Tokyo in Half a Day: Mitsukoshimae & Meiji-jingumae — Guide Masa

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

The guests were a group visiting Japan from North America. One of them had visited Japan more than 20 years ago, while the rest were visiting for the first time. They had arrived at Narita Airport the previous evening by air and traveled into the city on the Narita Express.

This time they were on a 14-day trip to Japan. After spending four days in Tokyo, they planned to visit Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Hiroshima, then return to Tokyo before heading home.

For today, their request was: "We want to visit the main spots in Tokyo to get used to Japan, and we would like to get accustomed to riding the trains and subways."

The previous evening, they had strolled around the area near their hotel and bought dinner at a convenience store. They said, "The Seven-Eleven in Japan, unlike back home, has a wide variety of food, and it was extremely delicious."

They mentioned, "Tomorrow we plan to go to teamLab Planets, and the day after to the Ghibli Museum."

It was a cloudy day, and the tour was occasionally interrupted by rain.

First, we went to Asakusa.

We started in front of Kaminarimon Gate. I explained about "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 at Kaminarimon and various other spots. We slowly strolled along the crowded Nakamise shopping street.

There were questions such as "What is the main religion in Japan?", "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", and "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people believe in?"

We moved to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace.

I explained about "Japanese history from Edo to the Meiji era," "the Meiji Restoration," "why Edo Castle became the Imperial Palace," "the history of the Imperial family," "World War II and the Tokyo air raids," and "how stone walls are built."

There were questions and comments such as "Does the current Emperor of Japan hold political power?", "Who will be the next Emperor?", and "Can a woman become Emperor?"

There was also a question: "How were the stones for the stone walls transported?"

We moved on to Harajuku, 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 "Are there Shinto shrines overseas as well?"

We also strolled along Takeshita Street. They said, "We'd like to try going to an animal cafe tomorrow."

There were comments and questions such as "The city is clean and there's no litter on the ground," and "There are no trash cans on the streets. Why is that?"

I saw them off at Ueno Station, where we parted ways.

Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local 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.