Tokyo: Senso-ji, Meiji Shrine & Shibuya Crossing Private Tour

5.00

(36 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“If you get lost in Shibuya, just follow the smell of yakitori,” our guide Kenji grinned as we squeezed into the morning rush at Ueno Station. I’d barely figured out which ticket to buy before he’d already pointed out three shortcuts and a bakery that apparently sells the “softest melonpan in Tokyo.” The city was waking up — salarymen in crisp shirts, schoolkids with matching backpacks, and somewhere behind us, someone humming a J-pop song I didn’t recognize. We started at Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa. The incense smoke curled around us as Kenji explained how people wave it over themselves for luck. I tried it too — not sure if it worked but I did feel lighter (or maybe just hungry from the smell of sweet red bean buns).

We wandered through Nakamise Street where Kenji chatted with a woman selling ningyo-yaki cakes. He introduced me as “his friend from overseas” and she handed me one fresh off the griddle — still warm, soft inside. I probably had flour on my face for half an hour after that. Then we took the subway again (I never realized how quiet Japanese trains are until you’re on one at noon) and ended up at Meiji Shrine. It felt like stepping into another world — suddenly all you hear is wind in the trees and your own footsteps crunching gravel. Kenji showed me how to bow before entering; he even joked that my bow was “almost perfect…for a first-timer.”

Harajuku was next — total sensory switch-up. Neon signs everywhere, teenagers in wild outfits laughing over rainbow-colored crepes. I tried saying “kawaii” but Li (another guide who joined us for this part) burst out laughing at my accent. She taught me to say it properly while we watched a group of girls pose for selfies under pink banners. Last stop: Shibuya Crossing. Honestly? It’s chaos but somehow organized — hundreds of people moving together like they’ve rehearsed it all their lives. We stood there for a minute just watching before diving in ourselves.

I keep thinking about that moment at Meiji Shrine when everything went quiet except for the crows overhead and Kenji’s voice explaining why people tie wishes to the trees. It’s funny what sticks with you after a day like that.