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Official site, booking site, bus tour or a free volunteer guide? It depends on what you want to do. Answer one question.
What do you want to book?
Four ways compared
Official site or ticket counter
- Rough price
- Tokyo Skytree (adult, weekday, Tembo Deck): from ¥2,100 online for a set date, from ¥2,400 on the day. teamLab Planets: from ¥3,800, changing by date. Ghibli Museum: ¥1,000.
- How to use it
- Buy on the place’s own site: choose the date and time, then pay. Some places also sell through convenience-store ticket services (Lawson Ticket, Seven-Eleven Ticket).
- Good for
- Entry tickets to famous places, when you know your day.
- Watch out for
- teamLab Planets sells no tickets at the venue. The Ghibli Museum sells only through Lawson Ticket and JTB overseas. Resold tickets may not get you in.
Booking sites (Klook, KKday, GetYourGuide, Viator)
- Rough price
- You pay the price shown. Klook charges no booking fee on activities (your card company may add a fee for paying abroad). GetYourGuide’s prices usually include taxes and fees, and it pays the difference if you show the same activity cheaper elsewhere.
- How to use it
- Choose a date and pay. The voucher comes by email or in the app: show it on your phone. GetYourGuide and Viator let you book some activities now and pay later (charged 3 or 2 days before).
- Good for
- Day trips, guided tours and experiences. Reading reviews in your language and paying in your own currency (Klook takes 39 currencies).
- Watch out for
- Cancellation rules differ by activity. GetYourGuide refunds in full up to 24 hours before, unless the activity says otherwise; many Viator tours do the same. Klook and KKday set a rule for each activity, and some give no refund.
Sightseeing bus tours (e.g. Hato Bus)
- Rough price
- Hato Bus “TOKYO MORNING” half-day tour with an English-speaking guide: ¥6,300 for adults, ¥4,300 for children (6–11).
- How to use it
- Pick a tour on Hato Bus’s English site, choose a date on the calendar and book. The tours are in Tokyo.
- Good for
- Seeing several Tokyo sights in half a day or a day, without planning the route.
- Watch out for
- Some tours on the English list have a Japanese-speaking guide only, with a GPS audio guide on your phone. Check the tour page.
Volunteer guides
- Rough price
- Free. You pay the guide’s transport and entry fees, and their meal if you eat together.
- How to use it
- Choose a group on JNTO’s list and write to it with your dates and what you want to see.
- Good for
- A day out with a local, when you can plan ahead.
- Watch out for
- Some groups need at least two weeks’ notice; others take requests first come, first served. A guide may not be free on your day.
Prices and rules change and differ by date and activity. The prices here were read on each company’s or place’s page on the date below. Check the latest on that page before you book.
Sources (checked 2026-10-17)
- Tokyo Skytree — Tickets
- Tokyo Skytree — Same-day tickets
- teamLab Planets TOKYO
- teamLab Planets — Official ticket store
- Ghibli Museum — Tickets
- Klook — Booking fees (FAQ)
- Klook — Cancellation (FAQ)
- Klook — Currencies (FAQ)
- KKday — Terms and Conditions
- GetYourGuide — General Terms and Conditions
- Viator — Mt Fuji day tour from Tokyo (an example)
- Viator — Glossary (standard cancellation policy)
- Viator — Reserve Now & Pay Later
- Hato Bus — English tours
- Hato Bus — TOKYO MORNING (AE301)
- Hato Bus — A day tour with a Japanese-speaking guide (A7610)
- JNTO — Guide services
- JNTO — List of volunteer guides
- JNTO — Tourist Information Centers