Yoyogi 1st National Gymnasium tours

We had a group of 15 people. I thought this was a little much as not everyone can easily hear the banter in between the information spots and not everyone has the same walking pace. Our guide Giulia did amazing though. She spoke loud enough for everyone to hear and patiently waited for everyone to gather around. It was clear she was very knowledgeable on the edo period, the palace grounds, shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu and emperor Meji. The palace grounds are grand, but I think not as easy to manoeuvre for someone less able bodied. Be wary that you will have some steep inclines inside the walls. I particularly found the checkpoints, the edo castle ruins and the Japanese garden (which we could explore ourself after the tour) impressive. Giulia had a beautiful way of making me feel immersed and able to imagine what it would be like to enter the palace in the edo period. If you'd like more information about the imperial palace or the rulers of the time, I recommend taking the tour yourself!

Had the best time! They gave us a free shot of sake & some free tea/mochi at the end. Staff was friendly & the entertainers did an amazing job. We for sure recommend!

Yoda was very friendly and full of fantastic information to add to our experience. He showed us many great places to eat and we explored all the main sights of Shinjuku. I highly recommend this tour with Yoda!

Joe our tour guide was so knowledgeable and very friendly. i recommend a tour with Joe is a great start for tourists first time to Japan. Joe made everything easy, which made our market experience fun. No stress. Thanx Joe!

This was our first trip to Japan, and we wanted to do something special on our very first day in Tokyo. This tour was the perfect choice, and our guide, Hiro, was absolutely wonderful! He met us right at the designated meeting spot and was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the Imperial Palace. He made sure everyone was comfortable throughout the tour and was always happy to allow time for breaks and rest stops when needed. The gardens are absolutely beautiful, and we especially enjoyed getting to see some of the original historic buildings. It was a wonderful way to start our trip and learn more about Japan’s history and culture. If you’re visiting Tokyo, we highly recommend this tour. And if you’re lucky enough to have Hiro as your guide, you’re in for an extra-special experience!

It was our first full day in Japan, and we are very grateful to our guide Frankie for leading us on an informative tour of the Meiji Jingu shrine. We learned so much that we would have never discovered otherwise - the history of Shinto shrines, the history of *that* shrine, how important they are to this day, and so much more. It was a great investment of time and so worth it.

we had a group of 7 people, were felt like the perfect amount of people. I was solo on this tour, but never felt left out. Part because of the other nice people taking the tour, but also because of our lovely guide Manny. Manny told us about Harajuku before we headed to the Meji Jinku shrine grounds. Manny was very knowledgeable about the shinto religion, customs and rituals. The history and customs were presented in a fun and informative way. Overal, the tour felt very in line with the connections and knowledge emperor Meji is known for. Definitely take the tour if you are thinking about it. The grounds are very impressive. We were lucky to be here on a beautifully sunny day, which meant we were able to witness a few weddings happen on the shrine grounds as well as live Gagaku in the centre of the shrine grounds. I am very glad I decided to take this tour. Thank you fellow travelers and our guide Many for the beautiful experience.

Midori was an amazing guide! 5/5 stars and is a definite must for anyone visiting Tokyo. One of my favourite experiences so far. She was very informative and made the experience very enjoyable. It was great to meet a real life Geisha and learn all about her life and see traditional dances and play traditional games. Midori also took photos for us so we didn’t have to worry about that and could enjoy the whole experience in real time!

Honestly this tour was great! We went to the 10am tour, I would go earlier if you can to the 8am tour before it gets super congested. lots of food portion wise, so go hungry