Tokyo in Half a Day: Sensoji Temple & Shibuya Crossing — Guide Danda

Title: What Is a Private Family Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Meiji Shrine, and Shibuya

The guests were a group visiting from Europe. From the first contact through a time change the day before, communication was handled entirely through their agency, but oddly a different representative got in touch each time. Although we were able to meet successfully at the hotel, one of the guests suddenly did not want to visit shrines or temples and stayed at the hotel, and another of the guests, who had tried to persuade them, was in a slightly displeased mood when we started. Later, at Sensoji Temple, another of the guests complained of a stomachache and ended up lying down on a bench in the rain. I asked the group whether I should take them to a hospital, but they said it was not necessary (I did call [Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.)](https://www.j-g-a.org/), and thank you again for your help at that time). In the end, however, the condition did not improve, and one of the guests took the person back to the hotel. What had been five people at the 10:00 meeting soon became four, and finally just two, who strolled around Meiji Shrine, Takeshita Street, and Togo Shrine, and we parted ways at the Nintendo shop in Shibuya. Since I did not have one guest's contact details, I sent information about the international clinic near Tokyo Station to another guest's messaging app so it could be shared. One of the guests said, "This happens all the time, so please don't worry; it's probably mental." Under such circumstances, it was a little hard to grasp what interested the guest, but they reacted very strongly to the mini-pig cafe on Takeshita Street and the koi carp at Togo Shrine, showing the biggest smile of the day, so perhaps they had calmed down, or perhaps they simply liked modern places and animals. One of the guests apparently has a Japanese friend and looked at everything Japanese with great interest, and even knew some Japanese. This very friendly guest, who created a nice atmosphere, asked as we finished Asakusa, "This is chaos, isn't it?" and "Has anything like this ever happened in your guiding before?" As usual, what the agency had said was not shared with the guests, and the destinations were mostly decided on the spot. When I learned the guest was interested in Nintendo, and since it was raining and I thought it would be better to take them indoors, we finished at the Nintendo shop (there had been information from the group that they planned to go to Shibuya at night). When we took a commemorative photo there (I'm not good at taking photos, so almost none of the Nintendo goods appear in the background), one of the guests said, "Sorry it ended up being just two of us." I had thought they might be worried about the others, but I was relieved to see them afterward enjoying their shopping. I hope the others recover their mood and health and that the group has a wonderful trip in Japan.

Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local 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.