Where to Go: the 15 Best Temple Walking Tours in Japan

1.Asakusa Walking Tour with Sensoji Temple Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,583 reviews · 2 hours · from $22Our pick

Meet your English-speaking guide at Kaminarimon for a two-hour walk through Asakusa. You’ll see Sensoji Temple, Asakusa Shrine, Nakamise Street, Hoppy Street, and Shin-Nakamise. Guides such as Aya, Keiko, Hiroko, and Loc add history, customs, food tips, and local context. The route finishes by Azuma Bridge.

“Terrific tour. Interesting to hear the history and to see the sights. Guide’s English was very good, and delivered with humor. Highly recommend.”

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2.Asakusa Senso-ji Temple and Old Tokyo Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 560 reviews · from $20Best reviewed

Spend about two hours walking Asakusa with an English-speaking local guide. Learn how to pray at Senso-ji and Asakusa Shrine, explore Nakamise and Shin Nakamise, pass Hoppy Street, and finish by Azuma Bridge. Guides such as Aya, Glenda, Loc, Keiko, and Polina are praised for clear explanations, photo help, and useful food tips.

“Polina was a very knowledgeable guide who told us a lot about the history of Asakusa and Sensoji temple. We highly recommend this tour.”

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3.Meiji Shrine Walking Tour — Shinto & Imperial System

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 266 reviews · 90 - 135 minutes · from $23

Join an English-speaking guide such as Keiko, Yuuka, Yuki, or Ayaka for a 90 to 135 minute walk from Harajuku Station through Meiji Shrine’s forest. You’ll learn Shinto etiquette, see the giant torii and sake barrels, explore the shrine, and finish with tea or snacks at Mori no Terrace.

“The tour was outstanding. Tomo was such an interesting, informed and friendly guide and we loved the whole experience. Highly recommend him and this tour.”

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4.Meiji Jingu Shrine and Shinto Culture Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 245 reviews · 2 hours · from $19

Spend two hours at Meiji Jingu with guides such as Maya, Yota, Ryota, or Andres, learning how to pray at a Shinto shrine, read its symbols, and understand the link between nature and faith. You’ll visit the Imperial Garden, giant torii, sake and wine barrels, and shrine buildings in a small, conversational group.

“Rio was the guide and he was super informative and friendly. Full of energy and a good attitude. Tour was great!”

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5.Meiji Shrine and Shinto Culture Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 225 reviews · from $18

Join a small group of up to 15 people for a two-hour walk through Meiji Jingu with a guide such as Yumi, Sara, Haydn, or Benjamin. You’ll learn how to bow at the torii, cleanse before worship, read shrine symbols, and understand Emperor Meiji’s role in modern Japan. Admission and a mobile ticket are included.

“We had a great walking tour of the Meiji Shrine through the forest with Sara, our guide. She was very friendly and knowledgable and explained the important facets of the Shinto religion and customs. We had been on other tours, but hRead more”

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6.Meiji Shrine Walking Tour — Shintoism & Imperial System

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 209 reviews · from $21

Meet your local guide at Harajuku Station for a 90-minute small-group walk through Meiji Shrine. You’ll pass a huge Taiwan cypress torii, learn Shinto customs, visit the main shrine, explore the imperial garden, and browse charms at the nearby shop. Guides include Yuuki, Nana, Keiko, Nonoka, and Nanami.

“Lovely walk around Meiji jingu learning about the historic significance and traditions of the area. Guide Yuuki was friendly as well as support member Nono”

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7.Kyoto Tea Ceremony & Kiyomizu-dera Temple Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 115 reviews · from $109

Meet your Kyoto local guide at Yasaka Shrine at 9:00 am for a three-hour walk through Kiyomizu-zaka, Sannenzaka, and Ninenzaka. Visit Kiyomizu-dera, drink matcha, sample snacks, and learn tea ceremony customs. Guides such as Hide add history, humor, and helpful photos, with groups limited to six people.

“Great cerimonial and great views and sightseeing experience … history and also scenery all together …”

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8.Asakusa Temple & Shrine Walking Tour with Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 105 reviews · 2 hours · from $30

Walk Asakusa with a guide such as Nicolas, Erik, Nana, or Lino, depending on the day. In two hours, you’ll see Sensoji, Asakusa Shrine, smaller sacred sites, Nakamise Street, and city views from Azuma Bridge and the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center. Expect practical help with Japanese rituals, photos, shopping, and questions.

“We had an amazing experience on our Asakusa walking tour! 🍀 We were lucky to be the only participants, so it felt like a private tour. Our guide, Lino, was absolutely wonderful — friendly, confident, and spoke perfect English. Even though she’s still very young, she did a fantastic job guiding us through the Senso-ji Temple and the surrounding area. Her explanations were clear, interesting, and easy to follow, and she made the whole experience feel personal and relaxed. It honestly felt more like exploring with a local friend than being on a typical guided tour. Thank you so much, Lino, for making this one of our highlights in Tokyo!”

