lantern, and the Nakamise Shopping Street are the approach to the Senso-ji Temple. You can find various traditional sweets and enjoy looking at Edo-style goods sold along the street.
Kappabashi, the 'kitchen town', lies next to Asakusa. It is an 800m street almost entirely populated with shops supplying the restaurant trade. What you cannot miss here is the elaborate replica food, a Japanese invention. They are often displayed outside restaurants to show what you should expect for what price you pay. You may have found them very helpful when no English menu is provided. And they do look very tasty, don't they? Here you can actually make wax replica yourself. You would be really surprised to know how miraculously they are made, so come on, let's try!
The tour ends here, but if the weather is fine and you are still full of energy to call it a day, the Tokyo Skytree is right in front of you, so why not extend the tour a little more and see the daytime view from the observation deck gradually change into the gorgeous night view?
guide fee
hotel pick-up within central Tokyo area
transportation fee of you and guide: about ¥1,000 / person
lunch cost of you and guide (please pay the whole bill)
experience fee (please refer to the itinerary)
Please note that in case of extension of the tour, the followings will be added:
extra hour cost: ¥6600 per hour / group
entrance fee of you and guide (please refer to the itinerary)
・I am basically available from Thursday through Sunday. As for Monday through Wednesday, please contact me for availability.
・Some of the experiences/visits require prior reservation. Please send a direct message to me before booking a tour.
・Tsukiji Market is closed on Sundays, most Wednesdays and on National Holidays. This TOUR WILL NOT BE HELD ON MARKET HOLIDAYS. Please contact the guide for holiday information.
・Replica food making / indigo dyeing experience requires prior reservation. Children aged 4 or older can participate in the experience. Please contact the guide before booking the tour.
・Many shops in Tsukiji do not accept credit cards, so please bring cash.
・Please inform the guide in advance of any FOOD RESTRICTIONS.
I had no doubt we would have a great tour with Keiko. I enjoyed the fact we could personalise the tour according to our requests, ending it a watching a beatiful demonstration of bean desserts made by hand in front of us. Lunch was delicious, despite being in a very touristy area. I definitely recommend Keiko for more tours.
Lorenzo-san, thank you very much for your wonderful comments! Being a foodie, I felt the tour with your 'chef group' really challenging and rewarding. I really enjoyed not only walking with you on the tour day, but also in the planning process trying to figure out how best you can savour our food capital, Tokyo. The pleasure was mine, so please convey my gratitude to everyone in the party.
Keiko is an excellent tour guide. Her English language skills are perfect! She is knowledgeable, flexible, intelligent and friendly. We highly recommend Keiko.
Thank you very much, Dorit-san, for your nice comments. I hope I did not tire you too much on your first day in Japan. You may have noticed that Japanese culture is quite different from yours. It is my pleasure if I could be of any help to you in filling that gap. Please continue enjoying Japan!
Whether you have half a day in Tokyo or plan to move to Tokyo, Keiko is an amazing introduction to Japan! Our taste buds loved roaming through Tsukiji Market. We joined the human tsunami at Shibuya crossing. Our children loved the story of Hachiko and took several photos with his statue. Meijijingu Shrine will forever live within all of us. But the true treasure is Keiko-san. She is the one of the best guides that we have ever had - and her English is excellent!
Kerrilyn-san, thank you very much for your wonderful review! Tokyo is a dynamic city with both old and new elements everywhere, and also a very tasty city. Being a foodie, I love introducing what I find truly tasty to my guests, and if you find it good, too, that will make me happy. In the first several days in Japan, you already came across earthquake alerts and typhoon alerts, so by the time you leave here, you will become experts of Japan. Please enjoy your stay, and if you have a chance, please come back again!
Keiko-san is an extraordinary tour guide! We are a family of six, including two young children and a grandmother in her eighties. Keiko-san ensured that our tour included special and intriguing moments for everyone. In particular, she is extremely prepared, organized, conscientious, knowledgeable, accommodating and caring. Her expertise about the sights we visited and her passion for sharing Japanese culture are remarkable. From sacred temples to shaved ice, she is the best introduction to Japan that we could have hoped for... She even provided essential information about where to get groceries and how to navigate the transportation system. Last but not least, when we parted, our children hugged her. Thank you for a wonderful experience, Keiko-san!
Kerrilyn-san, thank you very much for your wonderful comments! I loved talking and walking with your charming family, especially because you were all so engaging! Being a guide, the places I visit with my guests tend to be those popular tourist spots. But this time, thanks to your special request, I had the pleasure of being able to explore the places totally non-touristic, and to find a very nostalgic yet vibrant retro Showa style shopping street still thriving in the outskirts of Tokyo. The pleasure was mine, because you did actually help me expand my knowledge, and I am indeed thankful to you for appointing me as your guide. Please convey my best wishes to everyone!