(Counter) culture shock: Exploring Koenji

My guide Seiichi was excellent. After completing a questionnaire of what I was interested in, he tailored the experience to exactly that. However he’s also able to quickly pivot after midway through I wanted to change the experience a bit (less eating and drinking to just walking and exploring). Overall this is such a fun way to learn more about this neighborhood and helps prepare me for future visits.

We read about this tour in the National Geographic so we thought we'd give it a go. It didn't disappoint and Daniela, who also featured in the article, also didn't disappoint. She is super knowledgeable and fun and we could tell she is so passionate about this place. We loved that we were the only tourists around and that we experienced a part of Tokyo that we would have missed on our own.

Really just awesome! Dania is the best and this tour has been the highlight of our trip so far. We are in a bit of a rush but I didn't want to forget to at least recommend this tour. Arigato-gozaimas

We were shown around Koenji by Dania and she is awesome and so much fun! Koenji was nothing like we expected it to be but it was just such an amazing place and Dania gaves us a glimpse of how trendy Japanese young people hang out and to see how creative they are. We loved Koenji and Dania! Arigato!

Wow, wow, wow! My Japanese friend back in Canada recommended that I visit Koenji, as it is his favorite neighborhood but I knew I was going to need some help to navigate around it. I was taken around by Daniela who actually lives there. It was awesome! This part of Tokyo was my favorite, just so much character. And Daniela really unlocked the place for me. I would have felt so out of my comfort zone if I had tried to eat by myself at the izakaya where we ate. I actually think they might have told me to go away! Lol! I am not a big tours person but this type of tours I think are essential to be able to discover parts of a city that are not accessible by non-locals. Totally recommended!

Traveling as “”Urban Hikers” we enjoyed Tokyo’s Central Park/Giant Japanese Garden after the Cherry Blossoms and found a peaceful playground for the local residents. Then traveling quickly by train to a neighborhood with funky secondhand clothing and coffee shops was a treat. Jordyn was a pleasure to be with and provides a wonderful context for where we were and what we experienced during our time together. Her personal journey added to the richness of our visit to Tokyo.