Tokyo Tour

Walk Japan’s Tokyo Tour focuses on the reasons for the city’s existence and how it came to be the centre of Japanese political and economic power. Looking at both the lives of the great and powerful and also the townspeople we delve into both Edo, its subsequent development into capital and ultimately megalopolis. We will learn how the samurai ran their city and also how the townspeople, living in their shadow, developed a culture that boasts kabuki theatre, print making and the floating world. Tokugawa Ieyasu, the greatest shogun, and the near 270 year Tokugawa family domination of Japan that Ieyasu began take centre stage in our walk through Tokyo. But we also focus on the lives of the not so great, including samurai foot soldiers, merchants, craftsmen and entertainers from feudal times to the present day.

We learn how Edo and Tokyo came to be the centre of Japan’s politics, economy and its day-to-day culture. We will visit some of the greatest historical sites of Tokyo; stroll through some quiet neighbourhoods that still impart a sense of the older city; and come to understand how much of modern Tokyo has its roots in a much concealed, but fascinating history.

Day 1 of Walk Japan’s Tokyo Tour introduces us to the city of the samurai, once centred on its military citadel and highly organised life. We will learn how Edo came to be and how it developed from a samurai stronghold to modern city.

Day 2 focuses on the less well-known but no less interesting city of its people, their way of life and how they interacted with the samurai, developed the Edo culture and how it changed with the city’s growth.

Walk Japan’s Tokyo Tour consists of a two day itinerary. However, it is possible to join the tour for one day only. On both days we meet at the day's starting point as indicated in the itinerary. Walk Japan provides detailed instruction on how to get to the start point. Please note that Tokyo’s transport system is very comprehensive and easy to use.

Each day ends at around 5 pm in either Ginza or Asakusa depending on the itinerary for the day. The Walk Japan tour leader will help arrange onward travel to your accommodation or other desired location. Please note, that after 5 pm the tour leader will also be available to introduce some of the myriad and excellent local restaurants, which are often less accessible for travellers from overseas.

Price: Tour with two night's accommodation JPY49,000 (JPY= Japanese Yen) per person, single person supplement JPY5,800; Tour without accommodation JPY30,000 per person, single person supplement not applicable.

For customers joining our Nakasendo Way, Winter Nakasendo Way and Summer Nakasendo Way tours we offer the Tokyo Tour at the special prices of: Tour with two nights' accommodation JPY42,000 per person, single person supplement JPY5,800; Tour without accommodation JPY26,000 per person, single person supplement not applicable. Please use the currency converter on the right-hand side of this page to find the current rate in your local currency.

Please note that the two nights' accommodation is for Day 1 and Day 2 of this tour.

What is included and not included? A fully guided tour including local travel from tour meeting point to finishing point as noted in the itinerary. Entrance fees and tea indicated in the itinerary on Day 1 are included. For tours with accommodation both breakfast and accommodation are included but lunch, dinner and drinks are not included. For tours without accommodation breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks and accommodation are not included.

Group size: The maximum group size is 12~13 people. We have no minimum size. If we accept a booking we guarantee to run the tour.

Please see the Itinerary for this tour and Tour dates for dates and availability. This two day tour starts on at 9 am on Day 1 and finishes at 5pm on Day 2, the final day. To coincide with the Nakasendo Way these tours start on a Sunday and finish on a Monday (early March to mid-June; and early September to mid-November); to coincide with the Winter Nakasendo Way these tours usually start on a Wednesday and finish on a Thursday; and to coincide with the Summer Nakasendo Way usually start on aSaturday and finish on a Sunday.

Please contact Walk Japan for more information and to book this tour.

This itinerary for the Tokyo Tour is ground only, beginning at the starting points as indicated for each Day of the tour in the itinerary and ending around 5 pm in central Tokyo. After receiving the booking form and deposit we will provide detailed instructions for getting to the meeting point on both days.

Day 1
The City of the Shogun. An introduction to the establishment of Edo, its administration, the life of the shogun, daimyo and samurai and the castle’s immediate neighbourhood, Nihonbashi.

We start at 9:00 am in Nihonbashi, which is near Tokyo Station. Nihonbashi was the centre of the Edo period Japan and all the nation’s principal roads, including the Nakasendo and Tokaido, led here. Nihonbashi was on the ‘door step’ of Edo Castle and this is where most travellers to Edo completed their journeys. We learn how Nihonbashi grew, firstly, as a neighbourhood of craftsmen entrusted with the building of Edo and then, secondly, developed into the merchant quarter supplying the needs of shogun’s court and townspeople alike. We will learn about some of the personalities associated with the area including William Adams and Sadayakko. Adams was an Englishman who became a confidant of the great shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu and was one of only two westerners ever to become samurai. Sadayakko was a geisha born in Nihonbashi who became celebrated throughout the west at the beginning of the 20th Century, performing for the presidents of the USA and France, the Prince of Wales and Tzar of Russia and appearing on the front of Harpers Bazar magazine in1900.

