Tour Itinerary
- 8:00 Meeting point: Aloft Tokyo Ginza
- 8:10 Depart Higashi-ginza Station
- (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line)
- Ginza Station
- (Tokyo Metro Ginza Line)
- 8:50 Arrive Asakusa Station
- Asakusa Sensoji Temple
- Nakamise Shopping Street
- Asakusa Shrine
- 9:30 Depart Asakusa Station
- (Tokyo Metro Ginza Line)
- Nihombashi Station
- (Tokyo Metro Tozai Line)
- 9:50 Arrive Otemachi Station
- Tokyo East Gardens of the Imperial Palace
- Nijubashi Bridge
- 10:30 Depart Nijubashimae Station
- (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line)
- 10:50 Arrive Meiji-jingumae Station
- Harajuku Meiji Shrine
- Break: Forest Terrace Meiji Jingu
- Takeshita Street
- 12:00 Depart Meiji-jingumae Station
- (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line)
- Omotesando Station
- (Tokyo Metro Ginza Line)
- 12:10 Arrive Shibuya Station
- Shibuya Scramble Crossing
- Hachiko Statue
- 12:30 Depart Shibuya Station
- (Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line)
- 13:00 Arrive Shinjuku-sanchome Station
- Shinjuku Shinjuku Golden Gai
- Kabukicho
- Omoide Yokocho
- 14:00 Depart Shinjuku Station
- (Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line)
- Akasaka-mitsuke Station
- (Tokyo Metro Ginza Line)
- 14:30 Arrive Ginza Station
- 14:30 Dismissal: Ginza Station
Title: What's a Full-Day Private Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, the Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine, Shibuya, and Shinjuku The guests were visitors from North America, and it was their first time in Japan. They were on a trip to Japan, having arrived at Haneda Airport and then traveled by Shinkansen to Osaka the following day. After touring Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nara, and Koyasan, they arrived in Tokyo the previous night. They planned to return home from Haneda Airport the following evening. They mentioned that they had strolled around Ginza the night before, and that the next morning they would visit Toyosu Market and Tsukiji Market. Their request was, "We would like to see as many spots as possible in a short amount of time." It was a hot and humid day for the tour. From Higashi-Ginza Station, we first headed to Asakusa. As always, it was crowded with large numbers of people. We started from the front of Kaminarimon Gate. I explained about "Sensoji 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 in front of Kaminarimon Gate and strolled slowly through the Nakamise shopping street. There were questions such as, "What are the major religions in Japan?", "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", and "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people follow?" We then moved to the Imperial Palace and strolled through the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. I explained about "the history of Edo," "the history from the Edo period to the Meiji era," "the Meiji Restoration," "why Edo Castle became the Imperial Palace," and "why the capital moved from Kyoto to Tokyo." There were questions such as, "What happened to the shoguns and samurai after the Meiji Restoration?" and "Does the current Emperor of Japan hold any political power?" We moved to Harajuku and visited Meiji Shrine. I explained about "Shinto," "torii gates," "Emperor Meiji," and "why wine barrels are displayed there." There were questions such as, "What kind of teaching is Shinto?", "When did Shinto originate?", and "How many shrines are there in Japan?" We took a break for a while at the cafe terrace at Meiji Shrine. We also strolled along Takeshita Street, where a strawberry candy was purchased and sampled. We then went to Shibuya. First, we looked down on Scramble Square from the entrance to the Keio Inokashira Line platform and took photos, then actually crossed the scramble crossing. There was a question, "Why do so many people gather here?" We also took photos in front of the Hachiko statue. From here, we moved to Shinjuku. I explained about "the origins and history of Shinjuku" and "the differences between the east and west sides of the station." We walked around and explored "Shinjuku Golden Gai" (where several groups of foreign travelers were strolling), the Godzilla Head, and Omoide Yokocho. They commented, "This area feels different from other neighborhoods." There were also questions and comments such as, "Tokyo feels clean and extremely safe, even at night," "Why aren't there any trash cans around the streets?", "I think the Tokyo subway is extremely well made," and "The public restrooms are wonderful." I saw them off at Ginza Station, where we parted ways.
Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Other | Higashi-ginza Station～Asakusa Station | 209JPY |
| Section 2 | Other | Asakusa Station～Otemachi Station | 178JPY |
| Section 3 | Other | Nijubashimae Station～Meiji-jingumae Station | 209JPY |
| Section 4 | Other | Meiji-jingumae Station～Shibuya Station | 178JPY |
| Section 5 | Other | Shibuya Station～Shinjuku-sanchome Station | 178JPY |
| Section 6 | Other | Shinjuku Station～Ginza Station | 209JPY |
| Total | 1,161JPY | ||
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.
Jul 21, 2026
Christelle_G
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Excellent tour guide
Masa san is extremely knowledgeable and…
Jul 21, 2026
Christelle_G
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Excellent tour guide
Masa san is extremely knowledgeable and lovely company. My 13-yr-old daughter and I had a great day walking around the sites we had picked with him. He tooks his time to explain all the history and then kindly walked us to the spot of our next booking as it was quite confusing. I would very highly recommend him. Of all the tours we did in Tokyo Masa Sam was my favourite tour guide.
Jul 1, 2026
97TexAg
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Amazing day in Tokyo
Masa was our tour guide. Masa was an…
Jul 1, 2026
97TexAg
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Amazing day in Tokyo
Masa was our tour guide. Masa was an amazing tour guide that communicated extremely well ahead of time about the sites we would like to see in Tokyo, picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel, was very friendly and well prepared and finally but most importantly made our day in Tokyo very memorable.
We went to the Buddhist temple in Asakusa, Meiji Shinto Temple, imperial Palace, Shinjuku Gyoen National Gatden, and Shibuya Crossing. All were great and amazing suggestions by Masa.
Would highly recommend this tour as it was a private tour guide for a full day and provided discretion on which 5-6 sites you want to see. Also highly recommend our tour guide Masa who was a wealth of knowledge and very friendly and charming.
15/10 would do again.
Jun 2, 2026
Tagare S
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour and guide!
This is a great tour, and our…
Jun 2, 2026
Tagare S
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour and guide!
This is a great tour, and our guide, Masa was really great. Although it was raining, he had no
hesitations in completing his tour and showing us great places around Tokyo. If you are still
on the fence about this, please don’t, you won’t regret it. Thank you, Masa!
Jun 1, 2026
Lisa_A
Viator review: Private Tokyo Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
Adler Family Tour
Our tour with Masa was…
Jun 1, 2026
Lisa_A
Viator review: Private Tokyo Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
Adler Family Tour
Our tour with Masa was incredible and filled with interesting facts and history, he gave us incredible insight on each location. We loved that we were able to choose 3-4 sites from a large selection and really spend enough time at each spot. Masa was kind and knowledgable and even helped us with a restaurant reservation for later in the evening when were unable to find one.
