A private car tour of Tokyo, where the day belongs to you and not to a timetable.
Your own car, your own chauffeur, and a route you can change at eleven in the morning because the weather turned or because your daughter wants an extra hour in Akihabara. The car waits at every stop, your luggage stays inside, and nobody counts heads before moving on. Eight or ten hours, one price agreed in writing, tolls and parking included.
5.0 · 13 Google reviewsWhat's included
- The car stays with you: not a pickup and a drop off, but a vehicle that waits at every stop with your coats and shopping inside it.
- A route you can change while it runs: if a temple is crowded or the rain sets in, say so and the day rearranges. Nothing is locked.
- A chauffeur who speaks your language: English, Italian, Spanish, French or Japanese, agreed at booking and stated in writing.
- One price, fixed before you book: expressway tolls, parking and fuel are inside it. There is nothing to settle on the day.
- The right vehicle for the group: a Toyota Alphard for a couple, a Hiace when there are six of you and six suitcases, a Mercedes-Benz S 500 when the day deserves it.
- On board: a private minibar with chilled water, soft drinks, tea and coffee, candies and chocolates, and refreshing orange scented towels.
What a private car tour actually changes
A group tour decides where you stand and for how long. A taxi takes you somewhere and leaves. A private car tour is neither: the vehicle and the chauffeur are yours for the whole day, so the itinerary is a proposal rather than a contract. Most days I arrange begin with a plan and end slightly differently, because Tokyo rewards the person who can stay another twenty minutes. That flexibility is the product. Everything else, the car, the language, the fixed price, exists to make it possible.
Where a day by car goes that a train day cannot
Tokyo's rail network is superb and you should use it for Shibuya and Shinjuku. A car earns its place elsewhere: Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchiko in a single day, Nikko and Lake Chuzenji, Hakone without the bus queues, Kamakura with three temples instead of one, or the Yokohama waterfront after dark. It also earns its place on a rainy day, with small children, with luggage, or when someone in the group cannot walk a station's worth of stairs.
Eight hours or ten
Eight hours covers Tokyo itself without rushing: Asakusa and Senso-ji, the Imperial Palace, a proper lunch, Shibuya at the hour it looks best. Ten hours is what a day outside the city honestly needs once the drive is counted, and Mount Fuji, Nikko and Hakone are all ten hour days. If you are told otherwise, the arithmetic has been done generously. Start times are yours: for Nikko in autumn I will suggest leaving at six, because the road up to Chuzenji queues by nine.
How the price works
You are quoted one figure for the day, and it holds. Expressway tolls, parking and fuel are inside it. Entrance tickets and your meals are not, because they are yours to choose. If the day runs long there is an hourly rate agreed in advance rather than a surprise, and hours worked between 22:30 and 06:30 carry a night supplement that is stated before you book, never afterwards.
Private car tour prices, 8 hours in Tokyo (indicative, from)
| Vehicle | Best for | From |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Toyota Alphard | 4+1 passengers, 3–4 luggage | ¥126,000 |
| Hiace Toyota Hiace | up to 9 passengers, 8+ luggage | ¥134,500 |
| GranAce Toyota GranAce | 4+1 passengers, 4 luggage | ¥134,500 |
| Exclusive Mercedes-Benz S 500 | 2+1 passengers, 2 large + 2 small luggage | ¥151,500 |
Eight hours in Tokyo. A ten hour day out to Mount Fuji, Hakone or Nikko starts at ¥157,500 for the Standard class. Expressway tolls, parking and fuel included. Every price confirmed in writing before you book, billed in JPY.
Questions people ask before booking a private car tour
How much does a private car tour of Tokyo cost?
Eight hours in Tokyo starts at 120,000 yen for the Standard class, a Toyota Alphard, and a full day out to Mount Fuji, Hakone or Nikko starts at 150,000 yen for ten hours. Larger vehicles cost more. Expressway tolls, parking and fuel are included, and the figure is confirmed in writing before you pay anything.
Can I change the itinerary during the day?
Yes, and most people do. Tell your chauffeur and the day rearranges around you. The only limits are physical: closing times, the length of a drive, and the hours you have booked.
Is a guide included, or just a driver?
A licensed chauffeur is included, and he will take you everywhere, explain what he knows and look after you. A professional guide who walks the sites with you and tells the history is a separate person and a separate cost, which I will quote before you book if you want one.
How many people fit in the car?
Up to three in a Toyota Alphard with luggage, and up to nine in a Toyota Hiace. With six passengers and six large suitcases the answer is a Hiace, not a saloon, and I will say so rather than let you find out at the kerb.
Do you pick up from a hotel, an airport or a cruise terminal?
All three, and the first stop of the day can be any address in Tokyo or Yokohama. Flights and ships are tracked, so a late arrival moves the day rather than cancelling it.
Which languages can the chauffeur speak?
English, Italian, Spanish, French and Japanese. The language is agreed when you book and stated in writing, and if the match is wrong you are refunded in full.