Tokyo: Shinjuku Station & Ueno Station — Guide Masa

Private Tokyo Walking Tour Report: What Can a Licensed Guide Show You in Kappabashi, Asakusa, and Ueno?

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from North America. Both were on their first trip to Japan. One of the guests is a big fan of American Major League Baseball and kept checking the postseason developments throughout the tour.

The night before, they arrived at Haneda Airport via Istanbul and took a taxi to their accommodation. They had arrived at Haneda Airport a couple of days earlier, taking a taxi to the Hotel, and the previous day they had explored the Shinjuku area.

This time, the guests were staying in Japan for an extended period. After spending several days in Tokyo, they planned to join a group tour visiting Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hiroshima, Kanazawa, and other destinations, then return to Tokyo before heading home.

One of the guests is very fond of kitchen knives, and today's tour was a gift from within the group. They also expressed a wish to learn how to use public transportation in Tokyo.

The tour took place in light rain and rather chilly weather.

Since the guests first wanted to purchase a Welcome Suica card, we went to the "Ekitabi Concierge" at Shinjuku Station.

After completing the procedure, we first headed to Kappabashi Kitchenware Street.

The guests strolled slowly, curiously examining each shop one by one.

As expected, they were especially fond of the kitchen knives, entering about five shops to check the products. In the end, they purchased a knife they liked. One guest commented, "This is a street for restaurant owners."

We then moved on to Asakusa. Despite the rain, it was very crowded.

Starting from the front of 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 at Kaminarimon, in front of the five-story pagoda, and at various other spots, and strolled slowly along the Nakamise shopping street.

There were questions such as "What are Japan's main religions?" "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?" "What other religions do people believe in besides Buddhism?" and "Are there any Catholics in Japan?"

We moved on to the Ameyoko shopping street in Ueno.

There was also a question about the izakaya that were already open with customers inside: "What kind of places are these?"

One comment was simply, "There are so many people."

There were also comments and questions such as "Japanese people are all quiet and polite," "The subway cars are quiet, unlike New York," "The city is so clean, with no litter anywhere," and "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?"

Since the guests said, "We're not used to the subway yet" and "We'd like to return to the Hotel once," I saw them off at Shinjuku Station, and we parted ways.

Click here for more details: Kappabashi Knife & Kitchen Town Tour 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.