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9.Fushimi Inari Shrine Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 72 reviews · from $39

Meet your English-speaking guide at Daily Yamazaki near Fushimi Inari at 6pm for a two-hour walk through Kyoto’s famous torii gates. Learn about Inari, fox symbolism, shrine rituals, and local customs while climbing forest trails to scenic viewpoints. Groups are capped at 10, and the tour returns to the meeting point.

“What an incredible way to understand shrine culture! Our guide shared stories that made every fox statue meaningful. The forest trails were gorgeous and surprisingly peaceful.”

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10.Food & Cultural Walking Tour around Zenkoji temple in Nagano

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 58 reviews · from $91

Spend about three hours walking from Nagano Station through the old Zenkoji temple town. Guides such as Masa and Kasumi lead you to irori-cooked oyaki, sake with local nibbles, matcha, Japanese sweets, shrines, back streets, and small shops. The tour includes photographs, runs in small groups, and suits visitors who want food and local history together.

“Masa was an amazing guide that shared interesting information throughout the experience. He takes you to really amazing local spots that have not only fantastic snacks but really wonderful people who are excited to chat with you. 10/10, would book again.”

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11.Asakusa & Tokyo’s Oldest Temple Senso-ji Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 21 reviews · 2 hours · from $11Cheapest good one

Meet at Kaminarimon Police Station and follow an English-speaking guide through Nakamise Street, Senso-ji, and Asakusa’s older lanes. You’ll hear temple legends, Edo-era stories, and local culture in a small group of up to 10. Guides include Lax and Shoma. The $11 price makes this a useful, low-cost introduction to eastern Tokyo.

“It was one of the best tour we’ve ever had !! Our guide lax was fantastic and friendly”

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12.Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine Walking Tour with Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 18 reviews · from $34

Meet at Kyoto Station and ride public transport with a Kyoto-certified English guide to Fushimi Inari Taisha. Walk beneath the famous Senbon Torii gates, learn local shrine customs, then visit Sekiho-ji Temple and its quiet Jizo statues and Zen garden. The two-hour tour runs weekdays from October 6 to 31, 2025.

“Our guide was outstanding! She helped explain so much that we would never have known and she was highly responsive to all our questions. A wonderful experience!”

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13.Food & Cultural Walking Tour around Zenkoji temple in Nagano

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · 3 hours · from $88

Meet your English-speaking guide at Nagano Station for a three-hour small-group walk through Zenkoji’s temple town. You’ll taste fire-cooked oyaki, soba tea, sake with small bites, matcha, and sweets while learning about Nagano’s religion, food, and back streets. Guides may include Masa, Takuma, Katsuki, or Soyoka.

“The tour was 100% tailored and adjusted to our needs and preferences. It offered tons of local advice on specialties and attractions in Nagano - far more than we were able to use in our short visit. There was a decidedly non touristic vibe to the entire tour - never a sense that of a standard, canned must-see list. My personal favorites were the visit to the oyaki bakery and the sake brewery, but the entire tour was fun, informative and exciting. The guides - Takuma (the guide) and Katsuki and Soyoka (guides in training) were knowledgeable, friendly, fun, and all spoke excellent English. The tour was well organized and…”

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14.Meiji Shrine Walking Tour with Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 9 reviews · from $20

Walk through Meiji Shrine’s peaceful forest with a local English-speaking guide. Learn the customs of bowing, cleansing, and praying, then visit the Imperial Fishing Platform and lesser-known spots near the main hall. The tour finishes by Harajuku Station, making it easy to continue your Tokyo day.

“We learned about the history of Meiji Jingu, the custom of bowing when passing through the torii gate, and that the central part of the approach is where the gods walk, so visitors should walk on the left side. The guide explained the highlights of the torii and the approach to the shrine, and my interest in Meiji Jingu Shrine grew. The artificially created space of the approach creates a sacred space, and it's really wonderful, and there's no doubt that your heart will be cleansed. The guide showed us the back of the main hall and explained the turtle stone and the sazare stone. I thought that if I…”

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15.Private Walking Tour with Kiyomizu Temple & Gion

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · 3h 30m

Spend 210 minutes with a private English-speaking guide, visiting Kiyomizu Temple, Yasaka Shrine, Gion’s traditional streets, and Nishiki Market. Guide Phillip has earned praise for clear explanations and friendly service. Expect more than 5 kilometers of walking, temple and shrine customs, food tasting opportunities, and time for shops and cafes.

“Phillip was a great guide. He explained the history of all of the places we visited in much detail and made the whole tour very interesting. He is very knowledgeable, and I couldn’t recommend him enough”

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