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

What Does a Private One-Day Tour of Tokyo Look Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Tsukiji, Meiji Shrine, and Shibuya

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from North America. This was their first visit to Japan for everyone in the group.

They had arrived at Haneda Airport the previous evening and taken a taxi to their hotel. They mentioned that they had enjoyed dinner at a yakiniku restaurant near their hotel the night before.

They were staying in Tokyo only briefly, after which they planned to travel to Osaka and tour the Kansai region before continuing on to further destinations. They said they would return home after that.

"Today, we'd like to visit the main spots in Tokyo," they said. It was a clear but somewhat chilly day for the tour.

First, we headed to Asakusa.

We started in front of the Kaminarimon Gate. One of the guests waited at the Starbucks near the gate. I explained about "Senso-ji 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 the Kaminarimon, in front of the five-story pagoda, and at various other spots. We strolled slowly along the Nakamise shopping street.

They asked, "What are the main religions in Japan?" "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?" "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people believe in?" One of them mentioned that their family sometimes visits temples back home.

Next we moved to Tsukiji and strolled slowly through the market area.

I explained about "the history of the fish market since the Edo period" and "the difference between Toyosu Market and the Tsukiji Outer Market."

They asked questions and made comments such as "Can we see the tuna auction?" "Do all Tokyo residents come here to buy fish?" and "It's crowded, but it does seem like there are a lot of tourists."

They purchased "tuna sushi" and sampled it while standing.

At Meiji Shrine, I explained about "Shinto," "the torii gate," "Emperor Meiji," "why sake barrels are displayed," and "why wine barrels are displayed."

They asked questions such as "What kind of religion is Shinto?" and "How is Buddhism different from Shinto?"

After a break at the Cafe Terrace Meiji Jingu, we also strolled along Takeshita Street.

From here, we moved to Shibuya.

We actually crossed the Scramble Crossing. They asked, "Why do so many people gather here?" and "Why did it become so famous?"

We also took photos in front of the Hachiko statue.

They made comments and asked questions such as "The city is so clean and there's no litter on the ground," "There don't seem to be any homeless people," and "Why aren't there any trash cans on the streets?"

I saw them off at Shinjuku 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.