Tour Locations
Where to Go and Where to Meet
Below, you’ll find information on different locations and meeting places for walking tours, photo walks, and workshops across the Tokyo area.
If you’re looking for general information and booking for my tours view the main tours page here.
Locations listed below are given in alphabetical order. Their actual locations are scattered all over Tokyo (and a few in nearby Saitama Prefecture).
If you need additional information, have questions, or need me to clear up any confusion, please just get in touch. Head on over to the contact page or just send an email to david@somewherein.jp. If you’ve arranged a custom location or one otherwise not listed below, I will provide you with instructions before meeting.
Should you need assistance urgently (such as if you’re lost and trying to find me), you can send me a message using WhatsApp. You can also message me if you find yourself in the area before our meeting time—I can come find you wherever you happen to be.
How to Recognize Me
If I arrive at the meeting point before you, I will likely be holding a sign reading “Uncommon Explorations.”
Beyond that, look for the white guy who’s likely carrying a camera and wearing a backpack or large messenger bag. Brown hair, 170cm (5’7″), average build. In warmer weather, I’ll likely be wearing a plain black t-shirt, a plain black hat, and cargo shorts. Possibly a knee brace. If it’s cooler/cold, jeans and a hooded sweatshirt or jacket (all plain/no logos).
Depending on what else I’ve got going on that day, I may be dressed differently, but I’ll give you a heads-up if that’s the case. The vast majority of the time, the above description holds true.
Primary Locations (Alphabetical)
Akabane
Description
Akabane is a neighborhood in Kita-ku, Tokyo, located on the north side, just south of the river that divides Tokyo and Saitama prefectures. Its entertainment district, located on both sides of Akabane Station, is a popular area among locals. The area contains many local parks, shrines, temples, and everything else you’d expect to find in a typical Tokyo neighborhood. It’s a popular place to live, as excellent rail connectivity makes it easy to access the rest of the Tokyo area by train.
Where to Meet: Akabane Station (Kita-ku, Tokyo)
Meeting Point: Akabane Station
- Meet at the West Exit of the station by the South ticket gate.
- There is also a North ticket gate, so be sure you’re near the correct one.
- If coming by rail, follow the signs in the station towards the south ticket gate. Exit through the ticket gate and turn left. Outside of the station, you should see a Baskin Robbins. I’ll meet you just inside the entrance to the station, near the remote-work booths located along the south wall of the walkway.
Akabane Station is served by these train lines:
- Keihin Tohoku Line
- Saikyo Line
- Shonan Shinjuku Line
- Takasaki Line
- Utsunomiya Line
Asakusa
Description
Asakusa is a tremendously popular area, especially Senso-ji, the oldest temple in Tokyo, a place visited by 30,000,000 people a year. It’s an area with a lot of historical significance.
I’ll be honest—I tend to avoid it, especially the area directly around Senso-ji. It’s just not my scene. It’s worth seeing, but perhaps predictably, I’d say that it’s everything else in the area that’s worth seeing even more.
To the west, you have Kappabashi, a district dominated by knife and restaurant supply shops. To the east, Tokyo Skytree. The real character of the area, though, is found in the back streets and at the less-visited temples and shrine, of which there are many.
Where to Meet: Asakusa Station, Exit 4
Meeting Point: Asakusa Station, Exit 4
- If you’re coming by the Asakusa Line or Ginza Line, get off at Asakusa Station and find Exit 4. I’ll meet you there at street level.
- If you’re coming by the Skytree Line, you can find the same exit.
- If you’re coming on foot, navigate there using the Google Maps link above.
Asakusa Station is served by these train lines:
- Asakusa Line
- Ginza Line
There is a second, connected Asakusa Station just to the north that serves:
- Ryomo Limited Express
- Tobu Express
- Tobu Skytree Line
Akihabara
Description
Akihabara is best known for its anime and manga culture, and previously for its importance for electronics. These days, you’ll still find that, but it’s evolving and now includes more entertainment options and tourist-centered businesses. That’s mostly in the area directly around the station, however. As with anywhere else in Tokyo, it doesn’t take long to venture a bit further and find things that make you rethink what characterizes the area.
Where to Meet: Akihabara Station, Electric Town Exit
Meeting Point: Akihabara Station, Electric Town Exit
NB: There’s more than one Akihabara Station! They’re all in the same place, basically, but different rail companies have different stations here. If you’re not arriving by JR trains, you’ll need to walk a little more, but nothing crazy.
