Kanagawa in One Day: Yokohama & Motomachi-Chukagai — Guide Masa

Private Day Trip from Yokohama to Kamakura and Yokohama: A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visitors from Europe. One of the guests had visited Japan several times before on business trips, while it was the other guest's first visit to Japan.

Two weeks earlier, they had arrived from Europe into Fukuoka. From there, they traveled by Shinkansen to Hiroshima, Osaka, Kyoto, and Nagoya, arriving in Tokyo the previous night.

(The previous day, due to the effects of Typhoon No. 10, the Shinkansen was not running, so they took the Chuo Line to Shinjuku. They stayed at a hotel in Shinjuku.)

They planned to spend one more day in Tokyo, and the day after that, to depart from Narita Airport to return home.

With the typhoon approaching, the sky was cloudy, but we were not caught in much rain. That said, it became a tour with many rest breaks.

From Yokohama Station, we first headed to Kamakura. (It was the first time the guests had visited Kamakura and Yokohama.)

I gave an overview of "the history of Kamakura," "the Kamakura Shogunate and the subsequent samurai government," "the relationship between the imperial court, the emperor, and the shogun," and "Buddhism and Zen Buddhism."

After viewing the Great Buddha of Hase, we returned to Kamakura Station, walked along Komachi-dori Street to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. We then took a bus to Kita-Kamakura, strolled leisurely through the grounds of Meigetsuin Temple, and took a break at a coffee shop near the station.

The guests commented, "There is so much greenery, with intricate hills and valleys, and it is a calm residential area where many wealthy people seem to live. I live in a similar residential area on the outskirts of my home city."

From Kita-Kamakura Station, we went to Yokohama. I gave an overview of "the arrival of Commodore Perry," "the history of Yokohama," "the Meiji Restoration," and other topics.

We first went to the Red Brick Warehouse. We walked through the shops inside, and while taking a break at a coffee shop, a sudden shower came.

After this, we visited Yamashita Park and the interior of a hotel, then went to Chinatown.

One of the guests had lived in Asia for three years as a child, and commented, "It brings back nostalgic memories," and "There is a Chinatown in my home city too, but it is neither as large nor as impressive as this one."

They bought Chinese steamed buns as a souvenir.

They said, "Including Tokyo, everywhere in Japan the towns are clean and quiet, while towns back home are dirty," and "The Tokyo subway has especially frequent service, so it takes some getting used to, but once you get used to it, it is extremely convenient."

I saw them off at the Shonan-Shinjuku Line platform at Yokohama Station, and we parted ways.

Click here for more details: Yokohama & Kamakura in 1 Day Tour with Licensed Local 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.