Traveling as a family is expensive, so I highly recommend taking advantage of some of the Tokyo Free Walking Tours listed below. If you are a family of seven like ours, it would cost us 5,000 – 8,000 per person or $350 – 500 USD for a tour. Even though you may not get as personalized a tour as a private one, but the value is tremendous, and you can still learn a lot. If you are looking for a free guide in Kyoto and other locations, check here. My recommendation is to read up in the tour area before you join and ask more detailed questions along the way. Remember to wear comfortable shoes, a hat, wear sunscreen and layers of clothing. Tokyo Free Walking Tours guides are all volunteers, so please tip – 500-1,000 yen per person, plus treat them to lunch. Tipping is not common in Japan, but I have found the free tour guides do accept tips. I recommend placing the tip in a small envelope and just handing them the envelope, not naked cash. If you are looking for other Free Tokyo activities for kids, check here.
Bunkyo-ku also offers a free walking tours each season which are quite good.
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Tokyo Free Walking Tours -10+ Family Friendly Tours Asakusa, Harajuku, Shinjuku & More
Tokyo Free Walking Tours
SGG Tours – Free sightseeing information and a choice of a free guided walking tour of Asakusa, Yanaka, the Ueno Park area and the Imperial Palace East Gardens area. The number of participants are limited on a first-come-first-served basis.
- The Asakusa Area Tour – An approx. 90-minute guided walking tour of Asakusa Kannon Temple and its neighborhood on every Monday, Saturday and Sunday. The tour departs twice a day at 10:30 am and 13:15 pm. To participate, please come to Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center 10 minutes before each scheduled starting time. More Details
- The Ueno Park Area Tour – An approx. 90-minute guided walking tour of the Ueno Park area on every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. The tour departs twice a day at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. To participate, please come to the place indicated on the map 10 minutes before each scheduled starting time. More Details
- The Imperial Palace East Gardens Area Tour – An approx. two-hour guided walking tour of the Imperial Palace East Gardens area on every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The tour departs once a day at 1:00 p.m.To participate, please come to JNTO TIC 10 minutes before scheduled starting time. More Details
- The Yanaka Area Tour – An approx. 90-minute guided walking tour of Yanaka area on every Sunday. The tour departs at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. To participate, please come to the arbor in the front yard of ASAKURA Museum of Sculpture 10 minutes before scheduled starting time. More Details
Tokyo Localized – Offers 
three tours almost everyday of the week for free. Reservations are necessary. The three tours are 1. Tokyo Tour which covers the old
and new of the Akihabara area (Every Day: 09:30 – 13:30 and 13:30 – 16:30), 2. Shinjuku at Night (Every Night: 19:00 – 21:00) and 3. Harajuku & Meiji Jingu (Mon, Thurs + Friday: 10:00 – 12:30, Weekends: 09:30 – 12:00 and 13:30 – 16:00),
Tokyo Free Walking Tours – Free walking tours of East Garden of the Imperial Palace (2.5 hours on Saturdays) and tours of 
Asakusa, Harajuku and Meiji Jingu Shrine (1.5 – 2.0 hours on Sundays). Reservations are necessary. Calendar here.
about – Tokyo Free Walking Tour (TFWT) is a group of volunteers who conduct free guided tours in English. Currently there are tours for the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, Asakusa, and Meiji Shrine and Harajuku. TFWT is registered under the Japanese government organization Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) since 2008. TFWT is a group run by volunteers, although members include licensed tour guides, professional interpreters and translators.
Tokyo Free Guides – Offers full and half-day tours that you can request a guide to meet you and visit locations you are 
interested. Usually the TFG guide begins at your hotel or accommodations. There is no guide fee, however, the costs of the guide during the tour such as transportation fares, entrance fees and meals are payed by the guests. TFG tour guides speak English and some speak other languages. Groups of up to six people can be accommodated. You must request a quite in advance – not due to seasonal demand only 40-60% of requests were accepted in 2017.
To register, please fill out the form. You will receive an email from a guide when one comes available.
Click here to request a guide.
Tokyo Greeters(TG)
TG provides 2-3 hour walking tours for free by volunteers. You submit your application and if a Tokyo Greeter is available on your requested date you will be assigned a greeter. You will meet at a convient station – Tokyo, Ueno, Shinjuku which you decide with the greeter. ** Note in 2017 TG could only accommodate 70% of requests due to high demand.
All local transportation, entrance fees and food is paid for by the visitor (not the greeter). The greeter will provide information on notable landmarks and history in the designated location. One greeter can work with groups up to six people.
Visitors can request a greeter for a tour on two(2) different days up to two(2) months in advance of the requested dates. However, TG can only provide a greeter on one of the requested days.
Tokyo Free Walking Tours -10+ Family Friendly Tours Asakusa, Harajuku, Shinjuku & More
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I love this publication! I find it very helpful and can’t wait until my trip to Tokyo in December to use the great tips! Thank you.
Thank you, Thomas. We love hearing positive reviews from our readers. ~Sandra