Ultimate Tokyo Tour : Imperial Palace, Sake, Robots, Japanese Gardens and Edo Museum

Want to experience quintessential Tokyo where old meets new? This tour will enable you to do just that as you visit many famous and historic locations in the heart of Tokyo. The tour will also provide you with engaging experiences to get closer to Japanese culture!

You will get to visit the iconic Tokyo Station, see Tokyo Imperial Palace outer gate and grounds, and walk through neighbouring Hibiya Park. You will also get to try sake tasting ( or you can try Shochu or the non – alcoholic option of Amazake). You will have a refreshment break like no other at a cafe where Robots serve customers, before heading to a traditional Japanese garden and an Edo period museum to explore their life sized Edo townscape.

HIGHLIGHTS

• See the famous Tokyo landmarks of Tokyo Station, the Imperial Palace Outer gate and grounds, and Nihombashi bridge!

• Sample the traditional Japanese drinks of Sake, Sochu or Amazake!

• Visit a cafe with Robots as staff!

• Visit one of Tokyo’s most popular and traditional gardens!

• Experience a life-size replica of an Edo period townscape!
  

DESCRIPTION

The tour will begin at 09:30am inside of Tokyo station where you will meet your tour guide. You will meet inside Tokyo Station’s Domed Lobby Entrance by the green and white information board. 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 combined walking tour of the area of Tokyo station, the outer walls and gate of the Imperial Palace, and the Westernised park of Hibiya. Your guide will also take you to a hidden rooftop terrace where you can see amazing views of Tokyo Station, the Tokyo Skyline and passing trains from above!

We will then walk to our second destination, a modern and stylish Sake and Shochu centre where you can sample many types of Sake, Shochu and Amazake (a non-alcoholic rice drink). Your guide will provide you with some facts about Japan’s national drinks, and we will enjoy a relaxing time sitting and tasting. The centre plays bi-lingual documentaries on the brewing process which you can also enjoy! If you have children on the tour, our tour guide will provide some soft drinks/juice options for them to drink.

We will then take a train to Nihombashi! Here your guide will show you the famous ’Nihombashi’ bridge where the start of the old Tokaido road began during the Edo period! This road ran all the way from Tokyo to Kyoto, and was the main road for travellers, merchants and Samurai! We will then take a lunch break before heading to our next destination!

Now that you’ve had your lunch break, we will now take a refreshment break like no other at a Robot Cafe! Here you can order a drink of your choice and enjoy being served by robots! They have hot and cold drinks to suit everybody. As you enjoy your drink in the Cafe seating area (not the diner area), you can watch as the robots around the cafe serve customers! This cafe is unique in that all the robots are controlled remotely by employees who are living with disabilities and therefore can only work from home. The remote staff speak to you through the robots. The cafe gives employment opportunities to those unable to work in physically demanding jobs and helps tackle social isolation, so you can be happy knowing you are helping to support a great cause! You can even have a try at controlling one of the small robots to see what it’s like for the staff who control them remotely!

We will now catch the train to the area of Kuramae and Kiyosumi, a trendy area and hidden gem off the beaten path from many tourists! Our first stop here will be a traditional and beautiful Japanese Edo period garden where you can walk around and enjoy the nature that surrounds you. The garden has many features of a traditional Japanese garden including rocks, bridges, rest house and Bonsai. You can also see Turtles, Suppon and Heron here! Let’s enjoy the serenity, nature and wildlife here! You can also get a commemorative stamp here as a souvenir of your day!

Our final destination will be a nearby museum! However, this isn’t like a regular museum. It is a to scale and life sized replica of a traditional Edo period townscape! You will be transported back in time as we walk through the townscape, where you can enter all the houses and buildings, as well as interact with the objects and artefacts on display. It is a great way to learn about how Japanese people lived during the Edo period and how Tokyo used to look. The sounds and lights will change depending on the time of day to make it feel more authentic. You can even sometimes try Kimono on here, so if we’re lucky we can dress up in traditional clothing.

Once we have finished at the museum, we will head back to Kiyosumi Shirakawa station where the tour will conclude. Your guide will happily assist you for your return journey. To return back to Tokyo station it takes 15 minutes. To return to Shinjuku it takes 31 minutes.

MEETUP POINT

Inside Tokyo Station’s Domed Lobby Area by the green information pillar and white information board @ 09:30am

The tour will begin at 09:30am inside of Tokyo Station’s Domed Lobby area. Follow the signs for the Marunouchi South exit and come out of the ticket gates. Directly in front of you will be the domed lobby area. You will meet your tour guide in front of the green information pillar and white information board pictured below.

NOTES

Included 

• Sake/Shochu or Amazake Tasting Experience

• Admission fee including drink for Robot Cafe

• Train fee from Uchisaiwaicho station to Nihombashi Station

• Train fee from Mitsukoshi-mae station to Kiyosumi Shirakawa station

• Admission fees for the Japanese Garden and Edo Museum

• 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.

• Please note, this tour involves walking around the Imperial Palace’s outer gate, walls and grounds. It is NOT a tour of the inner gate as to gain access to the inner gate you must join a different tour led by the Imperial Palace and Palace guides.

• The Robot Cafe is non-reservation only, so depending on how busy it is on the tour day we may need to wait for seating.

• There will be free time during the lunch break/free time for guests to enjoy 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.

• 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. Tokyo station has storage lockers available. Many other stations in Tokyo will also have lockers, especially the larger train stations such as Ueno, Shinjuku and Shibuya.