For an upcoming short trip to Japan with a friend, I was considering booking a guided tour in order to maximize what we could experience in a short period of time. I also like to get a little history and background of the places I visit.

I've been looking at TripAdvisor for reviews of different tour companies.

From all of your previous experiences, would you consider getting a tour guide to be a good expense? Were there any issues with running into busy crowds particularly on the trains and subways during the guided tour? I am more interested in the experiences of those who have actually gone on guided tours in Japan, what the pros and cons were, and whether it was worth doing instead of doing it on their own.