Tokyo in One Day: Guided tour of Meiji Jingu. — Guide Minoruasai

Title: What Is a Private One-Day Orientation Tour of Tokyo Like Before a Cruise? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests arrived in Tokyo the day before and planned to stay for several days before boarding a cruise ship in Yokohama that would call at Shimizu, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Busan. Since they planned to explore Tokyo on their own afterward, I guided them in an orientation-style manner, including how to get around the city. The guests, who live in North America, said they had come to Japan expecting it to be about as hot as their home region, but while walking they remarked that they had not imagined Japan would be this hot. I explained the unusual summer weather Japan has experienced since last year, and the guests commented, "The weather is abnormal all over the world," a sentiment I share. That said, they had come well prepared for the heat with cooling towels and an insulated bottle, and by taking breaks along the way we finished the tour safely. Of the okonomiyaki, the guests said, "This is delicious. I know sushi and tempura well, but I had no idea there was something this tasty," and finished the entire dish. One of the guests had taught at a university before retiring, and they said they found my explanations of Japanese history and economics very interesting, which I was pleased to hear.

08:45-09:40 Guided tour of Meiji Shrine. 09:40-10:00 Strolled and guided around the Harajuku Station area. Afterward, moved to Shinjuku-sanchome and to the Shinjuku Gate of Shinjuku Gyoen. 10:15-11:00 Guided tour of Shinjuku Gyoen. Afterward, moved to Asakusa. 11:50-13:00 Okonomiyaki lunch at a restaurant on the second floor of a building just after turning right heading north along Kannon-dori from the subway Asakusa Station. Due to the extreme heat, we had a relaxed lunch with plenty of rest. 13:00-13:50 Guided tour of Senso-ji Temple. 13:50-14:20 Saw the guests off at Hotel and said goodbye.

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

Tour Report by MINORUASAI

I acquired national guide license in 2014, and I have been doing guide work full fledged since 2016. In my career before starting guide work, I was a business man and made more than 1,000 business trips both abroad and in Japan, and that experience is my foundation as a guide because I came to know so many places both abroad and in Japan. I have been taking care of both group and individual tourists, and the number of foreign guests I have taken care is close to 2,500 so far. I am based in Tokyo, but I can cover guide work in many prefectures throughout Japan. When I take care of foreign guests, my major concern is to listen attentively to them, find out what they want to know and do in Japan, and give them appropriate guiding in accordance with what I heard from my guests. I would like to provide tailor made tour as much as possible for every precious guest who kindly chose Japan as the tour destination.