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Best of Tokyo in Small Group: Japanese Traditions, Shopping & Food Experience

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Chuo City, Japan
Best of Tokyo in Small Group: Japanese Traditions, Shopping & Food Experience
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Best of Tokyo in Small Group: Japanese Traditions, Shopping & Food Experience
Made In Japan Shopping Tour: Cultural Curiosities
Made In Japan Shopping Tour: Cultural Curiosities
Made In Japan Shopping Tour: Cultural Curiosities
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From $52.27

Price varies by group size

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Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance. Learn more
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Safety measures
icon3 hours  (approx.)
Mobile ticket
iconOffered in: English
Good for avoiding crowds

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Overview

Ultra-modern Tokyo still holds many old-fashioned surprises when you know where to go. On this 3-hour walking tour in the Ningyocho and Nihonbashi districts, your local guide shares hidden gems such as long-established shops that carry traditional musical instruments and incense. Learn about classic Japanese art forms and see vendors with stationery, calligraphy materials, gold-leaf decor and more. You'll also taste some favorite snacks while exploring a lesser-known side of Tokyo, traveling with a small group limited to 12 people for a personalized experience.
  • 3-hour walking tour of Nihonbashi and Ningyocho districts, in Tokyo
  • See the old-world in Tokyo's small alleys with the insight of a local guide
  • Discover long-standing shops that carry handcrafted goods
  • Sample traditional candies, crackers and other treats
  • Learn about incense ceremonies and classical Japanese arts such as calligraphy and music
  • Enjoy a more customized experience on a small-group tour with a maximum of 12 participants

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

Your guide shows you hidden locales from earlier eras that are easy to miss. You'll find establishments that remain true to their origins, which in some cases date back several centuries. For example, at an 18th-century toothpick shop, each item comes hand-wrapped in a poem.
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From $52.27

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Food samplings as per the itinerary
Local English-speaking guide
Gratuities
Food and drinks (unless specified)
Hotel pickup and drop-off
McDonald's Ningyocho store , 2-chōme-3-1 Nihonbashiningyōchō, Chuo City, Tokyo 103-0013, Japan
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Mechanical clock tower near McDonald's in Ningyocho (note there are 2 clocks — meet by the one on the same side as McDonald's). In Japanese: Ningyocho Karakuri Yagura Edo Rakugo.

12:45 PM
Mitsukoshimae Station , 2 Chome-1 Nihonbashimuromachi, Chuo City, Tokyo 103-0022, Japan
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Mitsukoshimae Station (Ginza Line, Hanzomon Line)

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Children 5 and younger are free of charge
  • Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
  • A moderate amount of walking is involved; please wear comfortable walking shoes
  • The tour includes a brief visit to a small shrine. Modest dress is highly recommended — shoulders should be covered and pants or a skirt that covers the knees should be worn
  • This tour includes visits to independent, family-run businesses, which may sometimes unexpectedly close or alter their hours for the day. In such a case, the tour will visit other nearby shops or attractions that still keep with the theme and essence of the tour
  • You can access the meeting point from any of the following metro lines: Ningyocho station, Hibiya Line, Exit A1 (3-minute walk); Ningyocho Station, Asakusa Line, Exit A3 (7-minute walk); or Suitengumae Station, Hanzomon Line, Exit 7 (4-minute walk) While this tour is not physically exerting, it is a walking tour, and you will be on your feet and walking for all of the three hours.
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Transportation is wheelchair accessible
  • Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Local Impact: How you will help the local community by joining this tour: On this tour you will visit various 100+ year-old family owned businesses and help maintain and support unique Japanese crafts, food and culture, which will help keep these important traditions alive.
  • Effective Sept 1, 2021, travellers 18+ must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Children 6-17 must present a negative COVID-19 test (PCR or lateral flow) conducted maximum 72 hours prior, proof of recovery dated up to 9 months or proof of vaccination.
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
  • OPERATED BY Intrepid Urban Adventures - Japan
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Learn more about cancellations.

