Tokyo in Half a Day: Iidabashi & Shimokitazawa — Guide Masa

Title: What's a Private Walking Tour of Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, and Shimokitazawa Like? A Tokyo Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visiting Japan for the first time from Europe. This was a long-term visit of about one month. They arrived at Haneda Airport the previous night and made their way to their hotel by train and subway. Last night they strolled around the area near their hotel, bought onigiri and other items at a convenience store, and had that for dinner.

They planned to stay in Tokyo for three days, with plans to visit Disneyland, teamLab, and other spots. After that, they intended to leisurely travel around Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hiroshima, Kanazawa, Hida Takayama, and other places, then return to Tokyo before heading home. "We're looking forward to trying various kinds of Japanese food," they said.

The tour took place in light rain and chilly weather.

First, we headed to Shinjuku. We walked around "Omoide Yokocho," the Kabukicho area, and "Golden Gai," strolling and taking photos here and there. It was late morning and not too crowded, but they remarked, "It feels somehow lively. It's similar to downtown Copenhagen's atmosphere." They also asked, "Is it safe to walk around here at night?"

After this, we moved to Harajuku, starting with Meiji Shrine. Around this time the rain finally let up, making it easier to move around. I explained about the torii gates, Emperor Meiji, the history of Edo and Tokyo, the Meiji Restoration, and more. I also explained the differences between Buddhism and Shinto. They asked, "How many Christians are there in Japan?"

We took a short break at the café in Meiji Shrine.

We then strolled through the crowded Takeshita Street, Cat Street (one of the guests is a fan of collecting vintage clothing), and Omotesando.

We moved to Shibuya, which was also very crowded. I explained the history of Shibuya. We walked across the Scramble Crossing and took a commemorative photo in front of Hachiko. They asked questions such as, "Why is the Scramble Crossing so crowded?" and "Are all these people locals?"

At their request to see a Japanese department store food hall, we visited the "Tokyu Food Show." After this, at the request of one of the guests, we went to Shimokitazawa and leisurely strolled through the vintage clothing district.

They also commented, "Tokyo really is a city with a lot of people," "However, everyone in Japan is quiet and polite," "The whole city is clean and there is no litter scattered around," and "The public toilets are clean and pleasant, whereas I wouldn't feel like using the public toilets back home."

We parted ways at Shibuya Station.

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.