Tokyo Free Walking Tour appreciate your participation in our tours in Asakusa and Ueno Park on October 27. 25 guests kindly joined from Lithuania, Ireland, Israel, Canada, America, Columbia, Argentina, South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia and Pakistan. Weather was perfect conditions in the light of deepening autumn. We saw a number of the rugby fans and beautiful chrysanthemum display at Asakusa Sensoji Temple and the breathtaking performing arts at Ueno Park. I hope all of you enjoyed walking with us. Shitamachi( literally downtown) Museum is located on the shores of Shinobazu Pond in Ueno Park and dedicated to the traditional culture of the old environments and buildings. The museum reproduces the lifestyle of the common people in Tokyo in the Meiji, Taisho and Showa periods in 1900s. This museum was established about 40 years ago to pass down the culture of the good old days to the next generations. The 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and WWⅡ devastated many towns in Tokyo and changed behavior of the people. However, postwar reconstruction process brought modernization and growth. On the other hand, good old culture of the town disappeared as time passed. 1st Floor re-creates the townscape in the 1910s to 1920s. The large […]
We were delighted to welcome 35 guests from Bangladesh, Indonesia, USA, Pakistan, Germany and Australia in 3 tours of that day. 30 guests in Asakusa AM and PM tours and 5 guests in Ueno Park tour. The weather of the day was very fine in the morning but it started to rain in the afternoon. Usually Sunday tours get fewer number of guests than this. This time is different due to Rugby World Cup Japan. Asakusa AM and PM tours Ueno Park Tour Japan hosts Rugby World Cup this autumn and will host Olympics next year. More than a century ago no one could imagine how Japan would become so international that it would host such big international events . The man who was the model of the statue in Ueno Park which is the last spot of the tour, could not, either. That is the statue of SAIGO Takamori, who was a samurai in Satsuma domain (currently Kagoshima prefecture) and later became a military official in late 19th century. SAIGO was a model character for a samurai named Katsumoto in Hollywood film”The Last Samurai” (2003) in which Tom Cruise starred. As depicted in the film he was regarded as once contributor […]
Thank you for joining our Tokyo Free Walking Tour in Ueno and Asakusa. On the day of our two-guided tours, the 8th of September, we welcomed 12 guests on our walking tour. These people came from different regions of the world, including Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, U.K and U.S. Strong typhoon was approaching Japan, and Japanese meteorological agency repeatedly issued the alert. In Tokyo, however, we had strong sunshine and occasionally scattered clouds in the sky, and the daytime temperature rose up to around 30 degrees Celsius. Seemingly, scorching heat of the sun has not been pushed back yet. Under these circumstances, we met twelve guests in Asakusa and Ueno. Some of the attendants of Asakusa Morning Tour made their time to join Ueno Afternoon Tour. We really appreciate it. Around 10 a.m., we started a morning tour at Asakusa. After overlooking the entire Asakusa district from the rooftop of the Asakusa Information Center, we moved to a gorgeous gate called Kaminarimon Gate, or a thunder gate in English. After passing through the 250 meters shopping stretch, we witnessed temple visitors waiting for their turn in a long line to worship. They’re going to make wishes like improving their […]
Thank you for joining our Tokyo Free Walking Tour in Asakusa and Ueno. On that day, the 25th of August, we welcomed 6 guests on our walking tour. These people came from different regions of the world, including Canada, Chile and Netherlands Finally, peak time of summer season is coming to an end. Seemingly, we no longer experience a sweltering day, which started early in August following rainy season and left unbearable sensation of scorching days in Japan. Under these seasonal changes, we met 6 people at Ueno and Asakusa. At first, we started our morning tour at 10:00 A.M. in Asakusa. Our walking started from an iconic location in the area named “Kaminarimon Gate” or Thunder Gate and ended at Asakusa Shinto Shrine. Upon arriving at the main hall of Sensoji Buddhist Temple, a lot of people were surrounding an incense burner and bathing the smoke from there. Due to religious faith, this smoke is believed to heal their wounds. Eventually, appealing smells of food wafting out of food stalls come into our nose. Walking and eating is also one of the attractions for temple visitors. Meanwhile, at the concourse of Ueno Station, a large stuffed panda warmly welcomed […]
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to join our Asakusa/Ueno Park tours on August 11. It was a very hot day in the middle of summer. We welcomed 11 people from Italy, Australia and America. As some of you may be aware our website has been renewed and the long-awaited Ueno Park Tour page is here! It has been added to our Website as the fourth tour. I hope that the new page will raise the interest and awareness of Ueno Park Tour. There is an interesting and exciting place at Ueno/Asakusa area. It is Kappabashi Street which boasts the Japan’s largest kitchen ware products. It is located almost in the middle between Ueno Park and Sensoji Temple. You could walk from each place. The closest station is Tawaramachi of Tokyo Metro Ginza Line. The big statue of a chef is the landmark of Kappabashi Street. It is recommendable for a foreign visitor to get a handy map. The map has industrial classification in English with the free Wi-Fi spots which is available at most of the shops for free. The total length is approximately 1 kilometer with over 170 shops specializing in kitchen tools […]
