Tokyo Customized Half-Day Tour — Guide Lance

Title: What Is a Private Family Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Tsukiji, Kiyosumi Garden, and Asakusa

The guests were a group visiting from North America, including a young child. The child kindly went into the elevator first and pressed the "open" button for everyone.

At Tsukiji, the group bought souvenirs for friends, including three kitchen knives worth 17,000 yen at one shop, as well as several pieces of pottery such as chopstick rests at another.

At Namiyoke Shrine, the group purchased a lion-head charm and a wave-pattern good-luck charm. I was told the omikuji fortunes here never include the "bad luck" result. The group drew "great blessing," "middle blessing," and "small blessing." The child asked me to read the characters written inside the mouth of the lion-head charm. The letters were too small to read, so I took a photo and enlarged it, and found the vertical writing that read "Namiyoke Shrine."

At Kiyosumi Garden, one of the guests asked about the straw wrapping around the pine trees, and I shared what I had learned in my training: that pests hibernate inside the straw, which is then burned. The child was delighted to see ducks, turtles, and a grey heron, and skillfully filmed them and showed me the video. I told them, "You could become a YouTuber in the future." The child asked me, "Mr. Lance, is this your first day as a guide?" and I replied, "Why do you think so? Do I look that young?"

At the Fukagawa Edo Museum, one of the guests fluently explained the Japanese panels to the child in English, so I asked in surprise, "Can you read Japanese?" — but it turned out they were reading the English explanation written just below at an angle.

In Asakusa, the child bought a sword ornament and a tengu mask. When asked "What is this?" I answered "a monster." Later I looked it up and explained that it has supernatural powers, kidnaps children, and either eats them or trains them to become its successor. On the approach to Senso-ji Temple, I explained that the White Heron Dance, the Seven Lucky Gods Dance, and the Golden Dragon Dance depicted in the historical picture scrolls are performed on festival days, and one of the guests asked me "When are the festivals?" They are held on November 3rd, February 3rd, and the 18th of March and October, respectively.

The group had a photo studio booked at 2:00 to take commemorative pictures in traditional kimono. They planned to have a light lunch at a fast-food restaurant before heading there, so we parted ways on Kannon-dori Street.

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Tour Report by Lance

I have been working as a tour guide once a week since 2024.
I grew up in Osaka and studied in Kyoto,
I have been working for the lvestock division of the national organization of agricultural cooperatives.
Japan depends on imports for most of its livestock feed ingredients.
I visited 10 countries on business and stayed in New Orleans working for a subsidiary company for 3 years.
I visited 10 other countries with my wife for sightseeing.
I also started writing Haiku, Japanese traditional poem, after retiring.
One of my favorite is ” Bundled up, you are like a Matryoshka.”
Looking forward to see you!