Tokyo in One Day: Kamiyacho Station & Shinjuku Station — Guide Masa

Title: What's a Full-Day Private Walking Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Shibuya, Meiji Shrine, and Shinjuku

The guests were visitors from North America. It was their first visit to Japan, and they had been encouraged to come by a family member who had visited Japan many times for work. They had recently finished their studies and were traveling during a break before the next stage of their education. They planned to stay in Japan for a while, and in addition to sightseeing in the city, they intended to visit Disneyland (out of curiosity about how it would differ from the one in North America), Mount Fuji, Kyoto, and Nara. Having studied Japanese history, they were quite knowledgeable about it.

The tour took place under summer-like weather.

At Asakusa, they asked questions such as "What is the history of this temple?", "Is it always this crowded?", and "Do all Japanese people believe in Buddhism?" They also asked "What kind of teaching is Buddhism?"

Seeing many people in kimono, they asked, "Do Japanese people wear kimono in daily life?"

At the Tsukiji Outer Market, they were amazed by the crowds. They mentioned that they did not like or eat fish, but commented that it was interesting to get a sense of the Japanese diet. They bought and tried a strawberry daifuku.

Afterward, we moved to Shibuya. At the Scramble Crossing, they asked "Why are there so many people here?" and commented that it reminded them of Times Square. We took photos in front of the Hachiko statue. As they both love udon, we had a light lunch at a Marugame Seimen.

At Meiji Shrine, they asked "What kind of religion is Shinto? How does it differ from Buddhism?", "What is the purpose of a torii gate?", and "Why do Buddhism and Shinto coexist?" They also asked "What was the balance of power between the Emperor and the Shogun?", "Do Japanese people respect the Emperor and the Imperial family?", and "Why did the Meiji Restoration happen?"

In Shinjuku, after exploring the basement food floor of a department store, we went to Kabukicho and Omoide Yokocho. They remarked that it had a different atmosphere from Shibuya or Roppongi.

They also commented, "Tokyo is orderly and clean," "Everyone is polite," "The subway is quiet, with no one being noisy," and asked, "We don't see homeless people. Why is that?"

We saw them off at Kamiyacho Station and 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.