Tochigi in One Day: Board the bus & Futarasan Shrine — Guide Yumi

Title: What Is a Private Guided Tour of Nikko's Toshogu Shrine Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visitors from North America.

When we met at Tobu Nikko Station, they seemed a little unhappy at first. When I asked, it turned out they had taken a taxi from their hotel to Tobu Nikko Station and found the fare higher than expected. In advance, I had emailed them several options for getting from Kinugawa to Nikko, including the travel times and comparative costs of taxi and train. They had chosen to come by train, and I had provided the train times and transfer details. They had said they were experienced travelers and would be fine, so I felt reassured, but in the end they missed the train and came by taxi. (The fare was almost exactly what I had told them it would be.)

Afterward, they wanted to have a coffee before the tour, so I kindly asked a café that had not yet opened to make coffee a little early for us. As we relaxed and talked through the day's plan, their mood recovered, which was a relief.

One of the guests had a great many questions and often interrupted my usual flow of explanation with difficult topics. Because I then tried to explain things in a way that would satisfy them, the discussion expanded into a very wide range of subjects and took longer than planned. The questions I found especially difficult to address to their satisfaction included: "Japanese culture — gardens, the tea ceremony, temples, and shrines — is calm, peaceful, and beautiful, yet the same eras that produced them were full of samurai, conflict, killing, and seppuku. The images don't match. Why?"; "Shinto reveres nature, yet large modern companies destroy nature and create pollution. How do companies reconcile this?"; "Japan has many kinds of Buddhist statues, but Buddha was originally one person, so why are there so many types?"; "People say the Edo period was peaceful, but there were several massacres during it, weren't there?"; "The carvings of the Yomeimon Gate include many legends from China. Why China? What is the relationship with China today?"; "How did Japanese writing develop? How many kanji are there?"; "What kind of education did children receive during the Second World War?"; "What do you think of the new Prime Minister?" They also asked about my parents, including questions about the cause of a family illness and whether it was related to food. Some of these questions have no clear answer, and others are beyond what I can know. Having so many questions shows a strong interest in Japan, so I tried to answer as sincerely and knowledgeably as I could, but it was very challenging. The other guest gently tried to calm the questions.

Near Toshogu Shrine, there were many students on school trips. A student who came from Aizu spoke to the guests, who answered with a smile. One of the guests is a schoolteacher and was very warm toward them. After the exchange with the students ended, the guests asked where they were from, and when I said Fukushima Prefecture, they exclaimed, "Fukushima — isn't that the site of the nuclear accident! How terrible!" I explained that Aizu is far from the nuclear plant and relatively unaffected, but they still asked whether it was truly safe — what about the trees in the mountains, the animals, and the food from Fukushima Prefecture that circulates in the market? As a former resident of Fukushima Prefecture, this is a subject I know well, so I talked about decontamination efforts, the meticulous radiation testing of food from Fukushima Prefecture (with rice being inspected bag by bag), and the efforts of the local people. However, the negative image seemed fixed, and I was constantly met with counterarguments. I felt a sense of frustration that the negative impression of the nuclear accident cannot be easily dispelled. In the end, all I could say was that I myself was a resident of Fukushima Prefecture at the time and am perfectly healthy.

One of the guests teaches English and kindly corrected a few of my pronunciations. The corrections were on very basic L and R distinctions, such as "word" and "bird," so I was grateful. I want to be mindful going forward so that my pronunciation does not confuse guests.

I did my best to meet their expectations, though honestly I am not confident whether they were satisfied. I was thoroughly exhausted, but it was a valuable opportunity that reminded me to study more broadly.

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

Tour Report by Yumi

Hello! My name is Yumi. The Nikko area, Nasu area, in Tochigi Prefecture, and Aizu and Shirakawa area in Fukushima prefecture, where I will be guiding you, are not only surrounded by beautiful nature in all four seasons but are also full of historical attractions. Nikko, in particular, is a great place to learn about the culture and history that has shaped Japan to this day. In order for you to truly enjoy your day, I am flexible to your wishes and will prepare your day to be a great day. Because I am a local guide, you will surely see some sights that are not in the guidebooks. Is local food one of your favorite parts of your trip? I am also a sushi-making instructor for foreigners, so food is one of my specialties. I am also a certified sake navigator. Why don’t you come and enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with me?