Tokyo in One Day: Shibuya Station & Roppongi Station — Guide Masa

Title: What's a Private Afternoon Tour of Central Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group of ten, friends traveling together, visiting from North America. It was everyone's first time in Japan. Some of the guests had previously run a travel agency. They had arrived at Kansai Airport ten days earlier, traveled around Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, and Hakone, and arrived in Tokyo around noon today. They planned to spend the remaining three days in the city and at Disneyland before returning home. In Hakone, the weather had been poor and they had not been able to see Mount Fuji.

The tour was originally scheduled to start at 15:00, but we moved it forward by an hour and started at 14:00. Unlike the previous days, the tour took place under clear skies that were almost humid and warm. The itinerary proceeded mainly according to the wishes of the younger members of the group.

First, we went to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. The guests remarked, "The contrast between the office buildings of Marunouchi and Otemachi in the background and the greenery of the Imperial Palace is interesting." There were questions such as, "As a castle, when was it built?" and "Can't we go inside the Imperial Palace?" There were also questions such as, "Does the Imperial Family really live in here?", "Does the Emperor have political influence?", and "What is the relationship between the Emperor and the Prime Minister?"

At Tokyo Tower, we went up to the Top Deck, and the comment was, "Because of the surrounding high-rise buildings, you can't see the cityscape into the distance." They also bought many souvenirs.

After that, we walked to Azabudai Hills and went to "teamLab," which had been reserved in advance. They said, "The children were so excited, it was quite something."

We then moved to Roppongi, strolled around Roppongi Hills, and went to a restaurant for dinner. They explained, "The children are a bit tired of Japanese food and want to eat some American flavors."

Comments included, "The city is clean. There's no trash on the ground," "On the trains, everyone is quiet. No one speaks loudly," and "You don't see any homeless people." On the other hand, there was also a question: "Public transportation fares and meal costs feel inexpensive, but for some reason taxi fares seem too high. Why is that?"

I saw the guests off at Shibuya Station, and we parted ways.

Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide

Tour Report by Masa

Guiding career:
Guide work started in July 2022. A guide focused on FIT compliance.
FY2022 results: 17 cases, FY2023 results: 97
Destinations: Various places in Tokyo, Hakone, Kamakura and Nikko
As a recent group travel record, in October 2023, we have a track record of guiding a group of 33 people from Singapore to Narita Airport transfer plus sightseeing in Tokyo.
Self-introduction:
In the past, I was stationed in Canada, the United States, and Mexico as an expatriate of a Japanese bank for over 11 years.
Since I have been mainly involved in the financing business in the United States for a long time, I think I am able to provide interpretation and translation services related to business and finance.
I am a certified CPA in the United States.
In addition, for three years from April 2016, I will be engaged in Japanese-English translation work (part-time), and I can also handle translation work.
Although I don’t have a qualification in Spanish, but I think I can handle day to day conversation in Spanish without any problems.
My hobby is trekking and from time to time, take a walk around mountains near Tokyo like Mt. Takao, Tanzawa, etc. I think it is possible to provide tourist information here as well.
Since April 2015, I have been working as a Tokyo Metropolitan Tourism Volunteer and Tokyo Metropolitan Disaster Prevention Volunteer.
One more, I have a separate house near Asuka Village, Nara prefecture, and I stay there for a total of about 30 days every year and have been enjoying sightseeing personally in the vicinity. Therefore, I think in the Kansai region, especially in Nara, Asuka, Yoshino, Koyasan, Kumano Kodo, etc., where I think I will be able to tour guide with confidence.