Tokyo in One Day: Hotel Gracery Shinjuku & Fukagawa Fudo — Guide Danda

What Is a Private Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Kiyosumi Garden, and Fukagawa Fudo-do

The guests were visiting Japan on a long trip. Since there had been only a single email exchange beforehand, I felt slightly uneasy, and because the hotel in question was full of international visitors, I anticipated that it would be difficult to identify the guests. For this reason, I emailed the hotel the morning before, and had them leave a message describing what I would be wearing on the day. At 8:00 the guests spotted me right away and the tour began smoothly. As it happened, a bonsai was on display, so I started with an explanation of that (since it is one of my own hobbies). The destinations were left up to me. We decided to go to Asakusa first, but we got so absorbed in conversation on the train that we passed the station where we were supposed to get off. In Asakusa the guests took an interest in all sorts of things and stopped each time, so it took more time than expected. As a result, I changed the order to Kiyosumi Garden first and Fukagawa Fudo-do afterward. At the omikuji fortune at Senso-ji, one of the guests drew a "bad luck" fortune saying that a new home and marriage were not for now. They looked at each other and burst out laughing. I reassured them not to worry, explaining that this is a place with so many "bad luck" fortunes that countless school-trip students tie them up there. Then, to everyone's relief, the other guest drew a "good luck" fortune indicating that marriage was fine, and that fortune was carefully tucked away in a bag. At Kiyosumi Garden we were greeted by friendly turtles and carp, and the guests were all smiles; one of them put a hand into the water and played with the carp until the very moment the fish opened its mouth to take it. Unlike other Japanese gardens, this place has a way of relaxing the atmosphere, which is wonderful. Since the guests said they liked sushi, we went to a sushi restaurant near the garden for lunch, and as we happened to get counter seats, they could watch the sushi being made and take photos, and they were very pleased with both the sushi and the miso soup made with shrimp shells. At Fukagawa Fudo-do, someone from the temple congratulated them on their marriage, and on that person's recommendation they purchased a goma-ki prayer stick for household safety, wrote their names and traditional ages on it, and took a commemorative photo. Afterward they watched the 13:00 goma fire ritual, and during it had their belongings purified as well. They said it was a truly wonderful experience and thanked me. After this they had a massage appointment booked in Shinjuku, so the tour ended. Unfortunately we were unable to visit Nezu Shrine, which was a slight regret for me, but I was grateful to have guided such a pleasant and kind group.

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

Tour Report by Danda

Nice to meet you. I am delighted to introduce myself. My nickname is Danda. I live in Saitama prefecture next to Tokyo, but I was brought up in Kanazawa, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan. My favorite things are bonsai and hiking. Also, I have been a big fun of history and sumo since my childhood. As for the guide, I have enjoyed making communication with foreign visitors since 2019. I have taken more than 30 private groups to not only major scenic spots but also their favorite places such as tea ceremony, maid cafe, sumo tournament, bonsai village, fire ritual and so on. I can arrange the original tour based on your requests and curiosity. It will be only for you. I look forward to meeting you soon. Thank you.