Hi! I’m currently planning to visit Japan for the first time this January (with free changes to flights just in case!) and I was wondering if anyone had recommendations of good free walking tours? I’ve done a lot of them in my travels across Europe and I find them the best way of initially getting to know a city. I don’t object to paid tours, but I do prefer the pay as you feel that the free tours give you. Any recommendations of either, that you’ve personally done or know someone who has, please let me know!
I’m going to be in Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto and Takayama
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I’ve never heard of free walking tours. What is the deal there, someone just does this out of the goodness of their heart? That’s nice of them, I’ve just never seen them. I live in a fairly touristy city, lots of paid ones for all types of things.
This just seems kinda wild, because tokyo is much like where I live, incredibly expensive to live in. So these are just wealthy people doing it to meet people?
TOKYO FREE GUIDE – Volunteer Tour Guide Service in Tokyo
http://www.tokyofreeguide.org/en/tour-guide-service/
Lady was great that we got a couple years back. We brought her some things our home country (Snacks etc) and bought her lunch in exchange for how helpful she was.
Outside of the major train stations in Tokyo and Osaka I have seen free tours given by college students (holding signs). I have never done any of them, but my friend has when his family visited Japan. From my understanding they provide the tours so they can practice their English.
I’ve had friends do this one, and love it – [Osaka Free Walking Tour](https://www.facebook.com/OsakaFreeWalkingTour/). The timing didn’t work out for my trip. Fair warning though I think there may be an expected tip.
I did a free tour, in English, of the imperial palace gardens. They were volunteers who wanted to practice English and pass along information
Last year in my first day while walking around the imperial palace in tokyo, there was a free guided tour of the palace you just need to show your passport, there was a long line so you need to get there early (dont know the exact times)
Best to join a free tour in Kyoto, since most of the places needs explanation.
I did this one in Osaka and it was on par with the ones I have done in Europe. It really can depend who the guide is on your day. https://osakafreewalkingtour.com/
Arashima bamboo forest in Kyoto – it’s free and beautiful! 🙂
No tour, but Fushimi Inari shrine is free and lots of walking. 😂
We used the Lonely Planet guide extensively while we were in Japan and that included a lot of maps of walking tours. The Dotombori one was our favourite.
I really enjoyed a free tour of Matsumoto Castle. The guide was a lovely school teacher who wanted to practice English and meet people from all over the world. She knew so much about the history and design of the castle, made origami for us and gave me her email address so I could send her photos of the tour. She was amazing!
There’s one in Osaka that tours you around Dotonbori and I think they are also affiliated with one in Kyoto. You can easily find them if you search for them on Facebook as I’ve found them there. But the one in Kyoto is only done in and around the old streets of Gion for example and not in spots like Bamboo forest or the Inari Shrine. And you are expected to give a tip after the tour since it’s (exchange) students who does the tours. Idk if there was a min of at least 1,000¥ but you will be walking a lot and they will be talking a lot so it think it’s really enough. Have fun!