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

Title: What Is a Rainy-Day Private Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Shinjuku, and Shibuya

The guests were a group visiting Japan from North America, all coming to Japan for the first time. They were originally from Asia and had later relocated to North America. On this occasion, they were traveling to attend a family wedding in Asia and had stopped in Tokyo for a stay along the way.

The following day, they planned to take a day trip to Mount Fuji. They mentioned that they wanted to enjoy a variety of Japanese dishes during their visit.

Some of the guests had difficulty walking, so we used elevators and escalators whenever possible and proceeded at a relaxed pace throughout the tour.

The tour took place in heavy pouring rain. Despite the rain, Asakusa was extremely crowded. The guests asked many 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 teachings does Buddhism have?" Seeing many people wearing kimono, they asked, "Do Japanese people wear kimono in daily life?"

At the observation deck, the crowds were sparse due to the rain. We went up to the observation corridor and took commemorative photos together. One comment was, "Now I really understand how vast a city Tokyo is."

We then moved to Shinjuku. Since they wanted to eat ramen, we went to a ramen restaurant. (The previous night they had gone to a gyudon restaurant, and they said, "It was far more delicious than the gyudon restaurant back home.")

After that, they wanted to buy souvenirs, so we went to a large discount store. They bought a large amount of clothing, medicines, and cosmetics, and took commemorative photos in front of the Godzilla head. Their comment was, "The atmosphere here is different from other parts of Tokyo."

We then moved to Shibuya. At the scramble crossing, they commented, "Why are there so many people despite the rain?" and "It reminds me of Times Square." We took photos in front of the Hachiko statue.

They shared many observations and questions, such as "The city is so orderly and clean," "Everyone is so polite," "It's so quiet on the subway, and no one is being noisy," and "I can't find any trash cans anywhere in the city."

Finally, I saw them off at Shinagawa 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.