Tokyo in One Day: Purchase Shinkansen tickets — Guide Sam

Title: What's a Local-Style Private Day in Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visitors from Europe, one of whom had been to Japan before for travel, while the other was visiting for the first time. They wanted to experience how local people really spend their days, so they preferred not to visit typical tourist spots. Because of this, I suggested places like a discount variety store, a 100-yen shop, and a picnic in advance, and with their agreement, and thanks to the clear weather, we went ahead with the plan.

First, they mentioned that they had booked a hotel in Kyoto for the day after next but had not yet reserved a bullet train ticket. I explained that they needed to buy one quickly, as tickets could sell out, so we purchased it right away. They also wanted to buy an IC card, but since they had no Japanese yen at all, they could not buy a Suica. We tried to withdraw Japanese yen from an ATM using a credit card, but it did not work no matter how many times we tried (likely because it was a card issued overseas). We also tried to exchange the only 50 pounds they had at a currency exchange machine, but it was too creased to be accepted. The banks were closed for the holidays as well. However, when they bought a drink at a convenience store near Shinjuku-gyoemmae Station, we found a Japan Post Bank ATM that accepted international cards, and they were finally able to withdraw cash.

At the department store food floor, they said, "There's so much, I can't choose!" and bought a salmon bento. We had a picnic at Shinjuku Gyoen and enjoyed the Japanese garden, and afterwards we went to a coffee shop right in front of the hotel, but there was a wait of six groups, so instead they enjoyed matcha milk, matcha cheesecake, and Mont Blanc at another café.

The guests were very satisfied, saying that they had truly experienced a Japanese day off.

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

Tour Report by Sam

Hi, I’m Sam.
I am happy to welcome you all to Japan.

Since I was a child, my parents welcomed many international students into our home and I had many opportunities to interact with them. My mother is a translator, and I have always seen her guiding foreigners around Japan, so it was natural for me to start doing the same.

I am good at guiding people to popular places such as Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku, and Asakusa, as well as photogenic spots in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Since I was a child, I’ve watched anime like Pokémon and played Nintendo games, and I still buy around 100 manga comic books a month. I love shopping in Akihabara! I currently live in Urayasu City, Chiba, so close that I can see fireworks from Disneyland from my house every night.

Please feel free to ask me anything!