Tokyo Architecture and Contemporary Art Walking Tour with a local guide
Description
Tokyo has many buildings designed by the world’s leading architects who won The Pritzker Architecture Prize. We will show you various beautiful buildings in Tokyo. Tokyo is also known as the home of cutting edge design. Architecture and art are things that cannot be overlooked in understanding the charms of Tokyo. You will definitely find buildings and arts designed by your favorite architects and artists. Our guides are also knowledgeable about history, geography and culture throughout Japan and they are friendly, professional, and qualified with extensive years of experience. (Some art galleries are included in the tour) *This tour does not have a private vehicle. The public transportation such as taxis, trains, subways will used and the tour fee does not include these costs.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Ginza known as the most renowned area of Tokyo, has many boutiques, intimate galleries, stylish Japanese stores, and cutting edge architecture. Many buildings designed by the world’s leading architects who won The Pritzker Architecture Prize such as Kenzo Tange, Toyo Ito, Shigeru Ban, and Renzo Piano.
This postmodern masterpiece, the work of Uruguay-born American architect Rafael Viñoly, is the first major convention and art center of its kind in Tokyo. It is considered as one of Japan’s most important modern cultural buildings.
There are some art galleries and the three points of what’s known as Art Triangle Roppongi―the National Art Center, Mori Art Museum, and Suntory Museum of Art. The neighborhood is also home to the Fujifilm Square photo gallery, 21_21 Design Sight, and many other art and cultural events. The stuning Tokyo National Art Center is close to here. It is designed by famous architect named Kisho Kurokawa.
With Tokyo's impressive array of high-end fashion and jewelry stores has come an equally astonishing collection of beautiful buildings. Start at the Prada flagship store created by The Swiss-based Herzog & de Meuron team is a beautiful glass building. Across the street they reprised their hit with the new Miu Miu flagship in 2015, made of aluminum and brass. Next door are glittery buildings for Chloé and Cartier. Part of Chloé's facade is hidden behind wooden bamboolike slits that tilt and jut high into the air at random. Famous Pineapple cake shop Sunny Hills is spiky wooden building designed by the Japan’s leading architect Kengo Kuma. Dior Omotesando is designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize recipients Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA. Moving projections play on the building during most of the year.
Harajuku will give you some insight into the youth culture of Japan. You will see unique fashion trends and outrageous design in fashion and buildings.
Shibuya crossing is the busiest intersection in the world. It makes Times Square seem like a sleepy village.
Daikanyama and Nakameguro are filled with numerous boutiques and cafes. They have a different atmosphere and less hectic pace than more famous places in the city. Tsutaya book store located in this area is designed by Klein and Dytham who worked at Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We will pick you up anywhere in Tokyo, such as a hotel, station, shop, or home. Our guide will be waiting you at the pickup point with your name board sign.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(18)
Great We had a great tour on modern architecture in Japan with Richie on May 21st. Richie had proposed some areas to visit, and he fulfilled all of the spots on my wish list. We saw great buildings by the architects Tadao Ando, Kengo Kuma, and Kanzo Tange. Our tour ended in Ginza, where we could see the great design for almost all the famous fashion houses. On the way, we had a nice lunch together. Richie took us to one of his favorite ramen restaurants. Through the tour, we had an interesting discussion on Japanese and Norwegian culture as well as architecture. Richie is a really knowledgeable guide, making the tour a great experience. We will give Richie our best recommendations.
Hello! Thank you for the nice review! It was a pleasure meeting you in Tokyo. I’m glad you liked the ramen restaurant. It’s one of my favorites. I’d like to introduce architecture by Kengo Kuma more next time since you like it. I’m looking forward to seeing you again! Richie
We thoroughly enjoyed our guide, Babu. We had requested this to a couple of museums and he was very flexible about this and very accommodating. He took us to see some fascinating architectural sites in Tokyo that we had would not have known to visit without his expertise. He is extremely good natured with a wonderful smile on his face, and his English was easily understandable. We would highly recommend this art and architectural tour of Tokyo. We did use taxis to get around to some degree but we’re able to see many aspects of the city.
Dear Terry_G Thank you very much for using our service, and I’m happy that you enjoyed spending all day roaming around museum of Tokyo. I also had the opportunity to explore the contemporary museum. Once again, thank you very much. I hope we will meet again. OUTECH Babu
...not suitable for people interested in art and architecture or architects. Tour should also be offered in the evening.
