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

Can You Do a Private One-Day Tour of Tokyo's Main Sights? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group of visitors from Oceania. It was everyone's first visit to Japan. They had arrived at Narita Airport the previous night and taken a taxi to their hotel.

This time they were on a two-week trip in Japan. They planned to stay in Tokyo for three days, then travel around Kanazawa, Toyama, Kyoto, and Osaka, before returning home from Kansai Airport.

They said, "Today we'd like to visit the main spots in Tokyo."

One of the guests had difficulty walking (with surgery scheduled soon), so there was a request to "please proceed slowly, and use elevators and escalators wherever possible."

It was a fine day, though somewhat chilly, and this was the setting for the tour.

First, since they wanted "Shinkansen tickets," we went to the travel concierge at Ueno Station.

While there, we also purchased Suica cards for everyone.

From here, we first moved to Asakusa.

We started from the front of Kaminarimon Gate. One of the guests waited at the Starbucks near the gate. I explained "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 spots. We strolled slowly through the Nakamise shopping street.

They asked, "What is the main religion in Japan?" "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?" "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people follow?" and mentioned that some of the guests occasionally visit temples in North America.

We moved to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. One of the guests waited at the rest area near the entrance.

I explained about "Japan's history from Edo to Meiji," "the Meiji Restoration," "why Edo Castle became the Imperial Palace," "the history of the Imperial family," "World War II and the Tokyo air raids," and "how the stone walls were built."

There were questions and comments such as, "What happened to the shoguns and samurai after the Meiji Restoration?" "Does the current Emperor of Japan have any political authority?" "Who is the next Emperor?" "Can a woman become Emperor?" and "How many members of the Imperial family are there in total?"

After this, they said, "We really want to have sushi for lunch," so we went to a sushi restaurant in Shibuya.

They seemed satisfied. They commented, "There are sushi restaurants where we come from too, but they are expensive and lower in quality."

We moved to Harajuku.

At the guests' request, we strolled through the crowded Takeshita Street.

They purchased a few T-shirts.

From here, we moved to Shibuya.

We actually crossed the Scramble Crossing. There were questions such as "Why do so many people gather here?" and "Why did it become famous?"

We also took photos in front of the Hachiko statue.

There were comments and questions such as "The streets are clean and there's no litter," "There are no homeless people to be seen," "Is it safe to walk around late at night?" and "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?"

I saw the group off at Shiodome Station, 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.