{"id":23168,"date":"2019-03-12T12:12:06","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T12:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/?p=23168"},"modified":"2019-03-11T11:46:13","modified_gmt":"2019-03-11T11:46:13","slug":"alternative-tokyo-mixing-in-the-right-circles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2019\/03\/12\/alternative-tokyo-mixing-in-the-right-circles\/","title":{"rendered":"Alternative Tokyo: Mixing in the right circles"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F23168&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F23168\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F23168&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F23168&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F23168%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F23168\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F23168\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Our Insiders are a great bunch, full of interesting stories and local knowledge. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/about-us\/staff-profiles\/management\/2\/james-mundy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">James Mundy<\/a> joins the team to discover Tokyo off the beaten track on one of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/experience-japan\/i-ins02-26\/inside-circle-tokyo-backstreet-walking-tour\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Inside Circle<\/a> tours.<\/strong><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/japanese-destinations\/tokyo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tokyo<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>There is no doubt about it, as Japan\u2019s popularity grows, more and more people are heading to Tokyo. There was a time when English was spoken by the minority, and you could walk through the capital without seeing any other Western faces or recognisable signs. Districts such as Shinjuku, Shibuya and Asakusa are a lot more \u2018foreigner-friendly\u2019 these days, which has its benefits, but for me it takes away an element of adventure.<\/p>\n<p>Like all travellers, you\u2019ll want to see the highlights, but for a sense of intrepid adventure \u2013 visiting places most people will never find \u2013 you need to step back from the guidebooks and enlist the help of some locals. Fortunately, Tokyo is quite a sizeable city (35m+ people, 880+ train stations, biggest metropolis in the world etc.) so there are plenty of places to explore beyond the well-trodden districts, each with something interesting to offer. Where to start? I join the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/experience-japan\/i-ins02-26\/inside-circle-tokyo-backstreet-walking-tour\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Inside Circle Tokyo backstreet walking tour<\/a> for some top tips from the Insiders.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Yanesen to Yanaka Ginza<\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-half-width wp-image-23193\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Senbei-720x540.jpg\" alt=\"Senbei rice cracker store, Tokyo, Japan\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Senbei-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Senbei-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Senbei-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Senbei-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Senbei-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Senbei-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Senbei-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Senbei-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Senbei-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Senbei-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Senbei-510x383.jpg 510w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Senbei.jpg 1632w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/h2>\n<p>Where do you meet for a Tokyo Inside Circle tour? Nippori Station and the Yanesen area of the city of course! The area is completely new to me, but Insider <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/about-us\/staff-profiles\/tour-leaders\/86\/mark-fujishige\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mark Fujishige<\/a> enthuses about the neighbourhood.<\/p>\n<p>We stop off at a 150-year-old local <em>senbei<\/em> rice cracker store &#8211; a place that has probably never seen so many foreigners in one go &#8211; where Mark buys a selection of crackers and talks about the importance of supporting local business. Next, we continue past an old temple where the old 17th-century gate has bullet holes from the Battle of Ueno. This is not from some recent gang war (this is Tokyo after all), but bullet holes that are hundreds of years old. It\u2019s mind blowing! From here, we head to the Yanaka Ginza area, home to small galleries, funky shops and traditional little stores.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Nezu Shrine<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-half-width wp-image-23183\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Nezu-gate-720x540.jpg\" alt=\"Nezu shrine, Tokyo, Japan\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Nezu-gate-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Nezu-gate-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Nezu-gate-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Nezu-gate-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Nezu-gate-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Nezu-gate-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Nezu-gate-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Nezu-gate-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Nezu-gate-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Nezu-gate-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Nezu-gate-510x383.jpg 510w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Nezu-gate.jpg 1632w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-half-width wp-image-23181\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Mezu-720x540.jpg\" alt=\"Nezu shrine, Tokyo, Japan\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Mezu-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Mezu-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Mezu-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Mezu-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Mezu-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Mezu-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Mezu-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Mezu-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Mezu-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Mezu-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Mezu-510x383.jpg 510w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Mezu.jpg 1632w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Sensoji Temple, in the old district of Asakusa, is arguably one of Tokyo\u2019s most popular sights, but usually packed full of tourists (unless you go there in the evening when it is lit up and quite atmospheric). So, rather than heading there, we take in the impressive Nezu Shrine instead. Despite having very nice grounds and unique elements, such as an impressive gate, I had never heard of it before. But the most striking thing? There is hardly anyone there.