Liebe Andrea_G, Hallo. Vielen Dank für Ihr Feedback. Es tut uns leid, dass unsere Tour Ihre Erwartungen nicht erfüllt hat. Ihr Feedback ist uns wichtig, und wir nehmen es ernst, um unsere Leistungen zu verbessern. Wir hoffen, Ihnen bei einer weiteren Gelegenheit ein besseres Erlebnis bieten zu können. Mit freundlichen Grüßen, Outech
We saw some interesting buildings in interesting areas. Lots of cool architecture in Tokyo. A lot of time spent underground though, travelling from one site to the next.
Hello ! Thank you for your review. I am very glad you liked it. Yes, we used the subway a lot. In addition to that, using a bus and taxi might be more fun. Thank you! I’ll think about it next time. I hope to see you again someday! Best regards, Outech Tomoya
We had an Amazing time with Fontes. We enjoyed every minute. He went out of his way to make sure we learnt something and that we could navigate around the city as well.
Thank you! It was a fun time for me too. I was happy to learn a bit about New Zealand art and architecture as well, and it’s definitely at the top of my list of places to visit in the coming years. Warm regards, Fontes
Fontes was an amazing guide. Very knowledgeable and went the extra mile shepherding us around Tokyo to see incredible architecture. A different way to look at the city. He helped us so much with learning how to get around more efficiently as well as the tour itself. Would highly recommend him
Thank you so much for your kind review! I’m happy to know you enjoyed the tour. Tokyo has many traditional and contemporary examples of art and architecture hidden throughout the city, and there are always new buildings under construction. So, there are always new places to discover. Please keep exploring and enjoying Tokyo! Fontes
I had a great experience with Tomoya-san! It was the perfect day to see buildings. The crowd wasn't too much, and the length of the tour was just great. Tomoya-san was able to share the important things about the buildings, as well as share his own personal insights. The tour might be best for small groups if you're planning to visit many buildings. You can ask Tomoya-san to customize the tour to your needs.
Narciso Ⅲ Kit A Thank you very much for your kind review. I'm really happy that you liked the tour. I'm honored to be able to show you many building as your guide. I like the pictures you took! That are very nice! Thank you very much for sharing! Best regards, Outech Tomoya
We really logged the miles on this tour about 13 or 20,000 steps. We also used the local train with IC cards to move about town. We saw so many buildings and even had a chance to buy some chopsticks and eat Ramen for lunch. We were exhausted but the experience was great and Richie our guide was very knowledgable.
Hello! Thank you for the nice review! I was very pleased to have walked around checking out part of the great architecture in Tokyo with you all. It was a hot day, but you could walk a lot, which was great! Those stores are one of my favorites, and I am happy to hear that you liked them! I look forward to seeing you again someday! Best regards, Outech Richie
one of the best experiences we've ever had traveling. Tom gave us a great walk throughout the city, we met more than 30 works, in fact, we walked more than 15,000 steps, we walked everywhere and we learned and enjoyed Tokyo on foot, he recommended absolutely everything we knew about culture, about architecture, it was a great walk, totally necessary for architecture lovers, and especially those who are willing to have a great experience
Dear Oscar, Gracias por usar nuestro servicio. Fue un honor ser su guía. Me alegra haberle brindado la oportunidad de conocer la ciudad y su arquitectura. Outech Tomoya
This was just the right tour for my short stay in Tokyo: I explored major contemporary architectural gems of the Tokyo cityscape - you might also end up walking more than 20K steps. My tour guide, Tomoya, was very knowledgeable, polite and organized. He contacted me ahead of time and asked me what I would like to see and created an itinerary for me. We ended up exploring many sites ( e.g. Tokyo Olympic Stadium, Roppongi area, the convention center, the Tokyo Modern Art Museum, many interesting buildings in Ginza) . We used mostly public transportation but also a taxi twice. To fuel up for all that walking we stopped for lunch and had coffee breaks. Since I'm always a bit anxious navigating the Tokyo Metro System, Tomoya was so kind enough to bring me all the way to the right platform, making sure that I entered the correct metro line to go back to my hotel. Bottom line: If you are interested in another aspect of Tokyo than shrines in temples, this will be a great tour for you.
Sk8ter, Thank you very much for using our service today. I'm so honored to get such a nice comment from you. I really enjoyed the time with you and am happy you also enjoyed exploring the city from the perspective of architecture. I'm looking forward to being your guide again and showing you different aspects of the city someday. Outech Tomoya