Tokyo Night Tours FAQs
Dark times, meeting points, the car meet, drinks, photos, refunds and getting back, answered from the operators' own pages and Tokyo Tower's. Choosing between Tokyo Night guided tours? The answers below settle most of it.
Two answers matter more than the rest. First, a night tour is only at night if it starts after sunset, and sunset moves from 16:28 in December to 19:01 at the turn of June and July. Second, no ticket exists for the city itself: you are choosing how to move round it.
After that, it is the exit. Shinjuku Station has more than a dozen, so check the one your booking names, and be there ten minutes early.
What time does it get dark in Tokyo?
Sunset runs from 16:28 in early December to 19:01 at the turn of June and July. Japan has no daylight saving, so it moves a minute or two a day and never jumps overnight.
Do Tokyo night tours start after dark?
Those that start at 7:30pm or later are after dark all year: the pub crawl, and the JDM drives at 8pm, 8:30pm and 11:30pm. A 5pm or 5:30pm start begins in daylight for much of the year and walks into dusk, so pick the month if the lights are the point.
How much does a Tokyo night tour cost?
Guided walks cost $20.80 to $26 a person, the pub crawl $24.70, photo shoots $97.51 to $117.01, and food tours $100.48 to $214.51. Shared JDM drives run $79.56 to $146.26 a person, and private drives $244.20 to $594.78 for the whole group.
Can I cancel a Tokyo night tour?
Yes. Every tour here refunds in full if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start. If the operator calls it off for bad weather, you are offered a new date or a full refund.
Where do the tours start?
Most meet at a station exit, and Shinjuku Station's East Exit is the most common, at the Lion statue or the police box a few metres away. Others meet at a Shibuya kerb, in Ueno, Roppongi or Ginza, and the private drives pick you up at your hotel.
What is the Daikoku car meet?
Car owners gather at the Daikoku Parking Area, a rest stop on the Bayshore Route in Yokohama, and the JDM tours drive you there after dark. It is a public car park, so police can close it without notice, and the operators then change the route. Nobody can promise which cars will turn up.
Do the JDM tours include drifting or racing?
No. The listings exclude drifting and racing as illegal on public roads, and none lets you drive the car yourself. What you get is a ride on the expressways and time at the car meet.
Are drinks included on a bar tour?
It depends on the tour. The Ueno crawl includes dinner and drinks at each stop, the pub crawl includes shots and discounts but not your own drinks, and the custom night out covers the first round only. On the uni-students night you pay for your own at each venue.
What is the drinking age in Japan?
20. The pub crawl's clubs ask for photo ID with your date of birth, and a photo of your passport on your phone is not accepted.
Can I take photos in Golden Gai?
Not everywhere. Photography is prohibited in parts of Golden Gai and Omoide Yokocho, and the guides tell you where the camera goes away. Ask before you photograph a bar or the people in it.
Is there a Tokyo night boat tour?
Yes: a 90-minute yakatabune dinner cruise from Etchujima Terminal across Tokyo Bay to Odaiba and past Rainbow Bridge. You sit on tatami with your shoes off, eat beef sukiyaki with unlimited soft drinks, and alcohol comes only with a free-flow package.
Is Tokyo Tower open at night?
Yes. Tokyo Tower's Main Deck opens until 23:00, with last entry at 22:30, and the tower is lit from sunset to 22:00. The driving tours stop outside it, and none includes a deck ticket; the yakatabune cruise sells one as an option.
Are the tours good for children?
Some are. One private driver-guided evening offers child and baby seats on request, and the JDM drives welcome children and teenagers. The bar tours are 20 and over, and the wagyu tour does not take children under 6.
What happens when the trains stop?
Trains generally stop from about 12:30am to 4:30am, so plan your last one or budget for a taxi. The private drives take you back to your hotel, and the pub crawl runs on well past the last train.
Are Tokyo night tours in English?
Yes, every tour here is guided in English. Several walks and JDM drives also run in Japanese, and some drives add French, Spanish or Portuguese.
