Tokyo: Ginza Station & Shinjuku Station — Guide Masa

Title: What Is a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour Like for First-Time Visitors? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visitors from Europe, both visiting Japan for the first time. The main purpose of this trip was to travel around Japan. They mentioned that they had ramen near their hotel the previous evening for dinner. Due to conflict in the Middle East, their flight was delayed, and they arrived at Narita one day later than originally planned, taking a limousine taxi to the hotel. This time they would be staying for about a week, and starting tomorrow they planned to visit Hakone, Hida-Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Osaka, and Koyasan, finally departing from Kansai Airport. The guests seemed tired from the long flight.

The itinerary had been arranged through a travel agency, but because the arrangements had been made in a hurry, they mentioned that it "didn't quite feel right" and asked for help arranging Shinkansen and other train tickets.

The tour took place under cloudy skies and chilly weather.

We first went to Tsukiji. After strolling through Tsukiji Uogashi, we walked slowly through the market area. I explained the "history of the fish market since the Edo period" and the "difference between Toyosu Market and the Tsukiji Outer Market." There were comments and questions such as, "It's crowded. It really seems like there are more tourists than locals."

We then walked to Hamarikyu Gardens. I explained the "history and current state of Hamarikyu Gardens" and "duck hunting." The guests said, "The pine trees are wonderful," and enthusiastically took photos in many places (one of the guests enjoyed photography as a hobby).

From Shiodome Station we moved to Harajuku. At Meiji Shrine, I explained "about Shinto," "about torii gates," "about Emperor Meiji," "why sake barrels are displayed," and "why wine barrels are displayed." There were questions such as, "What kind of religion is Shinto?" and "How does Buddhism differ from Shinto?" We also strolled along Takeshita Street.

We moved to Shibuya. First we went to the travel concierge at Shibuya Station, where, checking carefully and repeatedly, we activated the JR Pass and confirmed reservations for the Shinkansen and other JR trains. The instructions prepared by the travel agency were unclear, so it took quite a while and effort. We actually crossed the Scramble Crossing. There were questions such as, "How many people gather at the busiest times?" and "Why did it become famous?" We also took photos in front of the Hachiko statue.

They said, "We're hungry. Let's have a light lunch. Since we had ramen last night, something else. And no fish," so we went to a udon restaurant. They ordered various udon dishes with a large amount of tempura toppings, and said, "It was just the right kind of lunch."

We moved to Shinjuku. At a travel center, we checked the reservation status for the next day's Romancecar, but since the QR code needed for ticketing had not been sent from the travel agency, the ticket could not be issued. They said, "We'll contact the agency in Europe tonight and have it sent," so we left it there for the time being.

After this, we strolled through Omoide Yokocho and Kabukicho. They requested, "We really wanted to see the Godzilla Head and the 3D cat billboard." I explained the "origins of Shinjuku," the "difference between the east and west sides of Shinjuku," and the "history of Kabukicho." There were comments and questions such as, "The streets are clean with no litter. It's completely different from London," and "There are no trash cans on the streets. Why is that?"

I saw them off at Ginza Station, ending the tour.

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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.