Tokyo Walking Tours: Shibuya and Harajuku on Foot
The cheapest guided hours in Tokyo cost $25 and never leave one ward. Two small-group walks run daily: a Shibuya route from the mural inside the station out through Nonbei Yokocho to the Hachiko statue, and a Harajuku route through the shrine forest to Takeshita Street and Omotesando. Both take two hours, both cap at twelve or fifteen people, and between them they cover the two districts most visitors walk through without seeing. This page sets out what each covers, where they meet and which to take first. For the coaches, private cars and bikes, compare our Tokyo city tours.
About the Shibuya Walk
Full refund up to 24 hours before the start time
Seven stops, all within walking distance of Shibuya Station
Discounted rates for children. All fees and taxes included
Small group, so the guide can be heard on a busy street
Third floor, by the Sabon shop. Not at the Hachiko statue
The statue is the finish, after the crossing and the back lanes
Which Walk to Take
Shibuya: the crossing and what surrounds it
Most visitors photograph the Scramble and leave. This walk uses it as one stop out of seven and spends the rest of the two hours on what sits around it.
It starts inside the station at Taro Okamoto's mural Myth of Tomorrow, a fourteen-metre painting of the atomic bombings that was made in Mexico, lost for decades and rehung here. Then the crossing itself, then Miyashita Park, the elevated deck with a skate park and climbing wall built over the old ground-level green space.
After that the walk narrows: Nonbei Yokocho, two lanes of bars so small some seat four people, then the shops and noise of Center-gai, then Maruyamacho, Shibuya's former red-light district and now a live-music quarter. It finishes at the Hachiko statue with the story of the dog who waited at the station for nearly a decade after his owner died in 1925.
It rates 4.9 from 158 reviews.
Harajuku: the shrine and the fashion street
The other walk starts at the JR Harajuku West Exit by the NewDays store and spends its first forty minutes inside Meiji Jingu.
That matters, because the shrine rewards explanation. Built in 1920 for Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, it sits in a planted forest of about 70 hectares, and the guide covers the temizuya washing ritual, the offerings at the main hall and the wall of donated sake barrels that everyone photographs without knowing why it is there.
Then thirty minutes on Takeshita Street, 400 metres of crepe stands, cosplay shops and limited-edition sneakers, and twenty on Omotesando, the wide ginkgo-lined avenue with buildings by Tadao Ando, Kengo Kuma and Herzog and de Meuron.
It rates 5.0 from 111 reviews, admission is included, and the route is listed as wheelchair accessible.
If you only take one
Take Harajuku first. The shrine is the piece of Tokyo that most needs a guide, and the contrast between a silent forest and a 400-metre lane of teenage fashion three minutes apart is the fastest way to understand the city.
Take Shibuya if you have already seen the shrines and want the parts of the district that do not appear on postcards. Reviewers keep saying the same thing about it: they went into streets they would never have found.
Both cost $25, both run two hours, and doing both on the same day is easy since the two districts sit one train stop apart.
Both Walking Tours
Two hours each, $25 each, both guided in English and capped small.
from $25 Shibuya Crossing and Back-Street Walking Tour
- Seven stops in two hours, all on foot
- Nonbei Yokocho and Maruyamacho, not just the Scramble
- Small group capped at 12
- Meeting point is inside Mark City — allow time to find it
from $25 Harajuku and Meiji Shrine Guided Walk
- Admission included
- Wheelchair accessible route
- Ends at Tokyu Plaza Harajuku
- Maximum 15 travellers
What You Walk Past
The Shibuya stops
Seven stops in two hours, none more than a few minutes apart. The guide sets a pace that leaves time to photograph without losing the group.
- Myth of Tomorrow: Taro Okamoto's mural inside the station, 10 minutes
- Shibuya Crossing: the Scramble from street level, 10 minutes
- Miyashita Park: the elevated deck with skate park and climbing wall, 20 minutes
- Nonbei Yokocho: two lanes of tiny bars, 5 minutes
- Shibuya Center-gai: the pedestrian shopping and nightlife street, 10 minutes
- Maruyamacho: the old red-light quarter, now live music and bars, 10 minutes
- Hachiko statue: the finish, 10 minutes
The Harajuku stops
Three stops, longer at each. The shrine takes the biggest share, which is the point of paying for a guide here rather than walking in alone.
The route ends at Tokyu Plaza Harajuku, which puts you within a minute of Omotesando's cafes when the walk finishes.
- Meiji Jingu: 40 minutes, admission included
- Takeshita Street: 30 minutes on the 400-metre lane
- Omotesando: 20 minutes of architecture and ginkgo trees
What's Included and What to Know
Included
The Shibuya walk includes all fees, taxes and tips to the guide, and nothing on the route charges admission. The Harajuku walk includes admission and gratuities. Neither includes food or drink, and neither offers hotel pickup.
Both are small-group tours rather than private ones, so you walk with other travellers: twelve maximum on the Shibuya and Shinjuku routes, fifteen on the Harajuku one.
