Tokyo in Half a Day: Tochomae Station & Harajuku Station — Guide Masa

Title: What Can You See on a Full-Day Private Tour of Tokyo from Asakusa to Meiji Shrine? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visitors from Europe, on their first trip to Japan. They arrived at Narita Airport the previous evening and took a taxi to their hotel. Because clearing customs took some time, they reportedly reached the hotel around 4:00 p.m. The previous day, they had strolled around the area near their hotel.

This time, they were on a ten-day trip to Japan. They planned to stay in Tokyo for four days, then travel by Shinkansen to Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara, before returning home by air from Kansai Airport.

Today, they wished to "take a quick walk around the city to get a feel for the traffic conditions, atmosphere, and general environment." It was a pleasant tour under clear skies and comfortable weather.

Since they wanted to buy a "Welcome Suica Card," we first went to the Ekitabi Concierge at Shinjuku Station (they said the line of tourists waiting to buy Suica Cards at the airport had been very long).

After the purchase, we moved to Asakusa. Starting from the front of Kaminarimon 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 differences between Buddhism and Shinto.

We took commemorative photos at Kaminarimon and various other spots, and slowly strolled through the crowded Nakamise shopping street. There were questions such as "What are the major religions in Japan?", "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", "What other religions do people follow besides Buddhism?", and "How many Christians are there?"

There was also a question: "We see many people wearing kimono within the temple grounds — why is that? Are they all Japanese?"

We then went to Rikugien Garden in Komagome. I explained about the origins and current state of Rikugien. The weeping cherry trees had completely turned to green leaves, but the azaleas were in full bloom. They remarked, "The Japanese garden is wonderful. The views are magnificent."

We moved on to Harajuku. Meiji Shrine was quite crowded with tourists. I explained about Shinto, torii gates, Emperor Meiji, why sake barrels are displayed, and why wine barrels are displayed. There were questions such as "What kind of religion is Shinto?" and "How do Buddhism and Shinto differ?"

We took a short break at Forest Terrace Meiji Jingu. There were comments and questions such as "The trains are so quiet — no one is talking loudly," "The city is clean with no litter on the ground," and "The public restrooms are clean."

We saw them off at Shinjuku Station and parted ways.

Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Half-Day 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.