Tour Itinerary
- 12:00 Meeting place: Hotel Gracery Shinjuku
- Shinjuku Lunch: Hidakaya
- Shinjuku Station: Midori no Madoguchi (Ticket Office)
- 12:30 Depart Shinjuku Station
- (Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line)
- Kasumigaseki Station
- (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line)
- 13:00 Arrive Tsukiji Station
- Tsukiji Tsukiji Outer Market
- Tsukiji Uogashi
- 13:45 Depart Tsukiji Station
- (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line)
- Ueno Station
- (Tokyo Metro Ginza Line)
- 14:00 Arrive Asakusa Station
- Asakusa Sensoji Temple
- Nakamise-dori Shopping Street
- Asakusa Shrine
- 14:30 Depart Asakusa Station
- (Tokyo Metro Ginza Line)
- Nihonbashi Station
- (Tokyo Metro Tozai Line)
- 15:00 Arrive Otemachi Station
- Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens
- Nijubashi Bridge
- 16:00 Depart Nijubashimae Station
- (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line)
- 16:15 Arrive Meiji-jingumae Station
- Harajuku Meiji Shrine
- Takeshita Street
- 17:00 Depart Meiji-jingumae Station
- (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line)
- Omotesando Station
- (Tokyo Metro Ginza Line)
- 17:15 Arrive Shibuya Station
- Shibuya Scramble Crossing
- Hachiko Statue
- 18:00 Shibuya Station
- (JR Yamanote Line)
- 18:20 Shinjuku Station
- 18:20 Dismissal: Shinjuku Station
Title: What's a Full-Day Private Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Tsukiji, Asakusa, and Shibuya The guest was visiting Japan for the first time from North America. The guest was staying in Japan for about a week before continuing to another destination in Asia. After arriving in Japan in June, the guest first went to Disneyland and DisneySea, then moved to Shinjuku before noon today. A day trip to Kyoto was planned for the following day. The guest expressed a wish to "visit as many spots as possible." The tour took place under hot and humid weather. As soon as we met, the guest said, "I'm hungry, so I'd like to eat ramen before we set off," so we first went to a ramen restaurant. After that, the guest wanted to buy a SUICA card, so we went to the ticket office at Shinjuku Station. From there we set out, first heading to Tsukiji. We first strolled through the "Tsukiji Uogashi" building, then moved to the outer market. Despite it being the afternoon, it was extremely crowded, and the guest seemed a bit overwhelmed. After that, we took a leisurely walk through the market. The guest bought "tuna sushi" and "grilled crab," sampling them standing up. The guest also bought "wasabi peanuts" and "strawberry mochi" to take away. 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. The guest asked, "Do all Tokyo residents come here to buy fish?" After this, we went to Asakusa. As always, there were large crowds, especially many foreign tour groups and school excursion students. Starting from the Kaminarimon gate, I explained the history of Sensoji Temple and the transition 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 in front of the Kaminarimon gate and strolled leisurely 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 believe in?" The guest also asked, "Do people go to temples every week?" We moved to the Imperial Palace and strolled through the East Gardens. The guest asked, "When is the best time to see the cherry blossoms?" I explained the history of Edo, the transition 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, the torii gate, Emperor Meiji, and why wine barrels are displayed there. There were questions such as, "What kind of teachings does Shinto follow?", "When did Shinto originate?", "How many shrines are there in Japan?", and "What is the difference between Buddhism and Shinto?" We also strolled along Takeshita Street, Cat Street, and Omotesando. The guest commented on having a dog at home but not being interested in "pet cafes." Then we went to Shibuya. We crossed the scramble crossing on foot and took photos in front of the Hachiko statue. There were questions and comments such as, "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?" and "The Tokyo subway is orderly and well-made, but it's hard to figure out when you're not used to it." The guest also commented, "Shinjuku Kabukicho is just like downtown, is it safe there?" I saw the guest off at Shinjuku Station, and 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 | Subway | Shinjuku Station～Tsukiji Station | 209JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Tsukiji Station～Asakusa Station | 209JPY |
| Section 3 | Subway | Asakusa Station～Otemachi Station | 178JPY |
| Section 4 | Subway | Nijubashimae Station～Meiji-jingumae Station | 209JPY |
| Section 5 | Subway | Meiji-jingumae Station～Shibuya Station | 178JPY |
| Section 6 | Train | Shibuya Station～Shinjuku Station | 167JPY |
| Total | 1,150JPY | ||
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.
