Tokyo in One Day: Tochomae Station & Shibuya Station — Guide Masa

Can You Do a Full-Day Private Tour of Tokyo Covering Asakusa, Yanaka, Meiji Shrine, and Shibuya? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were two families visiting Japan from North America. This trip was a two-week stay in Japan. The first week was spent in Tokyo, and the latter half was planned for Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara. The previous evening, they arrived at Narita Airport via a connecting flight. They took the Narita Express to Shinjuku. The previous night, after strolling around near their hotel, they had dinner at the hotel. They planned to visit teamLab the next day. Everyone had already purchased SUICA cards. The tour took place under clear skies, in wonderfully pleasant weather. First, since they very much wanted to reserve the shinkansen to Kyoto in advance, we went to the Ekitabi Concierge at Shinjuku Station. After this, we took the subway to Asakusa. As always, it was extremely crowded. I explained about "Sensoji Temple and the history from Edo to Tokyo," "what a five-story pagoda is," "what Buddhists are," 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 Shinto?" They drew an omikuji fortune and purchased an omamori charm (praying for a university acceptance). We strolled through the Nakamise shopping street and they bought a "beckoning cat" as a souvenir. Along the way, they also bought and sampled "strawberry candy" and "melon bread." From here, we moved to the Yanaka-Nezu-Sendagi area, which they had requested. I explained about "the history of Yanaka Ginza." They said, "It's pleasant to feel the atmosphere of old Tokyo." At Nezu Shrine, they photographed "the carp in the pond." They also passed through the torii gates and took commemorative photos. (They mentioned, "We also plan to visit Fushimi Inari in Kyoto.") From here, we went to Hibiya Chanter for lunch. Since some of the guests had specific dietary needs, the two families entered separate restaurants. We took a short break. After lunch, we moved to Harajuku. First, we went to Meiji Shrine. I explained about "what Shinto is," "the difference between Buddhism and Shinto," "the history of Edo and the Meiji Restoration," "Emperor Meiji," and "the Japanese imperial family." They said, "It's wonderful that there is such a green park in the center of the city." We also strolled through Takeshita Street and Cat Street. They said, "We love vintage clothing. We'll come back again tomorrow." We moved to Shibuya. I explained about "the history of Shibuya." We walked across the "Scramble Square" and took commemorative photos in front of the Hachiko statue. They also commented, "Japanese people are all so polite," "There's no litter on the streets," "The public restrooms in Japan are clean and pleasant," and "There are no homeless people to be seen." They also commented, "The inside of the subway is clean and quiet. It's completely different from the subway back home." I saw them off to Shinjuku Station and we parted ways.

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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.