If arriving by a JR train, from inside the station, follow the signs to the Electric Town Exit. Pass through the ticket gate and immediately turn right. I’ll meet you over to the side, by the Japan Post Bank ATMs.
If arriving on foot or taxi, you’ll want to navigate around the outside of the station to find the Electric Town gate.
JR Akihabara Station is served by these train lines:
- Chuo Sobu Line
- Keihin Tohoku Line
- Yamanote Line
In the area, you’ll also find the Tsukuba Express, Toei Shinjuku Line’s Iwamotocho Station, Hibiya Line’s Akihabara Station, and the Ginza Line’s Suehirocho Station. At most, these are about a ten minute walk from the meeting point.
Ebisu
Description
Compared to other popular parts of Tokyo, Ebisu’s vibe is notably laid back, with lots of cozy restaurants, boutiques, and local businesses scattered throughout residential streets.
It’s also close to both Daikanyama and Nakameguro—this whole section of the city is chill and suffused with local culture.
It’s also home to the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, which can be added to your tour upon request.
Where to Meet: Ebisu Station
Meeting Point: Ebisu Station East Exit Park
Exit Ebisu Station through the east exit. Take the stairs to the east exit park. I’ll meet you by the clock on the pole in the park.
If it’s raining, wait by the ticket gate at the east exit instead.
Ebisu Station is served by these train lines:
- Hibiya Line
- Saikyo Line
- Shonan-Shinjuku Line
- Yamanote Line
Ikebukuro
Description
Located between Shinjuku and Akabane along a major rail corridor, Ikebukuro is a busy area. Near the station, it is filled with a wide array of shops, restaurants, and entertainment areas. Overall, it’s a densely populated part of the city that gets some tourist activity, but not a lot compared to places like Shinjuku, Shibuya, or Asakusa. Also, compared to more upscale/fashionable parts of the city like Omotesando, Ikebukuro is decidedly more gritty. In recent years, there has been some growth in the presence of anime culture in the area, shifting somewhat from Akihabara.
In my opinion, Ikebukuro is severely underrated.
Where to Meet: Ikebukuro Station
Meeting Point: JR Ikebukuro Station East Entrance
Ikebukuro serves train lines run by multiple companies, both above ground and subway lines, and this makes the station somewhat complicated. It’s not bad if you’re used to it, but newcomers often get lost.
If you arrive on a JR line, get off the train follow the signs for the east exit. If you arrive on a Seibu or Tokyo Metro, after you exit through the ticket gate you’ll probably want to navigate towards the JR ticket gates, then find the east exit. Note that it may be marked as an entrance or exit, depending on where you are in relation to it. You may also see marked as the East Exit (North).
Note that Seibu also has an east exit, which is just a bit further down from the JR east exit on the same side of the building. If you’re at the Seibu exit, you’ll just want to walk roughly north on the sidewalk until you find the JR entrance.
Once you get there, I’ll meet you either by the telephone booths ① or (on rainy or especially hot days) by the sculpture ② at the entrance to the station.
Ikebukuro Station is served by these train lines:
- Fukutoshin Line
- Seibu Ikebukuro Line
- Marunouchi Line
- Saikyo Line
- Shonan Shinjuku Line
- Tobu Express
- Tobu Tojo Line
- Yamanote Line
- Yurakucho Line
Nakano
Description
Located a short train ride west of Shinjuku Station, Nakano used to be what Akihabara (and more recently Ikebukuro) has since become—a center for anime and manga culture. There are still fragments of that around, particularly in Nakano Broadway, but it’s also a dense and diverse area where you can find great restaurants, small music venues, a traditional shopping street, parks, public baths, and the like. It’s a fascinating area with a lot of history and a lot of vitality still.
The area around Nakano Station is likely my favorite part of Tokyo, I won’t pretend otherwise. It helps that my favorite camera store in the world is there. Nakano is my #1 recommendation for a walking tour, but it’s not like you can go wrong with any of the locations listed on this page.
Where to Meet: Nakano Station
Meeting Point: Nakano Station North Entrance Square
If you’re arriving by train, go out the north ticket gate and turn immediately right.
If you’re coming on foot, by taxi, etc, the station’s north entrance should still be easy to find (it’s not a big station).
There’s an open area on the north side of the station. In it, there’s a small garden surrounded by a low wall, with a tree growing in the center. I’ll meet you there.
If it’s raining, I’ll meet you in the nearby covered area, between the garden and the ticket gate.
