Tokyo: Otemachi/Hotel & Shibuya — Guide Masa

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

The guests were visitors coming to Japan, together with a member of the group currently studying at a university in North America. It was the first visit to Japan for all of them.

They arrived at Haneda Airport the previous evening and took a taxi to their hotel.

This trip was a 12-day visit to Japan. They would stay in Tokyo, then travel to Kanazawa, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima, before returning to Tokyo and then heading home.

Today, they wished to see the famous sights of Tokyo at a glance.

It was a tour under clear skies, warm enough to feel hot at times.

First, at the guests' request, we visited Gotokuji Temple.

I explained the history of Gotokuji Temple, the origin of the maneki-neko (beckoning cat), and related topics.

I also explained the history of Edo and Tokyo, and about the Edo shogunate.

The guests said they both love cats, so they purchased maneki-neko figurines, wrote names on them, and dedicated them.

From here, we moved east to Nezu Shrine.

At Nezu Shrine, we passed through the torii gates of the Inari shrine and paid our respects. We came across a family celebrating Shichi-Go-San, and with their permission, took photographs.

I explained what Shinto is and the differences between Buddhism and Shinto.

We moved to Nippori. I explained the history and current state of the Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi areas. However, Yanaka Ginza was extremely crowded with international tourists.

The guests commented, "Compared to other parts of Tokyo, this is quiet and calm; this is the kind of place we wanted to visit."

We moved to Harajuku and visited Meiji Shrine.

Once again I explained about Shinto, torii gates, Emperor Meiji, why sake barrels are displayed, why wine barrels are displayed, and related topics.

There were questions such as, "How do Buddhism and Shinto differ?"

A wedding ceremony was taking place, and we photographed the procession.

We took a short break at Forest Terrace Meiji Jingu.

We also strolled along Takeshita Street. The guests were bewildered by the sheer crowds.

We moved to Shibuya, which was extremely crowded.

Afterward, we looked at Scramble Square and walked across the crossing. There were questions such as, "Why are so many people gathered here?", "About how many people cross at once?", and "Why did it become so famous?"

We also took photographs in front of the Hachiko statue.

There were comments and questions such as, "Tokyo's streets are clean and there is no litter," "Many people are well dressed," and "There are no trash bins on the streets. Why is that?"

Finally, I saw them off at the entrance of their hotel, and we parted ways.

Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Private Tour by Car 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.