Tokyo History: Sensoji Temple & Asakusa District Private Tour

Seden was our guide and she was incredible. From her knowledge, to being accommodating, and sharing extra information about places to go while in Japan, made this an incredible experience. Sensoji is a special place. Highly recommend.

Absolutely the worst tour we have ever taken. Our guide did not teach us anything or take us through all of the places the tour said we would go.

Emanuel from Arigato Travel was the perfect guide to kick off our two week visit to Japan. Totally fluent in English, even multi-lingual, Emanuel was incredibly helpful in teaching us how to navigate Tokyo’s subway system. He didn’t just point things out — he walked us step by step on our phones on how to use Google Maps efficiently , giving us the confidence to get around the city on our own for the rest of the trip. That alone was worth so much. We felt he genuinely wanted to connect, not just lead us through this historic district of Tokyo. He took the time to learn about our backgrounds, share stories from his own life, and discover our travel interests, which made the entire experience feel personal and relaxed. The tour itself was well paced. Walking from our hotel, together we rode the subway train so we could start at the Asakusa Tourist Information Center. From its free observation deck on the 8th floor we got a sweeping view over the city including close-ups of the iconic Tokyo Skytree, and a unique overlook of the colorful Nakamise Street (packed with over 90 traditional shopping stalls) with nearby Senso-ji temple grounds. And then Emanuel brought us down to street level, weaving us through temples, bustling shopping stalls, and quieter corners we never would have found on our own. He asked about our preferences, timed our stops to avoid the worst of the crowds, pausing at spots en route for interesting perspectives for our photos, and even found a restaurant he knew we’d enjoy so we could sit, relax, and continue our conversation with our lunch. When our tour concluded, he then took us back on the subway to the location of our next event which was in a neighboring district. So much appreciated! We couldn’t have had a better and more thoughtful guide for our first day in bustling Tokyo!

We’ve taken tours all over the world, and my wife said at least five times that this was the best tour we’ve ever done. Shelina was incredible. We explored all of Asakusa, learned about the culture, tried local foods, and gained a real understanding of the temples and shrines—including how to properly pray at the shrines, which made the experience much more meaningful. She also went above and beyond by giving us restaurant recommendations for the rest of our trip and sharing tons of helpful local insight. We actually followed one of her recommendations right after the tour and are sitting here now enjoying a local beer she told us about. Doing this on our first day was the best decision—it gave us context for everything else we’ll experience in Japan. We highly recommend this tour. Absolutely worth it.

Excellent tour with a great guide, Kennedy! We learned much about the temple and area. Also, lots of great photo spots!

She was absolutely fantastic! Perhaps one of the best guides we’ve ever had on a trip like this and we travel a lot. She structured the trip with the perfect balance of history, fun and insider info. And she was so thoughtful and anticipatory of our needs and questions - felt like being guided by a long time family friend through a new city.

William was an excellent guide with great English skills. He was very informative about the local culture and life. Highly recommend.

Brilliant tour with Abu. Really great guide. Knowledgeable and flexible he was able to sort every request. Highly recommend him

This 2 hour tour was great to walk around Asakusa neighbourhood and visit the Sinsoji Temple. Shelina did an excellent Job and was very kind and concerned with our needs in every moment. I would highly recommend this tour.

Sheilina was an engaging and knowledgeable guide who personalised our tour and went above and beyond.

What an amazing place! Our guide, Gulay, was excellent…teaching us not only about the history, but also about the culture and customs…plus she showed us a few delicious local snacks which we loved.

Travel with William went well. Got to visit the Buddhist temple. Saw a wedding ceremony and a samurai ceremony. Together. Asakusa shopping is amazing. You can buy all kinds of things and there are tons of places to eat. This is a great way to get to know the Japanese people.

This was a very enjoyable and thorough tour with a lot of great food. Our tour guide was very accommodating and flexible.

My family had a great time with Sheilina. She was extremely knowledgeable and knew what my kids would like and understand! She showed us the best shops and restaurants, explained the history of the area and was lovely to spend time with. The Asakusa tour included everything we hoped to see. I highly recommend this tour with Sheilina!

We have travelled extensively, but found Seden to be exceptional as a guide. She was knowledgeable, gave us glimpses of Tokyo life off the beaten path , flexible, fluent in Japanese, helpful in making further plans, kept in touch afterwards to make sure our other arrangements were going to work. She has a delightful sense of humour, was personable and kind. Can’t say enough good about her.

