Tokyo Private Tour: One Day Highlights

This tourist center designed by Kengo Kuma, the famous Japanese architect is not not just a valuable source of sightseeing information, but one of Asakusa’s newest attractions in the area. This 8-story building, has a very striking structure with the appearance of a stack of separate wooden buildings that seem piled up on top of each other at different angles. From the Observation Deck, the open space on the 8th floor of the Center, you can literally overview the entire tour course, not just Tokyo Sky Tree and Asahi Flame that you can see on the ground, but also the very crowded Kaminarimon gate, Nakamise shopping street, Hozomon gate and Sensoji Temple from spacious and airy deck from top of the buiding.

When approaching Sensoji temple, visitors will walk through the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), the outer gate of Sensoji Temple and the symbol of Asakusa and the entire city of Tokyo. A shopping street of over 200 meters, called Nakamise, leads from the outer gate to the temple's second gate, the Hozomon. Alongside typical Japanese souvenirs such as yukata and folding fans, various traditional local snacks from the Asakusa area are sold along the Nakamise. The shopping street has a history of several centuries, and always packed with people want to have some souvenirs back to their home.

Sensoji (浅草寺, Sensōji, also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple) is a Buddhist temple located in Asakusa. It is one of Tokyo's most colorful and popular temples. The legend says that in the year 628, two brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River, and even though they put the statue back into the river, it always returned to them. Consequently, Sensoji was built nearby for the goddess of Kannon. The temple was completed in 645, making it Tokyo's oldest temple.

Asakusa Jinja Shrine, is a shrine of the native Japanese Shinto religion, which is located very close to the famous Buddhist temple of Sensoji. The shrine is much smaller than its grand neighbor, and compared with the bustling crowds at Sensoji, the shrine’s grounds are much more peaceful. However, because of this shrine’s long historical and local significance, it is nationally designated as an Important Cultural Property. The shrine building is said to be the oldest in Tokyo, and they are beautifully decorated.

Sumida Park is located near Asakusa station and along the Sumida River where you can enjoy amazing views of Tokyo Skytree without any obstructions while relaxing with the breeze from the river. . You can see beautiful scenery especially at the season of cherry blossoms which is usually at the end of March till the beginning of April. It has landing places for popular water buses that will tour the Sumida River and Tokyo Bay. The park is a part of Sumida River Terrace that is a promenade built along the Sumida River.

Shibuya Crossing near the Shibuya Station is crossed by as many as 500,000 people per day, and at a peak time, as many as 3,000 people cross at one green light! For Japanese who are used to seeing this view is nothing to be surprised about, but tourists seem to be marveled that everyone manages to cross without bumping into each other. There are always people going to the spot just to see this crossing. Along with New York’s Times Square, Shibuya Crossing is one of the “most famous crossings in the world.”

“Hachiko, the faithful dog,” is a bronze statue of a dog in the plaza in front of the Shibuya Crossing, and the spot surrounding the statue is a standard meeting spot for local Japanese. There are always many people there so perhaps it might be stressful to dome of you, but that must also be a part of cultural experiences in Tokyo!

Meiji Shrine (明治神宮, Meiji Jingū) is a shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken. Located just beside the JR Yamanote Line's busy Harajuku Station, Meiji Shrine and the adjacent Yoyogi Park make up a large forested area within the densely built-up city. The spacious shrine grounds offer walking paths that are great for a relaxing stroll.

The 350-meter Takeshita-dori Street, starting across the road from JR Harajuku Station, is geared towards Tokyo's fashion and trend-conscious set. Lots of famous celebrities from all over the world also come here to shop —despite its reputation for being kawaii cute, there are also several boutiques that specialize in edgy grunge and goth fashion.