Tokyo in Half a Day: Yurakucho Station & Asakusa Station — Guide Masa

What Is a Private Tokyo Food and Market Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Toyosu, Tsukiji, and Asakusa

The guests were a group visiting Japan from North America, all visiting the country for the first time. They had arrived at Narita two days earlier and traveled to their hotel by limousine bus, and the previous day they had strolled around Ginza.

The main purpose of this trip was a round-Japan cruise departing from Yokohama Port starting the day after next. After returning to port, they planned to visit Osaka and Kyoto and then fly home from Kansai Airport.

The whole group loves watching sports, and they planned to go to Tokyo Dome the next day to watch a baseball game.

The tour took place during intense summer heat, so we rested many times along the way. (I reminded them several times to be careful of heatstroke.)

First, we went to Toyosu Market. The whole group loves sushi.

At the seafood wholesale building, they asked questions such as "Where is the tuna caught?" "How much tuna is put up for auction?" "How much does one fish cost?" "What kind of tuna is expensive?" and "Who directs the auction?"

They also asked, "Which part of the tuna is the most delicious?"

At the intermediate wholesalers' building, they asked, "Why aren't we allowed inside?" and "Why do they sell vegetables as well as fish?"

After that, we transferred via the Yurikamome and other lines to Tsukiji Market.

At the Tsukiji Outer Market, we took a short break at "Platto Tsukiji."

They also asked, "Why are there so many people? Is it always this crowded?"

Since they very much wanted to buy kitchenware and knives, we went to Kappabashi Kitchen Town.

Unfortunately, many shops were closed for the Obon holiday, so we could only visit a few, but they purchased some kitchenware as souvenirs.

After that, we stopped by Asakusa, visited Sensoji Temple, and had lunch of soba and tempura at Owariya. (There was a request to eat cold soba.)

They also made comments such as "The city is so clean. There is no litter on the ground," "The public toilets are clean and pleasant," and "The subway is clean, quiet, and comfortable," and "Recently, homelessness has been increasing rapidly in downtown San Francisco."

They also asked, "During our stay in Seoul, the local guide explained many times about the delicate relationship between Japan and Korea. Honestly, what do Japanese people think of Korea?"

We parted ways at Asakusa Station. (They said they intended to visit Tokyo Skytree afterward.)

Click here for more details: Tsukiji Local Food & Culture Half-Day Tour, 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.