Absolute Tokyo Walking Tour

Whether it’s your first visit to Tokyo or your 5th, our Absolutely Tokyo day tour will give you a fun, interesting and insightful day exploring the city!

We take a walk through the newly-developed area of Shiodome with its impressive sky scrapers, sky walk and monorail on our way to Tsukiji fish market, the largest fish market in the world! Take a look around both the inner and outer market areas and be amazed by the array of fish and shellfish on offer.

After enjoying a fresh Tsukiji sushi breakfast we’ll hop on the metro to Asakusa and it’s Buddhist Sensoji temple. Explore this must-see area of Tokyo including a walk down the famous Nakamise Dori, a pedestrian street lined with small traditional shops, perfect for getting those quirky souvenirs!

This afternoon we take a Jinricksha ride over the Sumida river to the new Sky Tree Tower. After stopping for a cooling lunch of traditional soba noodles we will take a walk around the base of this amazingly high tower and the shopping complex beneath. Jumping on the metro takes us to geek-central Akihabara, famous for its cheap electrical megastores and anime shops.

Our last stop for today will be a walk around the old Yanaka district, including the atmospheric Yanaka cemetry, a small local temple and a great suburban shopping street…a perfect end to the day!

We hope you have made new friends and have gained an insight into what Tokyo city is all about.

START: In the square outside Shimbashi Station in Minato-ku at 9am.

FINISH: At Nippori station approximately 4.30pm

WHEN: Every Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday (excluding some holidays)

GROUP SIZE: Minimum 2, Maximum 9

This includes: all transport on tour, all entrance fees, sushi breakfast, soba noodles lunch, rickshaw ride and the full services of our fun and friendly guide.

Does not include: hotel pick-up or drop-off, drinks at breakfast and lunch (tea included at lunch), or any other food or drinks you want on tour.

Shiodome City Center

One of the newest quarters of the city, almost entirely built after 2000, Shiodome has been transformed from a derelict railway cargo terminal to a miniature city of skyscrapers. Parts of the area still remain under construction but most is now open. Once you’re in Shiodome you can visit the following places: 1. Advertising Museum Tokyo: A small modern museum of the history of advertising in Japan, run by Japan's biggest ad company Dentsu. Probably the most interesting section is war-time propaganda, with posters exhorting the populace to grow pumpkins and apply for permits before listening to the radio. Most exhibits annotated in English. 2. Old Shinbashi Railway Station. This faithful reconstruction of the Tokyo terminus of Japan's first railway is built on the site of the original and even showcases the few remaining bits. The inside, however, is now given over to several expensive restaurants and cafés. 3. Shiodome Museum, 4F National Center. This small museum has only a tiny permanent collection, but houses changing exhibitions. 4. Dentsu Shiki Theater. A theater in the Caretta shiodome where musicals play.

Tsukiji Fish Market

Tsukiji Market consists of an inner market where most of the wholesale business and the famous tuna auctions are taking place, and an outer market whose retail shops and restaurants carter to the public. A few restaurants are also found in the inner market. The wholesale area consists of hundreds of small stands in a large, crowded hall, where buyers and sellers hurry along narrow lanes with their carts and trucks. It is an exciting area for tourists to view and photograph the fish and the action. A visit to Tsukiji Market is best combined with a fresh sushi breakfast or lunch at one of the local restaurants.

Sensō-ji Temple

Senso-ji Temple is perhaps the most visited temple in Tokyo, Japan accounting its history and proximity. It is Tokyo’s oldest temple, originally built in 645 AD, although most of its structures are rebuilts after a heavy destruction during World War II. Entering the path called Nakamise Dori you can feast your eyes on the hundreds of shops selling various items that lined the path. The main attraction at Senso-ji Temple is the Main Hall, the Kannondo Hall. Declared as a national treasure, it houses the secret Bodhisattava Kannon statue which is kept in the rear chamber, and the duplicate statue that is displayed at the front chamber. They are taken out for public viewing only on December 13 of every year.

東京スカイツリーイーストタワー

The Tokyo Skytree is a new television broadcasting tower and landmark of Tokyo. It is the centerpiece of the Tokyo Skytree Town in the Sumida City Ward, not far away from Asakusa. With a height of 634 meters (634 can be read as "Musashi", a historic name of the Tokyo Region), it is the tallest building in Japan and the second tallest structure in the world at the time of its completion. A large shopping complex with aquarium is located at its base.

Akihabara

Akihabara also called Akiba after a former local shrine, is a district in central Tokyo, that is famous for its many electronics shops. In more recent years, Akihabara has gained recognition as the center of Japan's otaku (diehard fan) culture, and many shops and establishments devoted to anime and manga are now dispersed among the electronic stores in the district.

Yanaka

Also known as Yanesen (after the three neighboring districts of Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi), Yanaka was miraculously spared the carnage of the Allied bombings in World War II, and part of its charm today of its best spots lies in this sense of being hidden. The star of the neighborhood is the vast cemetery, the heart of Yanaka’s timeless tranquility. Some 7,000 graves are here but don’t try counting them; just wander the pathways between the memorial stones and enjoy the atmosphere. You can also walk along Snake Street. A former stream, the long and –- as you would expect –- extremely meandering street mostly cuts through a residential area, but on the way there are some charming boutiques and a thousand photo opportunities. Stop at Isetatsu, a much-cherished store makes and sells chiyogami, traditional Japanese paper printed with woodblocks. The wares remind you of the sheer vibrancy of Edo, with bright floral patterns decorating boxes, photo albums and other items ideal as gifts. Sadly, Isetatsu is now the last of its kind in Tokyo, but as such attracts customers from all over and only closes at New Year.