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Q:
What is the social distancing policy during Best of Tokyo in Small Group: Japanese Traditions, Shopping & Food Experience?
A:The policies on social distancing are:

  • Social distancing enforced throughout experience
  • Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
See all safety measures taken by Best of Tokyo in Small Group: Japanese Traditions, Shopping & Food Experience.
Q:
What measures are being taken to ensure staff health & safety during Best of Tokyo in Small Group: Japanese Traditions, Shopping & Food Experience?
A:The policies on staff health & safety are:

  • Guides required to regularly wash hands
  • Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
See all safety measures taken by Best of Tokyo in Small Group: Japanese Traditions, Shopping & Food Experience.

Traveler Photos

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Traveler Tips

  • "Lots of walking is required, but almost entirely on flat surfaces." See review

Reviews by Viator travelers.  We perform checks on reviews

Reviews

5.0
star-5
75 Reviews
5 stars
65
4 stars
7
3 stars
1
2 stars
1
1 star
1

Reviews by Viator travelers

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 75 reviews
star-5
A friday well spent!
Ana_C
, Nov 2020
the guide was well informed and spoke very good english. We had a tour of nice shops and businesses with traditions older than 100 years and tasted some really tasty traditional japanese bites, which were included in the ticket price. A friday well spent!
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star-5
Foodies Tokyo Experiance
KAPP
, Mar 2020
Excellent experiance, very much worth while doing for both first timers to Tokyo and return visitors. The tour allowed you to explore places you would have perhaps walked by and missed as well as places you would never have known were there. In our case there were just four of us so that allowed for a more personal experience with our guide Nagi. She was friendly and very accommodating. She was willing to change things up and be flexible if there were places along the way that you wanted to look at. Highly recommended tour.
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star-4
Fun and Filling
Tothm
, Jan 2020
Tour was fun, Yoshi was very friendly and knowledgeable. My advice is don't eat before hand. The snacks and things you get to try are good and very filling.
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star-5
Local shops and bakeries walk around!
Fakhera_A
, Dec 2019
It was a nice tour. Beautiful stores and history. Our tour guide Yoshi spoke very well English. Its was easy to find him at meeting point I have to say that it was a long walk, so be prepared. The tour guide took us to interesting traditional makers/shops we could not have seen on our own. We even got to discover and try delicious foods from the visited shops. He was very organized and polite and patient to answer all our question, related to the tour or in general on Japanese culture. Thank you Yoshi!
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star-5
Enjoying Historical Ningyocho
purcellb2019
, Aug 2019
This tour was wonderful; our guides Aya and Ayaka were so kind, and showed shops that I otherwise would not have ventured into. Learning the history of some of the shops and trying the traditional snacks was awesome. I really enjoyed learning about the family-run ningyaki (probably wrote that wrong, but a sweet snack) store and watching the owner make it was so sweet. Also made a great friend on the tour :)
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star-5
Great Way to Sample Tokyo
Chelsea_R
, Jul 2019
Ayaka was a wonderful tour guide! I loved that we went to authentic shops that we would have walked by otherwise.
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star-5
Walking visit to small craft shops (16 June 2019)
cstivale
, Jun 2019
Our visit to the neighborhoods of Ningyocho and Nihonbashi was somewhat hampered by the continuing rain throughout the morning and early afternoon. However, our guide, Seishi (not sure of exact spelling), was more than capable of providing a magnificent walking tour, and along the way explaining a number of aspects of Japanese culture of which we were entirely unaware. The “Best of Tokyo” tour as described in the Viator info is precisely a street by street exploration of tiny crafts shops of all sorts, probably shops we would have ignored – hand made biscuit shop; fan shop (imagine delicately crafted fans); paper shop (imagine all manner of paper); sweets shop; incense shop; sushi shop; traditional candies and crackers shop. The middle of the tour was punctuated by a visit to a local temple in Ningyocho, the shrine of fertility (both desired fertility and fulfilled fertility, with entire families coming with a month old baby to give thanks for the healthy birth). Then instead of walking (as the normal tour would have done), we took the subway with Seishi to the Nihonbashi, more modern neighborhood, with some huge department stores and the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Here we still found some small craft stores, e.g. a toothpick store (in case you forgot your toothpick holder!), a gold leaf craft and jewelry store, and a soup stand in a huge mall CorEdo). Since this was the first day of our trip, and due to the rain (and jet lag) we might just have stayed indoors, going on this tour was a super way to get out and about, to start to become oriented to Tokyo (we took our first subway in order to get to the rendezvous point), and to discover an entire array of commercial products that are, understandably, off the beaten path! Lots of walking is required, but almost entirely on flat surfaces. Because of the shrine visit, a more modest kind of dress is desirable.
