Tokyo in One Day: Azabujuban Station & Hibiya Station — Guide Masa

What's a Full-Day Private Tour of Tokyo's Hidden Spots Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group of five visiting from North America. Some of them were visiting Japan for the first time. Some of the guests had spent twelve days in Asia before arriving at Narita Airport this morning, while another had flown in from North America the day before. This visit was part of a twelve-day trip to Japan.

They planned to stay in Tokyo for three days, then visit Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara at a leisurely pace before returning to Tokyo and heading home.

For today, they wished to visit the main sights in the city, but specifically "places that ordinary tourists don't often visit." It was a tour under cloudy but hot and humid weather.

First, at their request, we went to Hamarikyu Gardens. I explained "the history of Edo and Tokyo," "the Edo shogunate," "the origins and history of Hamarikyu Gardens," and "duck hunting." We strolled slowly through the garden while taking photos. They remarked, "A garden surrounded by buildings is similar to Central Park in New York," and "Japanese gardens really are wonderful." They also mentioned that they planned to take part in a tea ceremony experience in Kyoto.

Next, to Asakusa. I guided them through the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center and on to Kaminarimon. Starting from 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 and various other spots, and strolled slowly through the crowded Nakamise shopping street. There were questions such as "What are the main religions of Japan?", "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", and "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people follow?" The guests purchased omamori charms as souvenirs.

We moved on to Nippori. I explained "the history and current state of the Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi areas." Yanaka Ginza was very crowded with visitors from overseas. They commented, "Compared to other parts of Tokyo, this is quiet and calm, and this is the kind of place we wanted to come to."

From there, we moved to Nezu Shrine. At Nezu Shrine, we passed through the torii gates of the Inari shrine and paid our respects. We met a family celebrating Shichi-Go-San and, with their permission, took a photo. I explained "what Shinto is" and "the difference between Buddhism and Shinto." They said, "Compared to Asakusa, this is quieter, and I prefer it here."

They expressed a wish to have a light dinner somewhere, so we went to Hibiya Chanter. After browsing around, we went to a soba restaurant. They ordered kamo nanban soba. There were comments and questions such as "The streets are clean and there's no litter," "There are no trash cans on the streets. Why is that?", and "Everyone is quiet on the trains. It's different from New York."

I saw them off at Azabu-Juban 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.