Tokyo in One Day: Tenkubashi Station & Shibuya Station — Guide Masa

Title: What Is a Private One-Day Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Shinjuku, Harajuku, and Shibuya

The guests were visiting Japan for the first time from North America, on a trip to mark a personal milestone. Two days before the tour, a request came in to have a longtime acquaintance, now based in Japan, join as well. The two weeks prior, they had taken a two-week cruise around Japan departing from Yokohama Port, returning to Yokohama a couple of days earlier. The previous day they had strolled around Ginza and other areas. They planned to return home from Haneda Airport the next day.

The tour took place under cloudy but surprisingly humid weather.

We first went to the observation deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku, which was crowded with tourists. Amid the crowds, I explained the various landmark buildings of Tokyo. Although the view was not very clear, the comment was, "I got a good sense of the layout of Tokyo — it's a vast, sprawling city."

We then moved to the east exit of Shinjuku. I explained "the origins of Shinjuku," "the differences between the east and west sides," and "the history of Kabukicho." The "Godzilla Head" and the "cat billboard" seemed to be favorites, and they were photographed enthusiastically. In "Shinjuku Golden Gai," almost all the shops were closed, but several groups of tourists were walking around.

After that, we moved to Harajuku. I explained "about Shinto," "about torii gates," "about 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 do Buddhism and Shinto differ?" After a break at the cafe terrace at Meiji Shrine, we also strolled along Takeshita Street.

From here we moved to Shibuya. We actually crossed the Scramble Crossing, and 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," "There are hardly any homeless people to be seen in the city," "The streets are clean and there is no litter," "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?", and "Next time I'd like to come in early spring and stay a while longer."

Here we parted from the acquaintance, and I saw the guest off at Tenkubashi Station, ending the tour.

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.