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Rikugi-en Garden<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-half-width wp-image-23177\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/garden-720x540.jpg\" alt=\"Rikugi-en Gardens, Tokyo\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/garden-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/garden-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/garden-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/garden-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/garden-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/garden-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/garden-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/garden-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/garden-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/garden-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/garden-510x383.jpg 510w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/garden.jpg 1632w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-half-width wp-image-23175\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_050923000_iOS-720x405.jpg\" alt=\"Rikugi-en Gardens, Tokyo\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_050923000_iOS-720x405.jpg 720w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_050923000_iOS-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_050923000_iOS-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_050923000_iOS-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_050923000_iOS-564x317.jpg 564w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_050923000_iOS-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_050923000_iOS-900x506.jpg 900w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_050923000_iOS-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_050923000_iOS-390x219.jpg 390w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_050923000_iOS-780x439.jpg 780w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_050923000_iOS-510x287.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Japan is renowned for its gardens. One of Tokyo\u2019s most famous is Hamarikyu \u2013 a lovely little place it is too. However, this haven of tranquillity, surrounded by modern high-rise architecture, tends to get a lot of visitors these days. With my Insider friends, we wander to Rikugi-en garden instead; while this beautiful 18th-century garden is adorned with the colours of autumn, there are few people about.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Shibuya<\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium-plus-size wp-image-23196\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/shibuya-2-e1552302706666-510x680.jpg\" alt=\"Shibuya Inside Circle Tour, Tokyo, Japan\" width=\"510\" height=\"680\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/shibuya-2-e1552302706666-510x680.jpg 510w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/shibuya-2-e1552302706666-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/shibuya-2-e1552302706666-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/shibuya-2-e1552302706666-423x564.jpg 423w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/shibuya-2-e1552302706666-1200x1600.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/shibuya-2-e1552302706666-900x1200.jpg 900w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/shibuya-2-e1552302706666-720x960.jpg 720w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/shibuya-2-e1552302706666-390x520.jpg 390w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/shibuya-2-e1552302706666-780x1040.jpg 780w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/shibuya-2-e1552302706666.jpg 1224w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 510px) 100vw, 510px\" \/><\/h2>\n<p>As we hop around the subway and explore the districts, we gradually make our way back into Shibuya. After having coffee made by a robot, we go up to the roof garden of one of the buildings overlooking the famous Shibuya crossing. While I\u2019m back in a part of Tokyo I know well, this is the first time I\u2019ve seen a view like this.<\/p>\n<p>Although I have lived in Tokyo and led tours myself for many years, many of these places are new to me and each Insider adds their own little gems, making it very special. My feet ache a little, but the day has been more than worth it &#8211; our Insiders do really know their stuff.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-half-width wp-image-23172\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_031144000_iOS-720x421.jpg\" alt=\"Tour leader team - Inside Circle, Tokyo\" width=\"720\" height=\"421\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_031144000_iOS-720x421.jpg 720w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_031144000_iOS-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_031144000_iOS-768x449.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_031144000_iOS-1024x599.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_031144000_iOS-564x330.jpg 564w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_031144000_iOS-1200x701.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_031144000_iOS-900x526.jpg 900w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_031144000_iOS-1440x842.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_031144000_iOS-390x228.jpg 390w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_031144000_iOS-780x456.jpg 780w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20181210_031144000_iOS-510x298.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>If you are travelling self-guided and want to discover a different side of Tokyo join our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/experience-japan\/i-ins02-26\/inside-circle-tokyo-backstreet-walking-tour\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Inside Circle<\/a>. Each group size has a maximum 10 people and is guaranteed to take you far away from the guidebook. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/about-us\/contact-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get in touch with one of our Japan experts<\/a> for more information.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? 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Help us by sharing it! Our Insiders are a great bunch, full of interesting stories and local knowledge. James Mundy joins the team to discover Tokyo off the beaten track on one of our Inside Circle tours. Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2360,2355],"tags":[1291,4158,4161],"class_list":["post-23168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-travellers-tales-from-japan","category-first-trip-to-japan","tag-alternative-tokyo","tag-tokyo-off-the-beaten-track","tag-japan-tour-guides"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23168"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23202,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23168\/revisions\/23202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}