The 15 Best Guided Tours in Japan

Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide - Old Tokyo picks: Asakusa, Senso-ji, Nezu, and Shibamata

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,902 reviews · from $155Our pick

Private 6-hour Tokyo tour with a government-licensed guide, flexible stops, and easy subway navigation from Asakusa to Shibuya.

“We love to take a guided tour with a knowledgeable guide. Tachi worked hard to create a tour of Tokyo that met our needs. She sent emails and we discussed what would be best for us. Today we went to many different areas and got a tru sense of the city and the culture. Visiting several Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples gave us a deeper understanding of the history. Throughout the day Tachi gave excellent explanations of where we were, what we were seeing and the history of how they were created, developed or changed over time. We discussed architecture along the way and she pointed out many buildings of…”

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Bar Crawls in Tokyo, Drinking Tours, Drinking Tours in Tokyo, Guided, Izakaya & Bar Crawls, Shibuya & Shinjuku Nightlife, Tokyo Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours, Walking Tours in Tokyo

Tokyo: Shinjuku Local Bar and Izakaya Guided Walking Tour

2.Shinjuku Local Bar and Izakaya Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,794 reviews · 3 hours · from $34

A 3-hour Shinjuku bar-walk with an English guide, classic izakaya lanes, Golden Gai spots, and karaoke to end your night.

“Great time! Great people! Great drinks! Great guide! Thank you so much for showing us around and teaching us about sake!”

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City Tours, Guided, Private, Tokyo Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Tokyo: Private City Highlights Tour with Local Guide

3.Private City Highlights Tour with Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,433 reviews · 4 - 8 hours · from $106

Private Tokyo highlights with a licensed local guide. Customize 4 to 8 hours, use public transit, learn culture, hotel pickup, photos included.

“Sensational! We visited a large variety of food and beverage places. Enjoyed the best coffee I’ve had in Tokyo to date. The day wasn’t solely food focussed, we also visited Nenzu Shrine and an area with many shrines. Our guide, Elly’s knowledge of Japanese history, culture and tradition added to our understanding of Japan and the local area we explored with her.”

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Guided, Kyoto Tours, Licensed Guides & Private Drivers, Morning, Private Guides in Kyoto, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kyoto Early Morning Tour with English-Speaking Guide

4.Kyoto Early Morning Tour with English-Speaking Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,427 reviews · from $68

Early Kyoto tour with an English guide: quiet Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama bamboo grove, and Kinkaku-ji, small groups up to 8.

“The tour was brilliant and would thoroughly recommend. Our guide Suzuka was amazing. She was incredibly knowledgeable and very helpful with negotiating our way around Kyoto during the tour. I had travelled to Japan for business but had a free day. The tour gave me a chance to soak up the culture of Japan without the pressure of planning how to visit the key sites.”

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Fish Market Walks, Guided, Market Tours in Tokyo, Market Walks in Tokyo, Markets, Shopping Tours, Shopping Tours in Tokyo, Tokyo Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours, Walking Tours in Tokyo

Tokyo: Tsukiji Fish Market Guided Walking Tour

5.Tsukiji Fish Market Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,397 reviews · 2 hours · from $22

2-hour Tsukiji Fish Market guided walking tour with Tsukiji Hongan-ji Temple, English guide, photos, and optional street-food tastings.

“We had a wonderful visit to the Tokyo Fish Market with our guide, Jim. He created a relaxed and easy-going atmosphere and shared many interesting insights into Japanese culture—both from a local perspective and from his experience as a foreigner living in Japan. Jim introduced us to a variety of foods we probably wouldn’t have tried on our own, and we truly appreciated his guidance and clear explanations. Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable tour in a small group of eight people, and we would gladly recommend it to others!”

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Guided, Licensed Guides & Private Drivers, Private, Private Guides in Tokyo, Tokyo Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Tokyo 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide

6.Tokyo 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,394 reviews · from $109

4-hour private Tokyo walk with a licensed guide, customizable stops from Senso-ji to Shibuya, plus metro help and timing.

“Fantastic guide. Very knowledgable. Set the pace for us fast walkers. Very nice and talkative tour guide.”

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Guided, Kyoto Tours, Licensed Guides & Private Drivers, Private, Private Guides in Kyoto, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide

7.Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,369 reviews · from $155

Kyoto 6-hour private tour with a government-licensed English guide, tailored stops, public-transport riding, and real local streets.

“Our guide, Yuka was so knowledgeable and prepared. I feel like we got the maximum out of the experience and there is NO WAY we would have been able to navigate everything and see all we saw without her help. This was 1000% worth booking and we are SO GLAD we decided to do it. If you book this tour, please request Yuka, you won't be disappointed. So professional and warm.”

