Tokyo, guided by a licensed local.

Private walking tours, an evening izakaya crawl and custom days in Tokyo — led in English by a Government Licensed Guide-Interpreter who has spent 15+ years working in the city. For travellers, and for the agencies who bring them here.

Government Licensed Guide-Interpreter ★ 5.0 · 13 reviews Private & small group English · 日本語

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What we offer

Three ways to see Tokyo with us.

One guide, three formats: a signature night out you can book today, private daytime walks built around you, and contract guiding for travel professionals.

Neon-lit izakaya alley under the railway in Shimbashi

Signature tour · book online

Tokyo Hidden Izakaya Tour

Three hours under the train tracks of Shimbashi: sake tasting, tiny counters, smoky skewers and a ramen finish. Dinner and drinks included. Rated 5.0 on Viator and Airbnb.

See the tour & book →

The Sakurada Tatsumi turret of the Imperial Palace above its stone walls

Private walking tours

Daytime Tokyo, on foot

Asakusa and old Tokyo, the Imperial Palace gardens and Marunouchi, Tsukiji's market streets, Shibamata, Kagurazaka — half or full days at your pace, with the stories a guidebook can't give you.

Sample itineraries →

Guests at the great torii gate of Meiji Shrine

For travel professionals

Contract guiding & VIP visits

English-speaking guide for inbound agencies, DMCs, companies and universities: walking tours, day trips, executive and delegation visits.

How we work together →

Private & custom days

Tell us the theme; we build the day around it.

Every private tour is designed for your group — first-timers, food lovers, families, or a company delegation with two hours between meetings. These are starting points, not fixed products.

Guests in front of the Kaminarimon gate in Asakusa

Asakusa & old Tokyo

Half day · walking

Senso-ji before the crowds, the craft shops and back streets of the old merchant quarter, street snacks, and the river views from the Sumida. Add a taiyaki stop or a sushi lunch.

Fujimi turret of Edo Castle seen through the trees

Imperial Palace & Marunouchi

Half day · walking

The palace gardens and moats, the story of the shogun's castle, then the red-brick station and the boulevards of Tokyo's business heart — "Edo to modern Tokyo" in one walk.

Tsukiji & Ginza food day

Half or full day · food

Tsukiji's outer market for tamagoyaki, tuna and knife shops, then Ginza's department-store food halls — and, if you like, the Shimbashi izakaya crawl to finish the day.

Also: Shibamata and Kagurazaka walks · day trips to Yokohama, Kamakura, Hakone, Nikko and Kawagoe · custom food and drink themes. Guiding only — we don't sell transport or hotels, so you keep full control of your bookings.

Kenichi, Government Licensed Guide-Interpreter, in central Tokyo

Your guide

Hi, I'm Kenichi.

I hold Japan's National Government Licensed Guide-Interpreter qualification — the country's official tourism guide licence, granted by the Japan Tourism Agency after exams on Japanese history, geography, culture and English, and held by roughly 0.02% of the population.

I've spent 15+ years inside Tokyo's corporate and university world, hosting international visitors — executives, professors, students and their families — which is where this work began: people kept asking "where do locals actually go?", so I started taking them there.

Expect a warm, easygoing day: well paced, well fed, and full of the context that makes Tokyo make sense.

🏅

Government Licensed Guide-Interpreter (English)Registered with the Japan Tourism Agency · Certified Tour Conductor · Certified Domestic Travel Services Manager

Reviews

What guests say

5.0

★★★★★

Viator · 9 reviewsAirbnb · 4 reviewsTripadvisor

"He led us through retro alleys and tiny counters under the train tracks, the kind of deep-local spots I'd never have found — or dared to enter — on my own."

Rie · Airbnb, July 2026

His English is excellent, he puts everyone at ease right away, and as a licensed national guide he knows exactly where to take you and what stories to tell. If it's your first time in Tokyo, do this early in your trip.

Mari · Airbnb, July 2026

Such a fun and delicious evening! He's a licensed guide with endless stories about Tokyo's izakaya culture, so every stop came with context, not just drinks. And don't eat before you go — this was a proper dinner's worth of food, all included.

Shika3 · Airbnb, July 2026

Kenichi was a super star! I had a wonderful time with the tour. So much so, I might do it again with my family in 3 weeks :)

David · Waterloo, Canada · Airbnb, August 2026

For travel agencies & partners

One guide, three ways to work together.

Most weeks include contract guiding for inbound agencies and DMCs alongside our own tours. If you have international guests in Tokyo, here is what we can do for you.

Contract guiding

English-speaking guide for your walking tours, day trips and VIP visits — Asakusa, the Imperial Palace and Marunouchi, Tsukiji, Shimbashi, Shibamata, Kagurazaka; Yokohama, Kamakura, Hakone, Nikko, Kawagoe.

Signature tour, for your clients

Send guests to the Shimbashi izakaya tour, or book it as a private departure for a group — time and pace adjusted to your itinerary.

Custom itinerary design

Tell us the theme, hours and group and we design a guided itinerary around it. Guiding only; we don't arrange transport or hotels.

At a glance

Licence: Government Licensed Guide-Interpreter (English), registered with the Japan Tourism Agency
Also: Certified Tour Conductor · Certified Domestic Travel Services Manager
Experience: 30+ private tours for international visitors · contract work for inbound agencies · 15+ years hosting overseas visitors in a Tokyo university's international division
Insurance: Guide liability insurance in place
Languages: English · Japanese
Base: Tokyo (Shimbashi)

日本語のご案内（旅行会社の皆さまへ）→

Contact

Let's plan your Tokyo day.

For the izakaya tour, book directly on Airbnb, Viator or GetYourGuide. For private days, custom itineraries and agency enquiries, message us through any of those platforms or use the contact details on our business card — we reply within a day.

Book the izakaya tour 日本語（旅行会社の皆さまへ）