Tokyo in Half a Day: Departure: Shimbashi Station — Guide Masa

What Does a Private One-Day Tour of Tokyo Look Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Tsukiji, and Meiji Shrine

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from Oceania. They arrived at Narita Airport the previous night and made their way to the hotel by transferring trains. The night before, they had strolled around Ginza and enjoyed some ramen.

This time they are staying in Japan for two weeks, with only three days in Tokyo. After that, they plan to travel to Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Hiroshima before returning to Tokyo and heading home. They had often traveled to Europe in the past, but this was their first visit to a country in Asia.

The tour took place under fairly pleasant weather.

We started at Asakusa. As always, it was extremely crowded. I explained about "Sensoji Temple and the history from Edo to Tokyo," "what a five-story pagoda is," "what Buddhism is," and "the difference between Buddhism and Shinto." There was a further question: "Do all Japanese people believe in Buddhism?" They drew an omikuji fortune and purchased an omamori charm. We strolled through the Nakamise shopping street, and they bought a "tenugui" hand towel as a souvenir.

Next we moved to Tsukiji. As usual, there was a large crowd. I explained about "the history of the fish market since the Edo period" and "the difference between Toyosu Market and the Tsukiji outer market." We wandered around looking at various shops. There were also questions such as "Why are there so many people here?" and "Do all people in Tokyo come here to buy fish?"

Since there was a strong wish to eat sushi right here, we had an early lunch at "Tsukiji Sushisei, Tsukiji Shinkan." Incidentally, one of the guests enjoys fishing as a hobby.

From here we went to Harajuku and Meiji Shrine. We first took a commemorative photo in front of the great torii gate. I explained about "what Shinto is," "the difference between Buddhism and Shinto," "the history of Edo and the Meiji Restoration," "about Emperor Meiji," and "about the Japanese Imperial family." They said, "It's wonderful that there is such a green park in the center of the city." We happened to come across a wedding procession and took photos.

We took a leisurely stroll along Takeshita Street. They eagerly took photos of the "dog cafe" and "pig cafe," saying, "The younger ones in our family love animals, so we'd love to bring them next time."

They also commented, "Japanese people are all so polite," "The streets are clean with no litter scattered around," "It's so quiet inside the subway," and "The public restrooms are clean and pleasant."

I saw them off at Shimbashi Station, and the tour concluded.

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.