We walk via the modern business district of Marunouchi to the Imperial Palace. Marunouchi is now Japan’s premier business district but was once an integral part of the Edo Castle and we uncover some clues to this on our way. Just beyond here is the site of Edo Castle, now the Imperial Palace. Today the Palace provides a verdant, green refuge at the very centre of Tokyo. At 5km around its circumference it also provides a popular, pleasant jogging course. However, as large as the current extent of the Palace is it is only a fragment of Edo Castle’s original 16 km periphery.

We stroll through the core of the Castle, where the towering central keep once stood. The keep has not existed since it last burned down in the mid-17th Century, but the still standing, massive stone ramparts of the castle evoke the magnificence and power of life at the shogun’s court. We continue onto nearby Yasukuni Shrine through what was once castle grounds but are now pleasant, forested parks. Yasukuni Shrine is a contentious symbol of Japan’s recent warring past but has its roots in the Meiji period to commemorate the soldiers of the opposing sides at the time of the demise of the shogunate and the restoration of the emperor. From here we walk just beyond the original extent of Edo Castle to Kagurazaka, a little known but delightful area of restaurants and small shops. Here we enjoy lunch, which is not included in the tour. The Walk Japan tour leader, however, will recommend places to eat and help settle you in.

Next we take a short train journey to Ryogoku and the excellent Edo-Tokyo Museum for a guided visit. The museum describes well the built environment and life from the Edo period through to post-war Tokyo. Late afternoon, we transfer by subway to Ginza, once the site of shogun’s treasury and now the premier shopping district of Japan. Ginza has a plethora of upmarket and smaller shops. Of particular interest is a specialist tea shop, which provides a pleasant and refreshing end to our day’s exploration. A cup of tea here is included in the tour. Afterwards and for those with a desire for something stronger, close by is a sake bar and the solitary remaining example of a 1930s beer hall. These however, are not included in the tour price. Although the tour does not extend into the evening, your tour leader will be available to either make suggestions where you may like to eat for your evening meal or join you, if you wish.

Day 2
The city of the Edo townspeople. Today, we get a feel for the city of the Eddoko, the townspeople, and their life from the Edo Period, through the city’s tumultuous transition into the nation’s capital in the late 19 Century and up to the present day.

A 9:00 am start in Nihonbashi for transfer to the old temple district and charming, downtown neighbourhood of Yanaka. Little now remains to see in Tokyo of the life of the people from the Edo period through to the mid 20th Century. However, Yanaka, a quiet quarter with winding streets and narrow alleyways, local shops and an intimate feel, provides perhaps the closest approximation to how life once was in both downtown Edo through to the pre-war years of Tokyo. From here we stroll on to Ueno Park. The park was once the site of a temple complex that protected Edo Castle from the north-east, still considered a direction of bad omen in Japan. Within the park remains a shrine to the Tokugawa shoguns and it was here that Tokugawa troops made a last futile stand against the prevailing forces of the coming new order. In one corner of the park is a statue to one of the great but ultimately doomed heros of the overthrowing forces, Saigo Takamori. The deposing of the Tokugawa shogunate and the restoration of the emperor in 1868 set Japan on a path to a democratic, industrial nation. It also marks the transformation of Edo into Tokyo; of a feudal citadel into the capital of a modern nation state.

We continue our journey on through nearby Ameyoko-cho, a bustling, downtown street market that has its origins as a black market in decimated, post-war Tokyo. We lunch here in one of the many local, intimate restaurants. Afterwards, we take the subway to Fukagawa, an old eastern suburb of Edo aside the great Sumidagawa river. On arrival, we visit the small but excellent local museum that depicts the Edo townspeople and their life.

A short walk from the museum brings us to the Kiyosumi Teien Japanese garden, one of the best examples remaining in Tokyo. This was once the garden of a daimyo, a regional samurai baron, but after the demise of the shogunate was owned by Iwasaki Yataro, the founder of the Mitsubishi industrial empire. After relaxing in and enjoying these quiet surroundings we continue on through the neighbourhood, passing by some sumo stables. Here, with a bit of luck, we might catch a glimpse of these mighty sportsmen. The Sumidagawa river is close by and, after paying homage at a statue of the great Haiku poet Basho, we walk aside the river to Asakusa. Basho lived near here on the banks of Sumidagawa for a while during his itinerant meanderings of Japan.

