Tokyo in One Day: Hanzomon Station & Kamiyacho Station — Guide Masa

What Is a Private Tokyo Day Tour Like for a First-Time Visitor? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guest was a first-time visitor to Japan from Europe.

The guest had arrived at Haneda Airport the previous night and planned to stay in Japan for two weeks. The day before, the guest had explored the area around the Imperial Palace and Ginza on foot.

This time, the guest was visiting Japan accompanying someone on their trip. On this day, that person could not join due to their schedule.

The plan was to stay in Tokyo for four days, then travel to Kyoto for two days (in Kyoto, they intended to sightsee together), then continue to another destination in Asia for about a week before returning home.

The guest expressed a strong interest in Japanese history and culture, and hoped to see cherry blossoms if possible.

It was a tour under almost hot weather.

First, we headed to Tokyo Skytree, which had been reserved in advance.

The guest said they wanted to get an overview of Tokyo as a whole.

The guest went up to the observation deck alone, while I waited at the elevator exit. Afterward, the guest remarked, "I now understand that Tokyo is truly a vast city," and, "There were clouds, so I couldn't see Mount Fuji."

We then moved to Asakusa.

Starting from the front of Kaminarimon Gate, I explained the history of Sensoji Temple and the transition from Edo to Tokyo, the purpose of the five-story pagoda, the basics of Buddhism, and the differences between Buddhism and Shinto.

We took commemorative photos at Kaminarimon, in front of the five-story pagoda, and at various other spots. The weeping cherry blossoms in the temple grounds had mostly fallen. We slowly strolled through the crowded Nakamise shopping street, which was full of visitors from overseas.

There were questions such as, "What is Japan's main religion?", "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", and "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people follow?"

There was also a question: "I see many people wearing kimono in the temple grounds. Why is that? Are they all Japanese?"

The guest purchased omamori charms as souvenirs.

We then went to Tsukiji, which was as crowded as ever. After a quick look around the Tsukiji Uogashi, we slowly strolled through the outer market. I explained the history of the fish market dating back to the Edo period, and the difference between Toyosu Market and the Tsukiji outer market.

There were questions and comments such as, "Do all Tokyo residents come here to buy fish?" and, "It's crowded, but it does seem like there are many tourists."

Wanting to try something, the guest sampled tuna sushi.

We then moved to Harajuku.

Meiji Shrine was full of visitors.

I explained about Shinto, the torii gate, Emperor Meiji, why sake barrels are displayed there, and why wine barrels are also displayed. There were questions such as, "What kind of religion is Shinto?" and, "How does Buddhism differ from Shinto?"

We also encountered a family celebrating Shichi-Go-San, and, with permission, took a photo.

We strolled through the very crowded Takeshita Street.

We took a short break at a nearby café.

From there, we headed to teamLab Borderless, which had been reserved for 15:30.

There were comments and questions such as, "The city is clean and there's no litter on the streets," "The public toilets are clean, and free too," "There are no trash cans on the streets. Why is that?", "Everyone is quiet on the trains," and, "There are vending machines everywhere."

There was also a comment comparing this to public transportation back home, noting that it was much dirtier there.

We parted ways at the entrance to teamLab Borderless.

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.