Tokyo: Ushigome-Kagurazaka & Shinjuku-Nishiguchi — Guide Masa

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

The guests were a family group visiting Japan from North America. It was their first time in Japan.

They arrived at Haneda the previous evening and took a taxi to their accommodation. They spent the previous night strolling around the neighborhood.

This trip was a 12-day stay in Japan. After spending several days in Tokyo, they planned to visit Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima, and then return home from Kansai Airport.

The guests originally came from Asia and had relocated to North America some years earlier.

One of the guests was a complete vegetarian. They also mentioned, "None of us eat beef or pork under any circumstances."

They expressed a wish to "visit as many sightseeing spots as possible."

We had some rain in the morning, but afterward it was cloudy and extremely hot and humid throughout the tour.

Since they said, "The airport counter was crowded so we couldn't buy tickets — we'd like to buy a 3-day subway pass first," we headed to the ticket window at Ueno Station.

After that, we went to Asakusa.

As usual, it was crowded with large numbers of people.

We started from in front of Kaminarimon Gate. I explained "Sensoji 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 in front of Kaminarimon and the five-story pagoda, and strolled slowly along Nakamise shopping street.

There were questions such as "What are Japan's major religions?", "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", and "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people follow?"

We went to Tsukiji Outer Market. I explained "the history of Tokyo's fish market since the Edo period" and "the difference between Toyosu Market and Tsukiji Outer Market."

Although it was a closed day, it was quite crowded. We went into the outer market.

One of the guests was a big fan of sushi, so we purchased and sampled "tuna sushi," "grilled eel," and "Kobe beef skewers."

There were questions and comments such as "Do all Tokyoites come here to buy fish?" and "It's crowded, but it looks like there are a lot of tourists."

We moved to the Imperial Palace and strolled through the East Gardens.

I explained "the history of Edo," "the history 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 political power?"

From here, we moved to Hibiya Chanter for lunch at a vegetarian restaurant and a short break.

We moved to Harajuku, first to Meiji Shrine.

I explained "about Shinto," "about torii gates," "about Emperor Meiji," "about the Japanese Imperial family," and "why barrels of sake and wine are displayed."

There were questions such as "What are Japan's main religions?", "When and why did Shinto arise?", and "How do Buddhism and Shinto differ?"

After this, we strolled along Takeshita Street. They were surprised by how many people there were, and were delighted by the various pet cafes.

We went to Shibuya.

First, from the entrance to the Keio Inokashira Line platform, we looked down on Scramble Square and took photos, then actually crossed the scramble crossing. There was a question: "Why do so many people gather here?"

After taking photos in front of the Hachiko statue, we strolled along Center Street.

We returned to Shinjuku and went to Kabukicho.

I explained "the origins and history of Shinjuku" and "the difference between the east and west sides of the station."

We walked around and explored "Shinjuku Golden Gai" (where several groups of foreign travelers were strolling), the Godzilla Head, and Omoide Yokocho.

They said, "The whole area feels different from other neighborhoods" and "We'd like to come back again at night."

They seemed to love the underground shopping area of the department store we passed through, saying, "We'll come back again tomorrow."

There were comments and questions such as "There's no trash on the streets — it's so clean. Does no one litter?", "It's very quiet inside the subway," and "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?"

There was also a question: "It's said a major earthquake will occur in Japan this month — is that true?"

I saw them off at Ushigome-Kagurazaka Station, and 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.