Tokyo in One Day: Ginza Station & Roppongi Station — Guide Masa

Title: What's a Private One-Day Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Meiji Shrine, the Imperial Palace, and Asakusa

The guests were visitors from North America, and it was their first time in Japan. They arrived at Narita Airport the previous evening, took the Narita Express to Tokyo Station, and then walked to their hotel. This visit to Japan was for about a week, with three days in Tokyo, followed by visits to Kyoto and Osaka, and then a departure to Hong Kong, where they planned to stay before returning home. They mentioned that relatives and friends had traveled to Japan for sightseeing, and inspired by them, they had decided to visit.

The tour took place in almost hot weather.

First, we headed to Harajuku and Meiji Shrine. One of the guests enjoyed photography and wanted to capture "beautiful scenery" in Japan. I explained about the torii gates, Emperor Meiji, the history of Edo and Tokyo, and the Meiji Restoration.

At the iris garden, the irises had not yet bloomed. However, the azaleas were almost in full bloom, and photos were taken here and there. Afterward, we encountered a wedding procession within the grounds and took photographs.

We then moved to the Imperial Palace and strolled through the East Gardens. The cherry blossoms had mostly fallen, which was a bit disappointing. I explained about the history from the Edo period to the Meiji era, as well as "why did Edo Castle become the Imperial Palace?" and gave an overview of the current Imperial family. There were also comments such as "the pine trees are beautiful, like bonsai," and questions like "does the Japanese Emperor hold political power?" and "who will be the next Emperor?"

From there we went to Ueno Station. Since the reservation for the Shinkansen to Kyoto had not yet been made, we purchased the tickets.

After this, we headed to Rikugien Garden. The weeping cherry tree at the entrance had already lost its blossoms, but there was a comment: "the Japanese garden is wonderful. I would love to create one in my own garden at home." The azaleas were beginning to bloom beautifully, which was delightful.

We took a break at a teahouse, where one of the guests ordered kitsune udon, mentioning having occasionally experienced Japanese food in the city center.

Finally, we went to Asakusa. It was extremely crowded with people. Drawing omikuji fortunes, one guest got "bad luck" and the other got "small blessing," which was somewhat disappointing. There was a comment: "we went to Vietnam last year, and the atmosphere of the temples is somewhat similar." We slowly strolled through the Nakamise shopping street.

There were also comments and questions such as "there is no trash on the streets and it is clean," "there are no homeless people to be seen," "the city center back home is full of homeless people," and "why are there no trash cans on the streets?" There were also comments like "the trains and subways are clean and quiet, with no one talking loudly," and "the public restrooms are clean."

At the guests' request to be taken to Roppongi to meet an acquaintance living in Japan, I saw them off at Roppongi Station / the entrance to Roppongi Hills, 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.