Tokyo: Otemachi Station & Mitsukoshimae Station — Guide Masa

Can You Do a Private Sumo-Themed Day Tour of Tokyo? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a family visiting Japan for the first time from North America. They had relocated to North America some years ago. This time they were on a short trip to Japan. After spending a few days in Tokyo, they planned to visit Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara, then return to Tokyo before heading home. They had arrived at Narita Airport a couple of days earlier and taken a taxi to a B&B near Ueno Station. The previous day, they had explored the Ueno area.

The guests were big fans of sumo, saying, "We'd love to visit various places related to sumo." They were also all vegetarian.

It was a clear but rather chilly day for the tour.

We met in front of the entrance to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace and started there. As always, it was full of tourists.

I explained about "Japanese history from the Edo period to the Meiji era," "the Meiji Restoration," "why Edo Castle became the Imperial Palace," "the Tokyo air raids," and "the construction methods of the castle's stone walls."

There were questions and comments such as "What happened to the shoguns and samurai after the Meiji Restoration?", "Does the current Emperor of Japan hold any political power?", and "Which emperor reigned in which era?"

They remarked, "It's wonderful that there's such a large green park in the middle of the city center."

We then moved to Ryogoku.

We took our time exploring the Ryogoku Kokugikan (the museum and souvenir shop were open) and other spots. As a memento, they purchased "sumo T-shirts."

I explained about "the history and current state of sumo," "sumo stables," "the daily life of sumo wrestlers," and "the history of Ryogoku," among other topics.

The guests were very knowledgeable about sumo and asked many detailed, in-depth questions.

They said, "We're debating whether we should go watch the early morning practice at a sumo stable."

Since the guests really wanted to eat vegetarian ramen, we went to "T's TAN TAN Ecute Ueno."

We waited in line for 15 minutes. They said, "It was extremely delicious."

After this, they said, "We want to get to know old Tokyo," so we went to Nihonbashi.

We took our time strolling through Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi and other long-established stores.

They said, "It had a calm atmosphere and we really enjoyed it."

There were comments and questions such as "The city is so clean and there's no litter" and "Is it safe to walk around late at night?"

There was also a question: "Why aren't there hand dryers in the public restrooms?"

I saw them off at Ueno Station, and we parted ways.

Click here for more details: Edo Tokyo History & Culture Tour with Licensed Local 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.