Finding the meeting point
The Shibuya walk is the one people get wrong. It meets at the Sabon shop on the third floor of Shibuya Mark City, inside the building, and the operator says outright that it is hard to find on your first day in Tokyo. The guide holds a sign. Allow fifteen minutes.
The Harajuku walk is simpler: the West Exit of JR Harajuku Station, by the NewDays convenience store, near the entrance to Meiji Jingu.
Neither operator can hold a group waiting for late arrivals, so build in slack.
Two Hours in Shibuya
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−15 min
Find Mark City
Third floor, by the Sabon shop, inside the building above the station. The guide holds a sign.
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Stop 1
Myth of Tomorrow
Taro Okamoto's mural inside the station, painted in Mexico, lost for years, now hung above the walkway.
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Stop 2
Shibuya Crossing
The Scramble at street level, where the lights turn red in every direction at once.
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Stop 3
Miyashita Park
Twenty minutes on the elevated park built above the tracks between Shibuya and Harajuku.
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Stop 4
Nonbei Yokocho
Drunkard's Alley: two parallel lanes of bars, some seating only a handful of people.
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Stop 5
Center-gai
The pedestrian street that sets Tokyo's youth trends, and empties into the bars after dark.
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Stop 6
Maruyamacho
The former red-light district, now live-music venues, love hotels and small restaurants.
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Stop 7
Hachiko statue
The finish. The dog waited at this station for nearly ten years after his owner's death in 1925.
Where the Walks Go
Who These Walks Suit
Good for
Anyone on a second day in Tokyo who has already done the landmark circuit and wants depth in one district. Also good for solo travellers, since a group of twelve is sociable without being a crowd, and for anyone put off by the price of a full day.
- Second or third day, after the coach or bus tour
- Solo travellers and couples
- Anyone who wants the shrine explained rather than photographed
- Harajuku route: wheelchair accessible, service animals allowed
Less good for
Both routes are on foot for two hours with few places to sit, and Tokyo in July and August sits above 30°C with high humidity. One reviewer on the Shibuya walk praised the guide for building in breaks on a hot day, which tells you the breaks are not automatic.
The Shibuya route is not wheelchair accessible. The Harajuku one is, and both allow strollers and service animals.
- Not for anyone who needs to sit often
- Shibuya route: not wheelchair accessible
- August afternoons are punishing; take an evening slot
- Not suitable if you want landmarks across the whole city
Questions About Tokyo Walking Tours
How much is a walking tour in Tokyo?
Small-group neighbourhood walks cost $25 per person for two hours, which makes them the cheapest guided option in the city. Private walking days with a licensed guide cost $93.81 to $137.59 per person for seven to eight hours. The $25 walks include all fees and gratuities, and the Harajuku route also includes admission.
Is a Shibuya walking tour worth it?
If you want more than the crossing, yes. The two hours cover seven stops, including Taro Okamoto's Myth of Tomorrow mural inside the station, the tiny bars of Nonbei Yokocho and the former red-light district of Maruyamacho, none of which you would find alone. It rates 4.9 from 158 reviews, and the recurring comment is that people saw streets they would never have walked into.
Which walking tour is best for first timers?
The Harajuku and Meiji Jingu route. Forty minutes inside the shrine with a guide explaining the temizuya washing ritual and the sake barrel wall gives you more context than a whole day of photographing landmarks, and the walk out into Takeshita Street shows the other side of Tokyo three minutes later. It rates 5.0 from 111 reviews and includes admission.
Where does the Shibuya walking tour meet?
At the Sabon shop on the third floor of Shibuya Mark City, inside the building above the station. The operator warns that first-time visitors find it hard to locate, so allow fifteen minutes. The guide holds a sign. The walk finishes at the Hachiko statue, which is where most people expect it to start.
How many people are on the tour?
Twelve maximum on the Shibuya walk and the Shinjuku night walk, fifteen on the Harajuku route. These are small-group tours, not private ones, so you walk with other travellers. Groups that size let the guide be heard on Center-gai, which is the practical reason for the cap.
Are the walking tours guided in English?
Yes, both run in English. Reviews name the guides more often than the route: Zach, Grey, Loc and Nikki on the Shibuya walk, Hiroko on the Harajuku one. Both operators cancel free up to 24 hours before the start time, and both run in ordinary rain.
What Walkers Say
Well worth joining a walking tour of Shibuya district, Tokyo. Nikki was a very interesting and informed guide and took us to so many streets and areas we would not have found. She also shared insights onto Japan, its people and culture.
Despite a rainy day, this tour did not disappoint! Learned so much more than visiting on our own. Cannot say enough amazing things about our guide Hiroko. She was so knowledgeable, thoughtful, and kind.
Nikki was a fantastic guide, she kept the pace reasonable and allowed for breaks. This was especially important as we toured in the summer on a hot day. She was quite knowledgeable about Shibuya and shared some interesting tidbits.