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Full-Day, Guided, Hiroshima Tours, Licensed Guides & Private Drivers, Miyajima Island Trips, Private, Private Guides in Hiroshima, Tour Reviews, Tours

Hiroshima / Miyajima Full-day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide

8.Hiroshima / Miyajima Full-day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,298 reviews · from $202

Private Hiroshima and Miyajima day with a government-licensed English guide, Peace Park context, Hiroshima Castle, and Itsukushima torii views.

“Minori was so helpful, knowledgeable, and prepared for our tour. She gave us an amazing day in Hiroshima and taught us much about the various sites. The guide makes the tour and Minori did not disappoint. Thank you for an awesome day exploring the shrines, temples, and historical sites of Hiroshima!”

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Bike Tours in Tokyo, Cycling Tours, Guided, Tokyo Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Tokyo Guided Small-Group Biking Tour

9.Tokyo Guided Small-Group Biking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,250 reviews · from $106

Small-group Tokyo bike tour with a local guide. Pedal hidden lanes plus Meiji Jingu, Ginza, Imperial Palace, and 48th-floor views.

“It was a great way to become familiar with the neighborhoods/district in Tokyo. We saw some spots off the beaten path as well as some well known ones.”

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Guided, Kyoto Tours, Licensed Guides & Private Drivers, Morning, Private Guides in Kyoto, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kyoto: Early Morning Tour with English-Speaking Guide

10.Early Morning Tour with English-Speaking Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,128 reviews · 5h 30m · from $101

Early Kyoto highlights with an English guide, calm at Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama, and Kinkaku-ji, finished by lunch with public transit.

“Alisa was an amazing guide. Very knowledgeable and she was also a great camera woman ;)”

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Castle Visits in Kyoto, Guided, Historic Castle Visits, Kyoto Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kyoto: Nijo-jo Castle and Ninomaru Palace Guided Tour

11.Nijo-jo Castle and Ninomaru Palace Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,020 reviews · 1 hour · from $16Best value

60-minute English guided tour of Kyoto’s Nijo Castle, with access to Ninomaru Palace and gardens, plus key feudal architecture context.

“Interesting and informative making the visit a great topic of conversation for dinner covering dragon ball characters inspired by carvings, Pokemon inspiration, Shogun dinner prep and poisoning risks, artwork, spotty tigers, fire risks and more. Bring a cold drink!”

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Guided, Museum Tours in Tokyo, Museums, Samurai & Ninja Sessions in Tokyo, Samurai Sword & Ninja Training, Tokyo Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Tokyo: Samurai Ninja Museum Guided tour and Experience

12.Samurai Ninja Museum Guided tour and Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,010 reviews · from $27

Guided Samurai and Ninja Museum tour in Tokyo with an English guide, real armor exhibits, shuriken throwing, and samurai dress up for $27.

“Nami our guide was fantastic and shared lots of information on samurai and ninjas and life in japan. throwing shiruken and dressing as a samurai was an added bonus.”

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Guided, Historical Tours, History Tours in Takayama, Morning, Shirakawa-go Village Trips, Takayama Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kanazawa: World Heritage Shirakawa-go Morning Guided Tour

13.World Heritage Shirakawa-go Morning Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 988 reviews · 5 hours · from $77

Early, guided Shirakawa-go visit from Kanazawa with multilingual audio, local food stops, then a Kenrokuen Garden finish.

“Enjoyed Yasushi as our guide. Most knowledgeable and entertaining. Thank you”

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Bar Crawls in Kyoto, Drinking Tours, Drinking Tours in Kyoto, Guided, Izakaya & Bar Crawls, Kyoto Tours, Nightlife, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours, Walking Tours in Kyoto

Kyoto: Izakaya Bars Guided Walking Tour

14.Izakaya Bars Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 815 reviews · 3 hours · from $25

A 3 hour Kyoto walking bar hop with a local guide, sake tastings, and hard to find izakaya spots in Kawaramachi and Kiyamachi.

“Lyou was super professional, knowledgeable and thoughtful during the tour. I enjoyed all the food and drinks he selected based on my generaal preferences. I highly recommend the tour!”

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Evening Experiences, Evening Tours in Kyoto, Geisha District Walks, Guided, Kyoto Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours, Walking Tours in Kyoto

Kyoto Gion Night Walk & Geisha District Guided Tour

15.Kyoto Gion Night Walk & Geisha District Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 786 reviews · from $18

Lantern-lit Kyoto Gion night walk with a small-group guide, Hanamikoji Street and Yasaka Shrine, snack, and easy meeting points.

“Miyake is extremely knowledgeable and can give tons of detail and history. He has lived a rich life and clearly imparts all his knowledge of history and culture in his tour. I really appreciated his patience too as I got lost in my way to the meeting point and he was so patient and even reached out to me. He is a keeper. Thank you!”

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