Taito City Trip Overview
Immerse yourself in Japanese culture on a private, 4-day tour of Tokyo and Kyoto. Visit both modern and ancient attractions with a guide, exploring each city by bike and on foot. In Tokyo, feast Izakaya-style and enjoy drinking sake, try fresh sushi at Tsukiji Market and bicycle around the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Tower.
Then travel one-way by Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto, where you’ll view gorgeous temples and shrines as well as discover the highlights of Gion – Kyoto’s famous geisha district.
Additional Info
Duration: 4 days
Starts: Taito City, Japan
Trip Category: Multi-day & Extended Tours >> Multi-day Tours
Explore Taito City Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Taito City, Tokyo, Japan
Immerse yourself in Japanese culture on a private, 4-day tour of Tokyo and Kyoto. Visit both modern and ancient attractions with a guide, exploring each city by bike and on foot. In Tokyo, feast Izakaya-style and enjoy drinking sake, try fresh sushi at Tsukiji Market and bicycle around the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Tower.
Then travel one-way by Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto, where you’ll view gorgeous temples and shrines as well as discover the highlights of Gion – Kyoto’s famous geisha district.
Itinerary
Day 1: Tokyo- Meeting and Izakaya dinner
Stop At: Asakusa, Taito Tokyo Prefecture
When you arrive in Tokyo, check-in to your hotel any time before your group meeting at 4pm.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Kanto
Your guide will lead your small group on a two-hour night tour of Tokyo on foot.
Walk to the popular Shinjuku or Shibuya neighborhoods to find Tokyo’s young people enjoying the lively atmosphere and local nightlife.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Kanto
Dine at the local restaurant as the Japanese do – seated on tatami mats at low tables – and share a delectable selection of Izakaya-style dishes that you guide will recommend you.
Duration: 2 hours
Pass By: Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Kanto
Next, if you wish, head to a local karaoke bar for a chance to sing your favorite tunes in a private room with your companion(s). (karaoke and drinks at own expense).
Pass By: Asakusa, Taito Tokyo Prefecture
Return to the accommodation
Meals included:
• Dinner: Izakaya (Japanese pub) dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight: Sunroute Asakusa or similar accommodation
Day 2: Tsukiji market and bike tour
Stop At: Tsukiji, Tsukiji, Chuo, Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Kanto
Take a private food tour of the Tsukiji Market – the most famous seafood market in the world – and learn about the variety of the seafood and how they are consumed the in the everyday life.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Tsukiji, Tsukiji, Chuo, Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Kanto
Sushi breakfast. Before your exploration, seat yourself at a counter and observe expert chefs prepare mouthwatering local sushi.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Kanto
Then continue on a tour of Tokyo’s highlights by bike, passing Hamarikyu Gardens, Kabuki Theatre, Ginza, Imperial Palace and Tokyo Tower.
Duration: 5 hours
Stop At: Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Kanto
Stop for lunch at a restaurant recommended by your guide and continue biking through Tokyo
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Asakusa, Taito Tokyo Prefecture
Return to your hotel and have an informal calligraphy class with your guide
Duration: 30 minutes
Pass By: Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032, Japan
Recharge your energy for the next day!
Meals included:
• Breakfast: Sushi breakfast
• Lunch: Your guide will recommend you a meal
Accommodation included: Overnight: Sunroute Asakusa or similar accommodation
Day 3: Transfer to Kyoto and Kyoto sightseeing
Stop At: Tokyo Central Railway Station, 1-9-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda 100-0005 Tokyo Prefecture
Head to Tokyo Station and board the Shinkansen bullet train at 7:30am for a 2.5-hour ride with your guide.
Enjoy a bento box breakfast aboard the train and take in gorgeous views of Mt Fuji en route to Kyoto (weather permitting).
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Kyoto, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Kinki
When you arrive in Kyoto, embark on a unique, 3.5-hour guided walking tour of the city, exploring the temples, shrines and gardens that make Kyoto Japan’s cultural capital.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, 68 Fukakusa Yabunouchicho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto 612-0882 Kyoto Prefecture
Visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine and walk through snaking corridors of red gates, made famous in the film Memoirs of a Geisha, and stop to admire the shrines and many fox statues.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Kyoto, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Kinki
Head to another of Kyoto’s must-see sights, the Tofukuji Temple where is a great place to soak up the relaxed atmosphere of the city. Learn about the origin and inspiration for the garden, and hear about its significance to the Buddhist monks who continue to live and study here.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Kyoto, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Kinki
Afterward, your guide will accompany you to a sake brewery called Fushimi-yumehyakushu for three or four tastings, followed by a picnic lunch (lunch at own expense)
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Gion, Kyoto 605-0074 Kyoto Prefecture
In the early evening, head to Gion, famously known as Kyoto’s geisha district – also a model for Memoirs of a Geisha.
As the area comes alive with people and lights, stroll past the charming restaurants and teahouses, many of which have been exclusive establishments for geisha entertainment since the 17th-century.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Kyoto, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Kinki
Enjoy a Kyoto-style okonomiyaki dinner followed by a night walk with your guide, taking to the backstreets of Gion.
View lovely old houses, geisha homes and cherry tree-lined streams as you stroll, and then go for round two of karaoke at a local bar before retiring at your ryokan.
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast: Bento box that you can eat on the bullet train like local people do
• Dinner: Local Japanese savored pancake
Accommodation included: Overnight: Heianbo ryokan or similar accommodation
Day 4: Kyoto bike tour
Stop At: Kyoto, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Kinki
Hop on a bike in the morning and see the best sites of Kyoto on a four-hour bicycle tour through the city.
Discover the real Kyoto while coasting along the streets and relax over a picnic breakfast at a riverside garden with great views.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Kyoto, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Kinki
Cycle along the Kamo River, taking in the views of the city’s downtown and passing a wealth of traditional riverside restaurants. Stop by the Heian Shrine, built in 1894 to commemorate the 1,100th anniversary of the capital’s founding.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Nanzen-ji Temple, 86 Nanzenji Fukuchicho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8435 Kyoto Prefecture
Weave your way along the quaint canals to reach the impressive Nanzenji Temple, one of Japan’s most important Zen temples.
Admire the temple’s spacious grounds and gardens, with the Higashiyama Mountains as their impressive backdrop.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Kyoto, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Kinki
Delight in the surrounds before jumping back on your bike and heading off down the Path of Philosophy that is shaded by hundreds of cherry trees that bloom each spring. A great place to contemplate the tranquility and beauty of the area.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Kyoto, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Kinki
Follow your guide to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Shimogamo Shrine in a unique forested setting that was preserved during the modernization of Kyoto.
Duration: 1 hour
Pass By: Kyoto Station Building, 901 Higashishiokojicho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8216 Kyoto Prefecture
End your cycling tour of the city back at the Kyoto Station around 4pm.
Meals included:
• Breakfast: picnic breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.
