Tokyo in One Day: Asakusa & Oshino Hakkai Bus Stop — Guide Masa

Title: What's a Private Day Trip from Tokyo to Mount Fuji Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting Japan from Oceania, all traveling together as neighbors. It was everyone's first visit to Japan. They had arrived at Narita Airport a couple of days earlier and traveled to their hotel by the Narita Express and other transport. They mentioned they had visited Disneyland. They were staying in Japan for a couple of weeks, and after this they planned to travel around Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara before returning to Tokyo and heading home.

The tour took place under clear, beautifully sunny skies, making for very pleasant weather.

We traveled from Asakusa to Shinjuku, then took the "Kaiji No. 11" limited express from Shinjuku to Otsuki. From Otsuki, we first headed to Shimo-Yoshida Station to aim for Arakurayama Sengen Park. The train was packed with many tourists. Despite having reserved seats, many foreign tourists boarded without reservations, so it was extremely crowded.

At Arakurayama Sengen Park, the cherry blossoms had not yet fallen and were still in bloom, so the guests were very pleased to finally see the scenery they had been hoping for.

From Kawaguchiko Station, we took a Fujikyu bus first to a Sengen shrine (the guests had expressed a wish to "visit a shrine of some kind"). In the shrine grounds, they purchased good-luck charms and we took a group commemorative photo.

From there we moved to Oshino Hakkai. Under the clear skies, we were able to see Mount Fuji very distinctly. However, the area was extremely crowded with tourists. We bought hamburgers, fries, and other items from the food stalls for lunch.

Unfortunately, there was no time to stay long, so we took the bus back to Kawaguchiko Station. The bus was running a bit late due to traffic congestion, but we managed to make the return train, which was a relief.

On the return train, the younger members of the group were completely worn out. Here too, the train was extremely crowded, with tourists standing the whole way back.

The guests commented, "The schedule was too rushed. We wish we could have enjoyed Mount Fuji a little more slowly." They also remarked, "Everywhere in Japan is clean, with no litter on the streets," and asked, "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?" They also commented that "the public restrooms are clean."

With some care needed for the younger members of the group, I saw them off at Asakusa Station, where we parted ways.

Click here for more details: Mt. Fuji Day Trip from Tokyo 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.