Nakano Station is served by these train lines:
- Chuo Line
- Chuo Sobu Line
- Tozai Line
Shibuya
Description
Shibuya is one of the best known and most popular parts of Tokyo, famous especially for its shopping, the massive scramble crossing, and the Hachiko statue. There’s a lot more to the area than all the popular tourist spots, however. Heading off in any direction from Shibuya Station, it doesn’t take long to find yourself in unexpectedly quiet back streets, filled with private residences and small local businesses.
Where to Meet: Shibuya Station
Meeting Point: Shibuya Station New South Gate/New South Exit
NB: Shibuya Station is massive, complicated, and constantly under some kind of construction. Shibuya Station can be extremely confusing, so if you’re lost, please message me and we’ll figure it out.
This exit to the station should be less busy than the more central parts of the station, so it shouldn’t be hard to find each other.
- If you’re coming by train:
- In the station, follow the signs for the New South Gate. Exit through the ticket gate and move off to one side. I’ll meet you there.
- If you’re coming on foot:
- Click here to open the location in Google Maps and navigate to the ticket gate. There may be a lot of construction in the area, so it’s possible you may need to ask for directions.
Alternate Meeting Point
If things get crazy for whatever reason and we need to change meeting places, I’ll meet you in front of this nearby Family Mart (Google Maps link). It’s near the New South Exit.
Shibuya Station is served by these train lines:
- Den-en-toshi Line
- Fukutoshin Line
- Ginza Line
- Hanzomon Line
- Inokashira Line
- JR Narita Express
- JR Odoriko Line
- JR Saikyo Line
- JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line
- Toyoko Line
- Yamanote Line
Shinjuku
Description
Home to the busiest train station in the world, Shinjuku is big and incredibly diverse. It can be very intense, but as with anywhere else in Tokyo, it doesn’t take much exploring to suddenly find yourself on a quiet side street that’s completely deserted. From the narrow confines and seedy reputation of Kabukicho and Omoide Yokocho to the greenery of Shinjuku Gyoen and the academic vibes of Waseda, Shinjuku cannot be pigeonholed. It is full of wonderful contradictions.
Where to Meet: Shinjuku Station
Meeting Point: Near Shinjuku Station South East Exit
Shinjuku Station is spectacularly large and complex. Realistically, there aren’t a lot of good meeting points in/at the station that aren’t going to be so crowded with people most of the day that it’s hard to find one another. The meeting point for Shinjuku, then, is just outside the south east exit.
If you’re arriving on a JR train, you can navigate through the station specifically to the South East Exit.
If you’re coming on another train, or coming on foot, it’s probably easiest to find the big south exit near the Lumine, turn left out the exit and walk uphill away from the pedestrian overpass. The south east exit will shortly be on your left.
From there, go down the stairs/escalator and go straight to the building with a big video screen directly above a few vending machines. I’ll meet you by those vending machines. The building with the vending machines is marked “Green Peas Building” on the map.
The Google Maps button will let you navigate directly to the meeting point.
Alternate Meeting Point
If it’s raining, I can meet you instead just across the street from the vending machines, where the one street passes under the elevated road. I’ll meet you on the corner there.
Shinjuku Station is served by these train lines:
- Chuo Main Line
- Chuo Sobu Line
- Keio Line
- Keio New Line
- Marunouchi Line
- Narita Express
- Odakyu Odawara Line
- Odoriko Line
- Oedo Line
- Romancecar
- Saikyo Line
- Shinjuku Line
- Shonan-Shinjuku Line
- Yamanote Line
Please note: The Seibu Shinjuku Line does not go to Shinjuku Station. Its terminus is Seibu Shinjuku Station, located on the opposite side of Shinjuku Station from our meeting point. It’s about a ten minute walk between the two places.
Each entry in the list above is time-consuming, and I haven’t been able to add everything yet. The following locations will also be added, and in the mean time can still be selected for your tour. Some of them might not be familiar, but all of them are on the list for a reason.
- Akitsu
- Ginza
- Harajuku
- Hiroo
- Jimbocho
- Jiyugaoka
- Kawagoe
- Kawaguchi
- Kichijoji
- Nakameguro
- Nerima
- Odaiba
- Ogikubo
- Oji
- Omiya
- Ryogoku
- Sangenjaya
- Shakujii Koen
- Shibamata
- Shimo-Kitazawa
- Shin-Okubo
- Ueno
- Yurakucho