Sheilina was a great guide on my trip to Asakusa. She was friendly, knowledgeable and showed me some great spots. I defiantly recommend her as a tour guide. Thank you

Highly recommend this tour. Our guide was amazing and very knowledgeable. She took us through to all corners of the temple grounds talking us through the history of it all and was happy to answer all our questions. Even when one of our group asked a question she could not immediately answer, she went off to find the information for us. The walk through the streets of the Asakusa district was also very interesting. Unfortunately we had to cut the tour short due to one of our party being unwell and she even helped us getting taxis to take us back to our hotel. Good walking shoes required!

Gulay showed us all the sites and gave us a thorough history. We ended the day smarter than we started. Highly recommend.

We had an incredible time with Sheilina, our tour guide. It was our first day in Tokyo and she quickly acclimated us to the culture and history. We highly recommend Sheilina to anyone looking for a memorable tour of Tokyo and beyond. Thank you!

Sheilina was kind and informative. She was a great guide and understood that we love the not-so-touristy kinds of experiences. She also recommended a great place for lunch after the tour. We loved chatting with her and spending the morning together.

We really enjoyed our tour with Carlos! He was knowledgeable and personable and obviously loves his adopted home in Japan. He also shared many recommendations with us of other places to see.

Gulay was an awesome tour guide. She took us to a beautiful and fun neighborhood. We learned a lot of temples and shrines. It was exactly what we had hoped for! She also gave us amazing recommendations. Thank you Gulay for being amazing!

Gulay was fantastic! She provided us many recommendations on things to do all over Japan, took us to at least one sight that our friends didn’t know about, and gave us the perfect cultural introduction to Buddhism and Shintoism and shopping in Asaksusa. Highly recommend!

Gulay lead us through the wonderful traditions of the temples and shrines and the deep historical details of the surrounding retail experiences. She did a great job!

Gülay was a fantastic guide. So knowledgeable and understanding of the Japanese culture. She made the tour entertaining and fun whilst still imparting all the history and background of Tokyo. We were lucky enough to see a Shinto wedding blessing at the temple. Despite it being a crazy day due to the Lunar New Year and Japans Foundation Day holiday, we were able to still see everything and enjoy the day. She guided us to some of the best shops on Kappabashi street and we will think of her everytime we use our special little bowls.

I had a wonderful time with RamKy, learning about the history and culture of Japan while strolling the backstreets of the historic Asakusa district. Along the way, we visited open air artisan markets and the grounds of the very beautiful Senso-Ji Temple. RamKy is a natural born teacher and entertaining conversationalist. This tour was the unexpected highlight of my time in Tokyo!

My daughter and I spent a few hours exploring the Sensoji Temple, exploring surrounding historical area, and headed over to Ginza for a quick look and tour. Our guide Gulay was from eastern Europe and was warm, well spoken and educated on Tokyo and the Japanese culture. We had a great learning experience and truly enjoyed getting a crash course on Japanese culture and customs from our guide. I would highly recommend this type of tour for yourself or family and doing this early in your travels to help you better understand the rich culture and traditions of Japan or other history rich countries.

Such a beautiful start in the day with Gulay's smile and useful information. Very knowledgable concerning lifestyle, everyday life and history. Gulay has the talent to really introduce you into the parts of Tokyo you are interested in. Gratefully thankful.

Gulai was wonderful! She is very professional and very knowledgeable . We were short of time and asked her to condense the 3hr tour to 1.5, she managed to cover all the essence and controlled the time to fit perfectly while we learnt so much about the place - it’s history, the background, and the culture , and also experienced how to pray using the Shen Dao vs Buddhist way. She also managed to answer all my weird questions and never showed an ounce of impatience in the pouring rain while we took anyone of pictures 😂. Thanks so much ! Will def look for her again if we visit Tokyo with more time .

Gulay was everything you would want in a tour guide\u2014and more! She brings an enthusiasm for her adopted country that is just charming. She introduced us to the customs at a Shinto temple and placed it in the context of daily Japanese life. Gulay knew the places to get amazing strawberries, baked goods, and drinks that you couldn\u2019t find on your own. In all, it was just a delightful three hours with Gulay. Highest recommendation!

Me and my Mom can not say enough wonderful things about Gulay. She had so much knowledge about Japan and the areas we went to and gave great suggestions on where to go on our own. We highly recommend her especially if this is your 1st time in the country.

I booked this experience looking for a great in depth tour of the Asakusa area and it was exactly that! RamKy was a GREAT guide and shared so much knowledge about the area. He also was able to share history of Japanese culture and gave me answers to all my questions. Definitely would recommend booking this