Tokyo in One Day: Tochomae & Shinjuku-sanchome — Guide Masa

Can You Do a Private One-Day Tour of Tokyo? A Licensed Guide's Report on Shibamata, Asakusa, Meiji Shrine, and Shinjuku

The guests were two friends visiting Japan for the first time from Oceania. Two days earlier, they arrived at Haneda Airport via a connecting flight and made their way to their accommodation by train. The previous day, they had gone to teamLab (Shin-Toyosu), but were unable to enter because they had not made a reservation, so they explored Ginza and Akihabara instead. They planned to stay in Japan for ten days. In addition to Tokyo, they would visit Hida-Takayama, Kanazawa, and Hiroshima, before flying from Kansai Airport to another destination in Asia. They planned to stay there for four days before returning home. They said, "We came to Japan on the recommendation of a friend who had traveled here before." One of the guests followed a vegetarian diet. Under cloudy skies (though it did not rain), the tour proceeded with several rest breaks.

From Shinjuku, we first headed to Katsushika Shibamata. We explored the approach path, Taishakuten Temple, and Yamamoto-tei. The comments were, "It's a calm, quiet place," and "We know the Tora-san stories well." From here, we went to Asakusa. Passing through Kaminarimon and the Nakamise shopping street to the main hall, I explained "the history of Senso-ji and the transition from Edo to Tokyo" and "the difference between Buddhism and Shinto." There were questions such as, "Do all Japanese people believe in Buddhism?" and "What kind of teaching is Buddhism?" Regarding the crowds, there was also a question: "This is completely different from Taishakuten — why is that?"

We moved on to Harajuku. At Meiji Shrine, I again explained "the difference between Shinto and Buddhism." I also explained "the Meiji Restoration," "Emperor Meiji," and "the Japanese Imperial Family." The comment was, "It's wonderful that there is such a green place in the middle of the city." We had lunch at a café within the grounds. Both guests love Japanese soba, so they chose soba. After this, there was a request to be shown around the east exit of Shinjuku, so we went to Shinjuku 3-chome. We explored "Shinjuku Golden Gai" (though all the shops were closed), "Kabukicho," and "Omoide Yokocho." We also saw the Godzilla Head. The comments were, "The atmosphere is completely different from other neighborhoods in the city," and "We definitely want to visit Golden Gai at night." There were also comments such as, "The whole city is clean. There's no litter on the streets," "The public restrooms are clean and pleasant," "The subway is quiet and clean," and "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?" I saw them off at the west exit of Shinjuku Station, where 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.