Tokyo in Half a Day: Higashi-ginza Station & Nezu Station — Guide Masa

What Is a Private Tokyo Walking Tour of Hidden Gardens and Shrines Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting Japan from Oceania. Some of the guests had visited Hokkaido on a ski trip in 2009, while the rest were visiting Japan for the first time.

They had arrived at Narita Airport the previous night and taken a taxi to their accommodation. They were staying in Tokyo for only two days, after which they planned to travel to Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka, returning to Tokyo and flying home about ten days later.

I put together an itinerary that matched their wish to visit places and parks that ordinary tourists do not usually go to.

Some of the guests preferred to have lunch on their own, so during the tour we only stopped at a café for a break.

In contrast to the previous day, the tour took place under clear skies and hot, humid weather.

First, we visited Hamarikyu Gardens.

"The Japanese garden is wonderful. The pine trees in particular are beautiful," they said, and they were absorbed in taking photos everywhere. They also asked, "There don't seem to be any ducks," and "Does seawater flow into the pond too?"

From there, we went to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. Perhaps because of the previous day's rain, there was a large crowd today.

They asked questions such as "When was this castle built?", "Can't we go inside the Imperial Palace?", and "Why did Edo Castle become the Imperial Palace?"

They also asked, "Does the Emperor live in here?", "Does the Emperor have political influence?", and "Who will be the next Emperor?"

As some of the guests seemed tired, we took a break at a café in Otemachi.

From there, we went to Nezu Shrine.

Passing through the torii gates, they were absorbed in taking photos. Some of the guests also drew omikuji fortunes.

"It's calm and quiet here, and we're very satisfied," they said.

They mentioned that this evening they would all go to a gluten-free restaurant in Ueno, and that they intended to buy a large amount of gluten-free soy sauce to take home.

They made comments such as "The city is clean and quiet," "No one speaks loudly on the trains; everyone is well-mannered," and "We don't see any homeless people."

I saw them off at Higashi-Ginza 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.