We could not express how we were deeply impressed to welcome all of you at Meiji-jingu this day. Since it was our very first time to hold a weekday tour at this place, all of our guides were excited. On the other hand, the warning at a relatively high alert of Corona virus made us a bit worry if we could meet any of our guests this day. No matter , We would like to thank each of you from Malaysia, Spain, France, Italy, totally 20 wonderful guests indeed. There is a word called “Ichi-go-ichi-e(一期一会）” in Japanese, whichi means “an oppurrtunity to meet you is one time in one life”. Don’t you think that this word has been created just for us? The precinct was apparently quiet with less people visiting than usual. To avoid crowded areas, we were afraid that we have to skip areas like Takeshita-dori street but could rather spend more relaxed space and time inside the precinct. Some of our guests even tried omikuji or writing their wishes to dedicate them to the shrine. When we reached to the main area inside the precinct, we could encounter some interesting scenes like a wedding couple dressed in Shinzen-style kimono or […]
(Updated Apr 7)Tokyo Free Walking Tour will suspend all of its tours until further notice, in light of the situation surrounding COVID-19. The health and safety of our guests has always been our priority. The suspension was decided observing the latest advisory from the government and health authorities. We will announce on this website on any updates on when we resume our tours. We apologize for any inconveniences, and very much appreciate your understanding. We are all in this together, and we shall overcome. Please stay safe and see you on our next tour.
Thank you for joining our Tokyo Free Walking Tour in Asakusa and Ueno. On that day, February 23, we welcomed 18 guests on our walking tour. These people came from different corners of the world, including Australia, Canada India, Spain and U.K. Amazingly, Ume, or plum trees have started blooming in Tokyo. Ume, or Japanese Apricot trees, are flower-bearing trees in Japan that bloom nationwide from late February until the end of March. The blossoming period of Ume trees serves as a precursor of the sakura season, which normally start blooming in late March through the middle of April. In Japan, this flowering transition are associated with the relic like ” Ume wa saitaka sakuraｗa madakina“. It roughly means “Ume now in full bloom, but Sakura not yet”. Under this seasonal atmosphere, in Asakusa, we met fourteen people at Kaminarimon Gate and started our 90-minute tour. Going by the name as Thunder Gate, or Kaminarimon Gate, this Buddhist gate have been an instrument in symbolizing Asakusa. Actually, the image is used on the cover of Japanese guidebook or souvenir’s package designs. Built in 10 centuries, this religious building accompanying with two statues, A God of Thunder and A God of […]
Thank you for choosing our tours at The East Garden of the Imperial Palace on February 22. We welcomed 9 guests from Australia, Canada, Poland, Spain and UK. I hope all of you enjoyed our tour and shared with us an interesting conversation of history and culture for a few hours. We are so happy to have met you. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached. Your feedback is important and helpful to us. If you enjoyed our tour, could you consider reviewing our tours? We would appreciate if you could post your review about our tours on our Facebook/TripAdvisor etc. Once again, thank you for choosing Tokyo Free Walking Tour during your precious time in Tokyo. By the way, two days ago The Japan Weather Forecast Association announced that the Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo would begin on March 15. This is the earliest first day of the Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo. For your convenience, we plan to make more tours to enjoy it. Please visit our website and check our tour calendar! We look forward to meeting you in the most beautiful season of Japan. Posted by Yumi.H
Thank you for choosing our tours at Meiji Shrine and Harajuku on 16 Februrary 2020. We welcomed 4 guests from UK and France. I hope all of you enjoyed our tour and shared with us an interesting conversation of history and culture for a few hours. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached. We always strive to improve our tours for the higher standards, your feedback is very important and useful. If you have a moment, please consider commenting about the tour on our Facebook /TripAdvisor etc. Also, please tell your family and friends about us. You might wonder what is the feature of this tour besides viewing Japan’s traditional Shinto shrine. We always suggest the contrast between such traditional atmosphere in first half of the tour and fancy Harajuku town in latter half. The two are totally different kinds but located next to each other. But there is even more interesting contrast within the Harajuku town. Our guests walk to Takeshita street in Harajuku town, which is known to be youngsters’ fun street with lineup of sweet shops, cloth shops and cafes. So the atmosphere is quite fancy and cute so that children can get easily attracted to […]
