Tokyo in One Day: Shibuya & Meiji-jingumae — Guide Masa

What's a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Tsukiji, Harajuku, and Shibuya

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from North America. The group had relocated from Asia many years ago. They had arrived in Japan a few days earlier, and after staying near a theme park, they arrived at their hotel by taxi this morning.

Their overseas trip was mainly to visit relatives in Asia. After staying there for a while, they stopped in Japan on their way home, saying they intended to enjoy a short vacation. They planned to enjoy shopping the next day and to fly home the day after.

The tour took place under cloudy skies in fairly hot and humid weather. Throughout the entire route, we moved while pushing a stroller and using elevators.

First, we headed to Asakusa. As always, we made our way through the huge crowds while pushing the stroller. We started in front of Kaminarimon Gate. I explained about "Sensoji Temple and the history from Edo to Tokyo," "what the five-story pagoda is for," "what Buddhism is," and "the difference between Buddhism and Shinto."

We took commemorative photos at Kaminarimon, in front of the five-story pagoda, and at various other spots. We took a leisurely stroll along the Nakamise shopping street. There were questions such as "What are the major religions in Japan?", "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people follow?", and "Are there Catholics in Japan?"

After this, we headed to Tsukiji. As usual, it was extremely crowded with tourists. We strolled through the "Tsukiji Uogashi" and then went to the "Outer Market." I explained about "the history of Tokyo's fish market since the Edo period" and "the difference between Toyosu Market and the Tsukiji Outer Market."

There were questions and comments such as "Do all Tokyo residents come here to buy fish?" and "It's crowded, but it does seem like there are a lot of tourists."

Since they had not had breakfast, they wanted to eat sushi here, so we went to a sushi restaurant.

After that, we moved to Harajuku. I explained about "Shinto," "torii gates," "Emperor Meiji," "why sake barrels are displayed," and "why wine barrels are displayed." There were questions such as "What kind of religion is Shinto?", "This is completely different from Sensoji Temple," and "How are Buddhism and Shinto different?"

We took a leisurely break at a cafe near Meiji Shrine.

From here, we moved to Shibuya. We actually crossed the scramble crossing at Shibuya. There were questions such as "Why do so many people gather here?" and "Why did it become so famous?"

We also took photos in front of the Hachiko statue. There were comments and questions such as "Japanese people are all quiet and polite. It's quite different from New York," "The city is clean and there is no litter on the ground," and "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?"

I saw them off at their hotel, and 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.