Tokyo
Explore Tokyo's coolest retro neighborhood: Shimokitazawa
Neighborhood Discoveries • 3 hours
5.0
(10)
Explore Tokyo's coolest retro neighborhood: Shimokitazawa
Voted one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world, you'll explore a maze of quirky stores, boho coffee shops, live houses, and artist studios
What makes this experience special
Key highlights
- Explore one of Tokyo’s trendiest neighborhoods with a helpful host along for the ride.
- See a very different side of Tokyo, where art and music are all important aspects of life.
- Navigate the area’s maze of streets, lined with quirky galleries and tasteful vintage stores.
- Catch a break - or a wakeup - at one of Shimokita’s many popular coffee shops.
- Immerse yourself in the vibrant live music scene, and jam to some good tunes.
What to know before you go
Here’s everything you need to know before your day unfolds.
3 hours
Fully tailored to your preferences
English Other languages may be requested
What’s included
Private & personalized experience
3 hours with a Host
A coffee or non-alcoholic drink at one of the neighborhood’s quirky bars or coffee shops
Walking experience
What’s not included
Additional food and drinks
Tickets to any attractions
Transportation costs
Gratuities (optional)
Meeting point
Starbucks Coffee - Shimokita Ekiue - The host will be waiting in front of the cafeCancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experienceWhat to bring
- We recommend wearing comfortable shoes and carrying a light bag for your essentials.
- Public transport may be used during the experience - please bring a travel card or small amount of cash for fares.
How your day could unfold
A flexible, unscripted experience designed entirely around your interests. Your host will adapt the day based on what excites you mostWhat you’ll do
Head for the hipster heart of alternative Tokyo, where tiny streets burst with trendy vendors all manner of retro finds. You could shop till you drop at vintage shops like Garage Department Store, which stocks all kinds of funk, or you could sift through mountains of old CDs at Flash Disk, where the only school is old-school.
If you’re hungry, you could choose from jazzy joints like City Country City, where good music meets even better coffee, or swap out for a cocktail at Shimokitazawa Mother, where Gaudi-esque decoration compliments fine Okinawan cuisine.
1. Select a date
2. Select start time
3. Tailor your experience
Answer a few quick questions to help your host craft the perfect day tailored to you.
1. What’s your preferred hosting style?
2. How would you like the pace of your day?
3. What’s your walking comfort level?
4. Are you celebrating something special?
Real Stories, Real Connections
See our hosts and guests creating memories
Kanpai from the coziest izakaya
A peaceful moment at Kanda Shrine
Flying high for Children's Day!
New friendships over late-night ramen
Shared plates, shared smiles
Takeshita Street, where quirky fashion, sweet treats, and pop culture collide
History meets gold at Ueno Toshogu Shrine
From navigating to sharing hidden stops
Press start on an Akihabara adventure!
Night out, Tokyo-style
Neon Nights, New Friends
Layover Magic at Tokyo Station
Quirky Café Moments
17,500+ 5-Star Reviews and Counting
Trusted and recommended by travelers worldwide, including 99% on Google and TripAdvisor.
recommended by 99% of travelers on google
recommended by 99% of travelers on tripadvisor
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What travelers think of this experience
Dalal
Apr 2025
Amir was a fantastic guide! He is very multicultural and multilingual which makes his perspective very interesting and relatable. His knowledge of the area was exactly what we needed. It was away from anything touristy and that made the experience even more special! Thank you Amir! My kids really loved it too! They also found so many unusual and unique pieces to buy. Definitely happy about choosing to do this activity!
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Michelle
Jan 2025
Kieran as a guide was absolutely fantastic and prior to our experience contacted me to tailor the tour exactly to my needs. He was very knowledgeable and made many suggestions for visits along the way. Great sense of humour - great tour! Highly recommend- 5 stars from me!
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Melanie
Nov 2024
Chisato is a wonderful generous, guide who tailored a wonderful tour around Shimokitazawa. We had a lot of fun going to places we would never have found without someone with local. We had a lot of laughs and learned so much along the way. We highly recommend Chisato if you’re heading to Tokyo and need a guide to show you a local perspective
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Melanie
Nov 2024
We had a wonderful day with Chisato. Not only was she a great tour guide, she is a wonderful person too. She tailored the tour to suit what we like and wanted to do. She was also generous in sharing her local knowledge so we learned lots along the way. She even made sure we got on the right train on the way home. We highly recommend a tour with Chisato for an engaging, fun, and insightful Tokyo experience. Thank you again Chisato, it was an experience we will never forget. We feel very luck to have met you ♥️
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Gwen
Sep 2024
The Shimokitazawa neighborhood is awesome! Our guide Nobu was so friendly and answered all of our many questions about Japan not just Shimokitazawa. He also gave us some ideas to do for the next part of our trip. We really enjoyed this activity and our guide, Nobu.
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Anthony
Oct 2023
We had a first class introduction to Tokyo as first time visitors. Hiro was knowledgeable, informative and attentive to our needs particularly regarding my mobility issues and our ages. He is very personable and has a very good understanding and command of English. He explained and interpreted all our requests with clarity and a smile. Very respectful of different cultures and traditions. We recommend him highly and would give him 6 stars if available!
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