Is there a Tokyo night helicopter or bus tour?
Not among the tours listed here. The nearest thing is a private driver-guided evening by car, which picks you up at your hotel and stops at the lit landmarks.
Is the go-kart tour Mario Kart?
No, it is not Mario Kart. It is a guided go-kart convoy in costume through Harajuku, Omotesando and Shibuya Crossing, and every driver needs a paper International Driving Permit.
Is the sumo show a real tournament?
No. It is an entertainment show in Ginza by retired wrestlers, with English and Japanese commentary, and its listing prints no show times. The venue takes no cash.
What do I need for the go-karts?
A paper 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit, or a JAF Japanese translation if your licence is from France, Switzerland, Taiwan, Germany, Monaco or Belgium. Card licences, copies and 1968 Vienna permits are refused, and you must be 18 or over.
What if the Daikoku Parking Area is closed?
The operators change the route and take you to other car spots instead. The Daikoku Parking Area is a public rest stop, and the listings say plainly that a visit cannot be promised.
What do I bring on a JDM tour?
Your passport, which one operator asks for, and patience if your group is split across cars. Food, drinks and tips are not included.
Is the photography tour worth it if I dislike being photographed?
Probably not the 2.5-hour walk: one reviewer says plainly that it may not be your tour. The private Shibuya shoot works in a natural, relaxed style, and a plain guided walk has no camera at all.
How many photos do I get?
Twenty edited photos on the 2.5-hour walk, at least 20 per guest on the Kabukicho shoot, and 35 or more on the private Shibuya shoot. They arrive by email or in an online gallery.
What if I am late?
The MagicalTrip tours refuse entry at 15 minutes late, with no refund, so be at the meeting point 10 minutes early. The pub crawl's group leaves the first bar at about 8:15pm.
Can vegetarians do the food tours?
Not the wagyu tour, which takes no vegetarians, vegans or gluten-free diets. Ask the Ueno operator before you book, since its listing says nothing either way.
Do I tip in Tokyo?
Tipping is not expected in Japan. Some listings call tips optional or appreciated, and none includes them in the fare.
Can I pay by card?
Often, but some small bars take cash only, so carry yen on a bar tour. The sumo venue is the opposite: it takes no cash at all.
What should I wear to the clubs?
The pub crawl's clubs turn away flip-flops, shorts, sleeveless shirts, and track or sweat pants. Wear shoes you can stand in for five hours.
Is Shibuya Sky included in any tour?
Yes: the Shibuya After Dark walk includes a ticket for Shibuya Sky's open-air rooftop deck, and you may stay up there after the guide leaves. The deck can close in bad weather or wind.
Can I do a night tour on a Haneda layover?
The customizable private drive picks up and drops off at Haneda within its four hours. The Kawasaki factory-lights drive picks up only in Kawasaki, Haneda or Yokohama.
Is the Christmas drive seasonal?
Yes. It drives you round the winter illuminations with a driver-guide dressed as Santa, and its listing publishes no dates, so check the ones offered when you book.
How long are Tokyo night tours?
From one hour for a photo shoot or the go-karts to five for the pub crawl and the after-dark drive. The uni-students night runs anywhere from two to eight hours.
Do I need to book ahead?
For the small ones, yes: photo shoots take four at most and many walks under ten. The R35 GT-R tour asks you to check any date within four weeks with the operator first.
What is it like on the yakatabune?
You sit at low tables over a sunken floor with your shoes off, and tables may be shared. The boat does not take children under 3, and it does not suit wheelchair users or anyone with back problems.
Is there a daytime tour too?
One: a private full day by car with an English-speaking chauffeur, from Senso-ji to Takeshita Street, for seven to nine hours. It is a daytime tour and makes a good day before a night out.
Still deciding? The practical detail is in the visitor guide, and what travellers made of each tour is in the reviews. Every fare sits side by side on Tokyo Night Tours.