Tokyo in Half a Day: Departure: Tokyo & Shibuya — Guide Masa

Title: What Can You See on a One-Day Private Tour of Tokyo? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, the Imperial Palace, and Shibuya

The guests were a group visiting Japan for work-related meetings, coming from various regions around the world (North America, Europe, Asia, and others). It was everyone's first visit to Japan.

The tour was arranged based on their wish to "see at least a little of Tokyo before the meetings and training start tomorrow." They had all arrived in Japan either the night before or that morning, gathered at a hotel in Yokohama, and then headed to Tokyo Station, meeting at a hotel.

They were staying in Japan for only a short period, planning to return home after their meetings and training.

For today's tour, they said they "wanted to get an overall impression of Tokyo."

The tour took place under cloudy skies.

First, we went to Asakusa.

We passed through the Nakamise shopping street from Kaminarimon Gate to the main hall. As it was during a holiday period, it was extremely crowded.

I explained about "Senso-ji Temple and the history from Edo to Tokyo," "what a five-story pagoda is," and "the difference between Buddhism and Shinto."

There were questions such as "What are the lanterns for?", "Do all Japanese people believe in Buddhism?", and "What kind of teachings does Buddhism offer?"

We moved on to the Imperial Palace.

I explained about "the transition from the Edo period to the Meiji era," "the Meiji Restoration," "why Edo Castle became the Imperial Palace," and "the current challenges facing the Imperial Family."

They commented, "The pine trees are beautiful" and "I really like the Japanese garden." There were also questions such as "Does the Emperor really live inside here?"

Since they wanted to have lunch somewhere and mentioned that dietary considerations applied to part of the group, we went to an Indian restaurant in the basement of a hotel. Taking their time, with some enjoying beer, they savored their lunch.

We moved on to Shibuya. After viewing the scramble crossing from the passage toward the Keio Inokashira Line, we went down and crossed the intersection back and forth.

There were also questions such as "Why are there so many people here? Are most of them Japanese, or are most of them travelers?" and "What was it like during Halloween?"

They also commented, "The city is so clean. There's no litter on the ground," "There are no trash cans on the streets," "The public restrooms are clean and pleasant," and "The subway is quiet, clean, and reassuring."

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

Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Half-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.