Tokyo: Ginza Station & Ginza-itchome Station — Guide Masa

Title: What Can You See on a Full-Day Private Tour of Tokyo? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group of visitors from Europe. For some of them it was their first visit to Japan, while others were visiting for the second time.

This time the group was on a longer trip through Japan. After staying in Tokyo, they planned to travel to Lake Kawaguchi, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hiroshima, and Okinawa, before returning to Tokyo and heading home.

The previous evening, they had strolled around the Ginza area. The next day, they planned to enjoy a tea ceremony experience and visit a capybara café.

Today's request was to show the main sights of Tokyo to the members of the group who were visiting for the first time.

First, since they wanted to obtain a Suica Card, we went to the travel concierge at Ueno Station. After that, we moved to Asakusa.

We started in front of Kaminarimon Gate. I explained about "Senso-ji Temple and the history 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 and various other spots, and slowly strolled through the crowded 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 moved to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace.

There were questions such as "Does the current Emperor of Japan have political power?", "Who are the current members of the Imperial Family?", "Who will be the next Emperor?", "Can a woman become Emperor?", "How many members are there in the current Imperial Family?", and "Is it not possible to see the Imperial Palace directly?"

There was also a question about "how the stones for the stone walls were transported."

Via Tsukiji Station, we moved to Hama-rikyu Gardens.

I explained about "the origins and history of Hama-rikyu Gardens."

Some of the guests said they were big fans of Japanese gardens, and had created a small Japanese garden in the backyard of their home.

We went to Meiji Shrine.

I explained about "Shinto," "torii gates," "Emperor Meiji," "why sake barrels are displayed," and "why wine barrels are displayed."

There were questions such as "What kind of religion is Shinto?", "How do Buddhism and Shinto differ?", and "Why did Shinto arise in Japan?"

We took a rest to cool off at the café terrace near Meiji Shrine. Everyone seemed quite tired.

After this, in accordance with their wishes, we moved to teamLab Planets Tokyo.

Their impression was, "It was just as we imagined, and it was excellent. We are very satisfied."

There were comments and questions such as "The city is clean and there is no litter on the ground," "There are no trash cans on the streets. Why is that?", and "The subway is complex but very well made. It is far better than the London Underground."

I saw them off at Ginza-itchome Station, where we parted ways.

Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Full-Day Private 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.