Tokyo Meiji Shrine Cultural Guided Walking Tour

Yumi was a great guide, explained the history and cultural significance of Shintoism. She also made explanations clear, making sure to pause for questions and answer them completely

Amazing tour, beautiful sites, shrines and cultural architecture. Shout out to our amazing tour guide Minori! She was very sweet and helpful in guiding us through the journey and learned many new things along the way.

Our tour guide Minori was very knowledgeable and approachable. She provides us many interesting facts about Edo period, Meiji period, Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, and the Shinto religion. She was interactive, attentive, and helpful when we wanted to know more. Even though there was quite a bit of walking, the tour was well-paced and on even ground, so walkability was very tolerable in the cool weather. There are washrooms along the way but few trash bins. Within the shrine itself, you can do many things like purchase omamori, write your wishes on Ema to hang in the shrine, get goshuin, and make wishes in the shrine itself. There was also an iris garden but that had an additional cost of ¥500.

Very informative and relaxing tour of the Meiji Shrine. Mak was our guide and he was really helpful and resourceful. He gave us a lot of background information and history of the area. He also showed us the traditional rituals. We started at 9am instead of 10am, but it was good timing as the sun was not as scorching hot and the crowd hasn’t arrived yet. We had a very small group on the day, just 2 families, so the tour was around 1.5 hours. There was also an understudy with us, Yumi, who was friendly and welcoming. She took good care of the group that was at the back, and offered to help us with photos so we can all be in a photo as a family. All in all it was a memorable and enjoyable experience.

I had a great experience being guided through the Meiji Shrine by Mak. He is very helpful, friendly and knowledgeable about the history and culture around the Shrine and Japanese culture in general. 10/10 I would recommend

Simon was very knowledgable and shared interesting facts and observations. Very helpful. I was very satisfied with his guidance.

Out guide Simon was amazing! He was really nice and gave us a very detailed explanation at each stop, all while giving us an ample time to explore the site and get souvenirs. He also gave some helpful tips and suggestions for where to head next and things to do after the tour.

Nicolas was an absolutely outstanding guide on our Meiji Shrine tour. His knowledge of Shinto beliefs, Japanese history, and the Imperial family's connection to the shrine was exceptional. Every explanation was detailed and delivered with genuine passion. You could tell this wasn't just information he had memorised, it was a subject he truly cared about. What impressed me most was that, despite being from France, he has developed such a deep appreciation for Japanese culture. As an Australian with a strong interest in learning, I found that passion infectious. Our tour group was small, which meant Nicolas took the time to answer every question thoroughly and never made us feel rushed. He made sure everyone understood the significance behind what we were seeing rather than simply pointing out landmarks. By the end of the tour, visiting Meiji Shrine felt like much more than sightseeing, it was a genuinely positive and spiritual experience. Thank you, Nicolas!

Paloma was an amazing guide! She was very attentive and knowledgeable about the history behind Japan. Very kind and paitent with our group, and let us take many pictures (when allowed). I think the tour was the favorite part of our trip. Thank you Paloma!!!

Minori san was a very good guide and the best we had in our Japan tours. She was very friendly and knowledgeable about Meiji shrine. Meiji shrine itself is a lovely quiet area in the middle of Tokyo and it is very pleasant to walk there after the hustle bustle of other parts of Tokyo. Thoroughly recommend this tour.