Tokyo Highlights Tour : Sumo, Sushi, Tea, Temples and Tokyo Tower

This tour will give guests the opportunity to experience much of the traditional and iconic culture associated with Japan and Tokyo. You will have the opportunity to see Sumo Wrestlers train, try the freshest and best Sushi and street food in Tokyo, walk through a traditional Japanese garden and visit a tea house, walk around an historic Buddhist temple complex and park, and finally pay a visit to one of Tokyo’s most famous observation decks – Tokyo Tower.

The tour will provide guests with a well balanced itinerary including a Sumo Beya, food and drink, gardens and parks, shrines and temples, and iconic architecture. 

HIGHLIGHTS 

• The rare opportunity to see Sumo Wrestlers training at a Sumo Beya!

•  Explore Tokyo’s most famous food market and try the freshest Sushi in Tokyo!

• Experience a traditional Japanese tea house and enjoy drinking matcha (green tea) and eating Japanese sweets (Wagashi) in one of Tokyo’s most historic gardens. 

• Go to the top of Tokyo tower and see panoramic views of Tokyo!

DESCRIPTION

The tour will begin at 08:15am inside of Hamacho train station where you will meet your tour guide. You will meet directly outside of the ticket gates by the green vending machine opposite. Once everybody has arrived, you will officially start the tour and your tour guide will escort you to the first destination! 

Your first destination will be a traditional Sumo Beya (Training Room) where you will have the exciting opportunity to watch Sumo train! Please note that this is real training and the Sumo cannot be disturbed. Therefore visitors can only watch from outside through the large viewing windows. You cannot enter the Sumo Beya. Depending on the Sumo’s schedule after training, they sometimes come outside for photo opportunities with the visitors.

Once you have watched the exciting sport of Sumo, you will then move onto your next destination by taking a short train journey to the famous Tsukiji Outer Market. Opened in 1935, it is steeped in history and iconic in Tokyo. The market has been providing Tokyo’s eateries with their fresh seafood, fish and sushi for decades. As this is an early starting tour, it is recommended you pick up some breakfast here! A foodie paradise, you will find everything from sushi, wagyu, fresh fruit and sweet potatoes here! The market isn’t huge, so your guide will show you around before you enjoy some free time to sample the culinary delights on offer!

From Tsukiji Outer Market, we will take a walk to a famous and beautiful Edo period Japanese garden. Built in 1654 by the Shogunate family of the Tokugawa clan, the gardens sit at the mouth of the Sumida river. It makes for the perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of busy Tokyo. You will enjoy a guided introduction to the gardens and its history before having some free time to walk around and enjoy the gardens yourself. We will then all meet back up to enjoy a Japanese tea and wagashi (Japanese sweet) experience in a traditional tea house in the gardens. Please enjoy the serene views of the gardens as you drink your matcha and eat your wagashi.

Once you have enjoyed your tea and escape in nature, we will walk to our next destination. Half way through our walk, your lunch break/coffee break is scheduled for one hour for you to eat and drink, and relax.

After your break we will walk for another 10 minutes to our next destination, an historic Buddhist temple founded in 1393. The temple grounds and surrounding park are expansive, with Tokyo Tower standing directly behind the temple. Tokyo’s oldest wooden building also stands here, dating back to 1622. Your guide will give you a tour of the temple and its history. The tour also includes a Sutra copying experience at the temple. Whether you’re spiritual or not, this experience provides you a moment of peace and calm where you will copy your sutra inside the temple, and can enjoy the smell of incense burning. Once you’re finished, you can take your Sutra copy to the temple staff to receive a Goshuin (temple stamp) of the temple which makes for a great souvenir! You can also enjoy free time here to look around and take photos. There is a Buddhist treasure museum and the Tokugawa family Mausoleum you can visit for an additional charge.

Our final stop will be one of Tokyo’s most iconic and famous landmarks, Tokyo Tower. Built in 1958, this is Tokyo’s oldest observatory and has a wonderful retro feel to it. Enjoy the panoramic views of the sprawling city below before we conclude our tour and walk back to the nearby station of Akabanebashi where the tour will finish. Your tour guide will happily assist you with any questions on trains and transport for your return journey.

MEETUP POINT

Inside Hamacho Station outside of the ticket gates @08:15am

The tour will begin at 08:15am inside of Hamacho train station where you will meet your tour guide. Follow the signs for exits A1 and A2 from the platform and go up the stairs. Come out of the ticket gates. Directly in front of you will be a green vending machine that says ’Merci’. You will meet your tour guide in front of this, pictured below.

NOTES

Included 

• Train fee from Ningyocho Station to Tsukiji Station
• Admission fees for Hamarikyu Gardens 
• Hamarikyu Gardens Tea House Experience 
• Sutra copying experience fee
• Tokyo Tower Ticket
• Local English speaking guide 

Excluded

• Trains and transport before and after the tour
• Food and drink

OTHER INFORMATION

• This tour involves several hours of walking in the outdoors. We recommend that you wear shoes and clothes which are easy to walk in. Please check the weather forecast before you head to the meetup point and prepare an umbrella or rain coat if necessary.

• There will be free time throughout the tour at Tsukiji outer market, the gardens, the temple, and the lunch break/free time for guests to enjoy the locations at their own pace. However, please make sure that you are at the respective meetup points at the time stated by your guide on the day of the tour. If you get lost or need assistance, feel free to call the number which is listed on your tour pass, and our staff will assist you immediately.

• The Sumo Beya schedule is subject to change, so if you would like to check before booking your tour then please contact us and we will let you know when the sumo will be training. Training is also closed during certain weeks throughout the year when the Sumo Tournaments are being held during the months of January, May and September.

• Due to this being a walking tour, it is advised that you do not bring any luggage or large bags with you on the tour. It is advised that you check if your hotel can store your luggage for you until after the tour, or you store your luggage at lockers at a suitable location such as selected train stations with appropriate storage. For example, many stations in Tokyo will have lockers, especially the larger train stations such as Ueno, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Tokyo.