Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau (TCVB), a public interest incorporated foundation, will begin selling guided city walking tours from today for foreign tourists visiting Tokyo.
Tokyo is a walkable city that is fun to walk around in. And each area has something different to discover. This tour will let you enjoy the old-meets-new history and stories of Tokyo, which is full of old and new charm in each area. It's a project.
The tour was planned under the supervision of the Hosei University Edo-Tokyo Research Center, and is designed to allow participants to gain a deeper understanding of Tokyo as they walk through the city looking at ukiyo-e art while a specialist guide explains the history of Tokyo's transformation into the present day.
Through this tour, TCVB aims to improve the experience value of Tokyo and create more fans, with the aim of making Tokyo "a city that continues to be chosen by the world."
1. Tour Overview
In 2024, the following five courses will be held according to the pre-arranged schedule starting Wednesday, November 20th.
①Ginza & Tsukiji Course
Starting point: Imperial Hotel Tokyo
Highlights: Ginza alleyways, Inari Shrine, Kabukiza, Tsukiji Outer Market, etc.
We will trace the remaining traces of the towns of Ginza and Tsukiji, which developed from Edo as a place where townspeople and merchants made their living and as a center of commerce and entertainment.
②Imperial Palace & Edo Castle Course
Starting point: Imperial Hotel Tokyo
Highlights: Sakuradamon, Tokyo Station & Marunouchi area, Higashi Gyoen, etc.
This course centers around Edo Castle and allows you to learn about the roles and vestiges of each of the towns that were separated by waterways, while also learning about the differences between Tokyo and other major cities around the world.
③Ueno & Asakusa Course
Starting point: NOHGA HOTEL UENO TOKYO
Highlights: Shinobazu Pond, Ueno Toshogu Shrine, Kappabashi Kitchenware District, Sensoji Temple, Asakusa Shrine, etc.
Experience the vitality of this town of temples and artisans that developed at the foot of Ueno Toeizan Kan'ei-ji Temple, and look back on the history that leads to Asakusa.
④Ueno & Yanaka Course
Starting point: NOHGA HOTEL UENO TOKYO
Highlights: Kiyomizu Kannon-do, Ueno Great Buddha, Former Yoshidaya Liquor Store, Nezu Shrine, Yanaka Ginza, etc.
We will tour Ueno, which still retains the influence of Kan'ei-ji Temple, which was founded to resemble Mount Hiei, and Yanesen, a popular town to the north that retains the atmosphere of the old downtown area and retains traces of the lives of Tokyo residents.
⑤Shibuya Course
Starting point: Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel
Highlights: Konno Hachiman Shrine, Miyamasu Mitake Shrine, Maruyamacho, Nabeshima Shoto Park, and more
This is a course that explores vestiges of "Edo" that will overturn your image of Shibuya, while experiencing the lifestyles and culture that were nurtured in the undulating terrain created by the flow of the Shibuya River.
2. About application
<Tour booking site>
https://www.tokyo-time-travel.com/
<Tour highlights>
・All tours will be conducted in English by a nationally-certified guide-interpreter*.
・Time required: Approximately 3 to 4 hours
・Number of participants: 1 to 10 people
・Each tour fee: $60
・Reservations are accepted until 16:00 the day before the tour.
・Departure dates vary depending on the course. Please check the reservation page on our website for details.
* About National Licensed Guide-Interpreters
We plan to increase the number of tour areas in the future so that visitors to Japan can enjoy Tokyo even more, as each area has its own unique "story" and charming streetscape. Please look forward to it.
About the Tokyo Convention and Visitors Bureau
A public interest incorporated foundation funded by private companies and organizations, it is responsible for promoting tourism in Tokyo as a policy partner organization of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and promotes various projects related to the promotion of tourism in Tokyo. "Towards a Tokyo that continues to be chosen by the world. With this as its organizational philosophy, the organization works in cooperation with various partners to attract tourists and business events, as well as to implement a wide range of initiatives to promote tourism in the region and improve the welcoming environment.
Organization name: Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau Chairman: Shingo Kaneko Address: Nissin Building, 346-6 Yamabuki-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0801
URL: https://www.tcvb.or.jp/jp/
About the Edo-Tokyo Research Center
It was established in 2017 as an institution of Hosei University located in the center of Tokyo to promote international and interdisciplinary Edo-Tokyo research. In order to understand modern Tokyo, it is necessary to study Edo and pre-Edo period. It is important to envision Tokyo's near future while keeping in mind its unique history. From this perspective, experts in a variety of fields, including architecture, literature, geography, history, and engineering, have come together to discuss how to pass on the city to the next generation. We conduct research every day with the aim of creating a sustainable local community where people can live happily and with peace of mind.
Organization name: Hosei University Edo-Tokyo Research Center Director: Yoneya Shinofu Address: 2-17-1 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8160
URL: https://edotokyo.hosei.ac.jp/