Asakusa (not to be confused with Tokyo’s Akasaka) is now considered the home of the Eddoko, or the original townspeople of Edo/Tokyo. The area has long been famous for its Senso-ji temple but we also take time to explore the surrounding streets that provide a sense of the local culture that is still connected to its Edo and early Tokyo roots. A plethora of good local restaurants and interesting period bars provide a pleasant way to conclude today’s tour. Although the tour does not extend into the evening, your tour leader will be available to either make suggestions where you may like to eat for your evening meal or join you, if you wish.

This itinerary is subject to change.

Travel Advice
The following travel tips are intended to be helpful advice for our Tokyo Tour. In addition, please refer to your own past experiences and make adjustments or amendments as necessary. If you require any further advice please contact us.

Clothing: We will be walking in urban areas on even surfaces. Casual shoes, sneakers or sandals are suitable for this tour. Shorts are acceptable in Japan for both men and women. At most times of the year the sun's rays can be strong and we recommend a sun hat, sun screen, etc. Note, if you intend to buy clothing in Japan, large sizes are not easily available.

Food and drink: Food and drink are readily available throughout the tour. Medicines and cosmetics: Some medicines and cosmetics with which you are familiar may not be available in Japan, although there are usually similar products. Prescription medicines in Japan may differ from foreign medicines in minor, but possibly unacceptable, ways. If you require a specific medicine or cosmetic, either for health or comfort, please bring sufficient quantities with you.

Access to cash:
Exchanging foreign currency or travellers' cheques in major currencies is only possible at large bank branches in Japan. Please note that changing at a bank can be a time-consuming exercise. Instead, we recommend alternatives including arriving in Japan with some Japanese currency, using credit cards, and withdrawing cash from post office ATMs or at the Citibank branch found in central Kyoto. Japan is still a society based on cash payments. Given that the crime rate is quite low, there is not a great deal of risk in carrying around relatively large amounts of cash. Credit card payments are sometimes possible, but do not rely on it as credit cards are not universally acceptable in Kyoto. ATMs at Japanese post offices, which are ubiquitous in Japan, and Seven-Eleven stores provide cash against the following credit cards - Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club International, PLUS, Maestro, Cirrus and JCB. Most Japanese bank ATMs, though, do not accept debit cards or provide access to foreign bank accounts.

International telephoning, cell phones and the internet: Making international telephone calls and using the internet outside of major urban areas can be difficult or impossible. Please bring a telephone charge card issued by your local telephone company, such as AT&T, BT and Telstar. These can be used almost anywhere. The Japanese cell, or mobile, phone system uses a specialized CDMA technology which is incompatible with most overseas systems. Some G3, Blackberry smartphones and iPhones operate in Japan, however, please confirm with your provider whether your phone set will work. If your phone does not work in Japan you may like to rent a cell phone from providers such as NTT Docomo, Cellhire, Mobalrental, Worldroam, Vodafone, etc. For more information please contact Walk Japan

Click on photos to enlarge

The following is an indication of what level of activity to expect on our tours. The itineraries for all our tours provide specific details of each day's walking.

Please note that one person's expectations of what is easy or hard can be very different. Whilst age, physical ability and fitness are factors in deciding what a person is capable of, often a seemingly less fit person completes our tours with no problem. Another factor to consider is the weather, which can affect people differently.

Since 1992 we have taken many thousands of people of many nationalities, all ages and abilities on tour in Japan. We have good experience and knowledge about what most, if not all, people can achieve so please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like further information and advice related to your abilities.

Participants must be able to handle their own luggage, climb a few flights of stairs and walk less than 1 km a day. Travel will be almost entirely by public transport, taxi and private hire bus.

Participants must be able to handle their own luggage, climb a few flights of stairs and walk up to 5 km a day on mainly even ground underfoot.

Participants must be in reasonable health, mobile and able to participate in 4~6 hours of walking at a moderate 2kph to 4kph pace. The terrain is hilly with occasional short, steep climbs and the ground mainly even underfoot.




Participants must be in reasonable health, mobile and able to participate in 4~6 hours of walking at a 2 kph to 4 kph pace. The terrain includes more uneven ground than Level 3 with some short, occasionally longer, steep climbs.



Participants must be in good health, mobile and used to a reasonably active lifestyle. Walking may require up to six hours of moderate-paced activity per day, at a 2 kph to 4 kph pace over varied terrain. Ascents and descents can sometimes be steep,    necessitating the use of arms for support.

 

Participants must be in good health, have a good level of physical fitness and used to an active lifestyle. Walking may require up to eight hours of moderate-paced activity per day, at a 2 kph to 4kph pace over varied, mountainous terrain including some long ascents and descents.

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