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star-5
We thoroughly enjoyed this walking...
JohnRollo_K
, Mar 2018
We thoroughly enjoyed this walking tour . Meg was a very informative guide and took us to fascinating little shops that we would have walked straight past if we had not had such a wonderful guide .
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star-4
Was a good tour! Be prepared to walk...
Chasity M
, Mar 2018
Was a good tour! Be prepared to walk and you will get great food samples! Tour guide was knowledgeable but it was just an ok tour!
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1 traveler found this review helpful
star-5
Walking or riding a bike are the...
Helen_R
, Mar 2018
Walking or riding a bike are the best ways to get up close and personal with Tokyo life. We had an amazing time saw heaps and really enjoyed going into smaller areas of Tokyo . Yet another must I say
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star-5
If you look carefully there are...
Emily F
, Feb 2018
If you look carefully there are artisans in small Tokyo shops making traditional objects and foods. Our guide taught us how to open our eyes and find these remaining keepers of craftsmanship. And now I know the proper ritual for offering a prayer at a Shinto Shrine!
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star-1
We had a guide on his first day. He...
Susan_I
, Jan 2018
We had a guide on his first day. He was nervous, too quiet and his english was difficult to understand. He was accompanied by a more experienced guide who wanted to give him latitude, but the tour was painfully slow and disjointed. Not sure why we stopped at a couple of the shops and frankly got very limited information about the area regardless. It was not worth half the money we paid for the tour and candidly I can not recommend it. Sorry.
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star-5
Great tour, loved walking around...
Mirella R
, Jan 2018
Great tour, loved walking around through Tokyo with a small group and tasted all kinds of stuff, from cookies to icecream to mest pastries. The tour does not go to the shops that are mentioned in the description of the tour, too bad for that. Would definitely recommend!
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star-5
This was a great way to see a...
Michael F
, Nov 2017
This was a great way to see a different part of Tokyo. Our guide was great and we saw many businesses which had been in business for at least 100 years. We sampled the food and saw individually crafted tooth picks. This was a great tour.
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star-5
Excellent and informative, most of...
steven h
, Nov 2017
Excellent and informative, most of tour is on quiet streets which is pleasant. Our guide Ikumi was friendly, knowledgeable and pleased to answer all our questions.
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star-4
This tour was exactly what I wanted...
laurieholdsworth
, Nov 2017
This tour was exactly what I wanted it to be. It showed a deeper look into an area of Tokyo that most people would miss. My husband and I enjoyed it very much. We're looking forward to going back to Ningyocho and Nihonbashi to do some further exploring. I recommend this tour! The only downside of the tour was that our guide, Silvia, had lost much of her voice due to allergies so it was difficult to hear her several times. She did her best, though and I'm sure I could've given the tour 5 stars if she had been in full voice.
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star-5
Wonderful experience! I was very...
Valerie B
, Nov 2017
Wonderful experience! I was very pleased with all of the locations we stopped at as well as our guide's knowledge of the culture and history of the various places. Highly recommended and I will be taking the tour again the next time I am in Tokyo.
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star-5
Ikumu has a good command of English...
Edna D
, Oct 2017
Ikumu has a good command of English and was able to explain well the lovely back streets of Tokyo.
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star-5
This was an enjoyable tour. It...
Barbara L
, Oct 2017
This was an enjoyable tour. It allowed us to see areas of Tokyo that most tourists probably would never visit
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star-3
The tour was interesting, our guide...
Colin G
, Aug 2017
The tour was interesting, our guide was very good and informative. Disappointed we did not see places that were quoted in the tour, ie Musical instruments and block printing. The food we were given to try were great
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