Thank you for joining our Tokyo Free Walking Tour in Asakusa and Ueno. On that day, July 28, we welcomed 9 guests on our walking tour. These people came from different corners of the world, including Australia, Colombia, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippine and Spain. Recently, the Japan Meteorological Agency has announced the end of the rainy season in Tokyo and its neighboring prefectures in the Kanto region. This long-awaited report about the shift from rainy to summer season has inspired those people who are looking forward to finalizing their summer plans since they can now choose the perfect days for their travel and activities. On the morning of July 28, the temperature rose up to 30 degrees Celsius and reached the high of 32 degrees and more, during the early afternoon. This is the typical pattern of weather changes during the season called “tsuyuake toka”, which can literally be translated to “the ten days after the end of the rainy season”. During the tsuyuake toka, a mass of warm air prevails over the entire Japanese island. In effect, we have an immediately stable weather, characterized by humid climate and hot days, which normally lasts up to around two weeks. The warm […]
July 28 is the day for the walking tour at Ueno Park with Tokyo Free Walking Tour. You walk past the various attractive museums representing the Japan’s largest Tokyo National Museum and the 400-year-old gorgeous Shinto shrine, Buddhist temple and the charming five-storied wooden pagoda. In addition, you will learn about the historic civil wars which accelerated the modernization of Japan. There are a lot of other interesting sites and spots together with the stories behind them. Shinobazu Pond, part of Ueno Park is famous for the flowering lotus leaves in summer. You will have so much fun you forget about the time. Lotus flowers reach blooming peak from now and thru August, but blossoming time is just in the morning. The flowers fade around noon. You need to wake up early in the morning if you would like to see them. Louts leaves grow in muddy water and are regarded as a symbol of purity in Buddhism. Discover nature and culture with us at Ueno Park. We offer the unique experience with the amazing guides. The tour takes about two hours. This is a free tour. No fee or reservation needed and just turn up between Park […]
Welcome to Tokyo Free Walking Tour! We offer the four different walking tours in Tokyo and Ueno Park is the latest tour. Our tour is operated by the volunteer guides but all of them have unrivaled knowledge and experiences with some jokes. Since the tour usually has small groups of people, you will enjoy an intimate atmosphere with us and we won’t give boring lectures. Ueno Park is about 140 years old and was indeed the family temple of the ruling Tokugawa clan in the feudal period. Take a walk through the Park in the heart of Tokyo for about two hours and experience the fascinating nature, entertaining history, classical and modern architectures along with others. You may be able to hear something or a behind-the-scenes story you won’t find yourself. There is no admission fee. You don’t have to book in advance and just turn up at the meeting place between Park Exit of JR Ueno Station and Tokyo Bunka Kaikan at 1:30pm tomorrow (Sunday July 14). It is accessible from Tokyo Metro and Keisei Ueno Stations as well. Incidentally Asakusa is a nearby town and you could join our Sensoji Temple tour at 10am and continue to come […]
Thank you so much for joining the tours in Asakusa and Ueno Park on May 26. We welcomed 17 guests from America, Canada, Sweden, Armenia, Germany, India and Dubai. It was extremely hot like a mid-summer’s day for this time of year. Nevertheless, I hope all of you enjoyed walking together with us. We offer four different free walking tours in Tokyo and the newest tour is Ueno Park. Ueno Park is one of the best-loved and most beautiful spaces in Japan and over 10mil people visit each year. The Park has many historic spots since it was the site of Kaneiji Temple, the family temple of the ruling Tokugawa clan during the Edo period for nearly 270 years. It was open 140 years ago after the civil war with the Meiji Restoration. Since then the area has rapidly developed and became a major tourist spot. The attraction of the Park is not only to show the modern architectures but also preserve the ancient buildings. The main building of Tokyo National Museum is the Western and Japanese eclectic architectural style, and now holds the special exhibition from Kyoto To-ji Temple (until June 2). National Museum of Western Art planned by […]
Thank you for joining our Tokyo Free Walking Tour in Asakusa and Ueno. On that day, May 12, we welcomed 21 guests on our walking tour. These people came from different corners of the world, including Australia, Brazil, Colombia, France, Singapore, Spain, U.K. and U.S.A. On the same day, we held our tour three times at the different locations, Asakusa and Ueno. At first, we started our morning tour at 10:00 A.M. in Asakusa. It began from an iconic location in the area named “Kaminarimon Gate” or Thunder Gate and ended at Asakusa Shinto Shrine. In the shrine compound, we were able to see many festive decorations like banners and Japanese paper lanterns. This is in preparation for an upcoming religious event called the Sanjya Festival. The cerebration will start from 17th of May and continues until 19th of this month. The term Sanjya means three deities, who are enshrined in the Asakusa Shinto Shrine. These deities were the ones involved in establishing the Sensoji Buddhist Temple. As part of the celebration, three portable shrines for these deities were set up in the shrine’s storage area and open to the public. Next, we have implemented the simultaneous tours to efficiently […]