Thank you for choosing our tours at Asakusa and the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace on February 15th. We welcomed 12 guests from USA, UK, Germany, Spain and Ireland. It was cloudy but warm weather in Tokyo. I hope all of you enjoyed our tour and shared with us an interesting conversation of history and culture for a few hours. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached. Your feedback is important and helpful to us. If you enjoyed our tour, could you consider reviewing our tours? We would appreciate if you could post your review about our tours on our Facebook/TripAdvisor etc. Once again, thank you for choosing Tokyo Free Walking Tour during your precious time in Tokyo. In case you happen to be back in Tokyo please try another one of our tours. (posted by Kuma)
Many thanks for joining us on our tours at Asakusa and the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace on February 11. We welcomed 7 visitors from Australia, UK and America. It was a bit cold but lovely weather in the middle of winter. I hope all of you enjoyed our tours and shared with us an interesting conversation for a few hours. As we mentioned, the group photos and snapshots are herewith attached. As you may have seen the Japanese flag being displayed at many places. February 11 is National Foundation Day and a public holiday to celebrate the founding of Japan. It is said that Jimmu, the first emperor of Japan ascended to the throne and started the nation on February 11, 660 BC. The national holiday began in 1966. Once again, thank you so much for joining us on our tours. Please tell your family and friends how you enjoyed our tour when you return home and I hope to see you again in another one of our tours should you come back to Tokyo. (Yoshi)
Thank you for your joining our tours in Asakusa morning / afternoon tour & Ueno Park tour held on Feb. 9th Sunday. We welcomed cumulative total number of 14 guests from USA(5), Australia(4), Belgium(2), Canada(1), Germany(1) and Japan(1). We really hope all of guests enjoyed our tour. Please let us share group photos and snapshots of the tours. It was a bright sunny, but chilly winter day in Tokyo. We really appreciate your choosing our tours, and we hope all of guests enjoyed historical and cultural background of these areas and also small talk with us during the tour. By the way, your kind feedback for “Tokyo Free Walking Tour” in TripAdvisor / Facebook site is really valuable for us to motivate ourselves and/or to improve our performances for the future. I hope you could have a time to leave comments on them. Lastly, thank you again for your joining Tokyo Free Walking Tour in your precious staying time in Tokyo. We are looking forward to have chance to meet you again or your friends in our tours in future. (Posted by Masao)
Thank you for choosing our tours at the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace on Feb 8th. We welcomed 13 guests from Australia, USA, UK, Spain and France. It was perfect weather for the tour. I hope all of you enjoyed our tour and shared with us an interesting conversation of history and culture for a few hours under the clear sky. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached
Many thanks for joining us on our tour at Meiji Shrine and Harajuku Tour on Feb. 2nd. We welcomed 9 guests from Italy, USA, Norway and Australia. The group was divided into 3. It was a tremendous opportunity for us to meet lots of wonderful people from all over the world and exchange the cultural information. I particularly appreciate the fact that some of you consecutively joined our 3 tours for two days. The weather was perfectly fine. We met a wedding ceremony of young couple and saw a matured couple who prayed at the sacred trees at the same time. I like such views we can often see at Meiji Jingu Shrine. As promised, group photos and snap shots are attached. The next day of the tour, February 3 is the SETSUBUN of this year. There is a custom in Japan that beans are scattered for evil or devils, so I also received FUKUMAME, parched beans scattered on SRTSUBUN, at Meiji Shrine. (Please refer to the previous repot of “The Imperial Palace of East Gardens Tour on Feb 1” for details on SETSUBUN). SETSUBUN is the day before the spring and the end of the winter in […]
