Tokyo in Half a Day: Ginza Station & Shibuya Station — Guide Masa

Title: What Can You See on a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, the Imperial Palace, Harajuku, and Shibuya

The guests were visitors from North America, both visiting Japan for the first time.

They had arrived at Haneda Airport the previous evening and taken a taxi to their accommodation. They had strolled around Ginza the night before.

On this occasion they were traveling in Japan for two weeks, staying in Tokyo before continuing on to Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima, and then returning to Tokyo before flying home.

Their main request was, "First, please teach us how to use the transportation system in Tokyo."

The weather was clear but hot and humid throughout the tour.

We headed to Asakusa, which was extremely crowded as usual.

We started 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 at Kaminarimon, in front of the five-story pagoda, and at various other spots, and slowly explored the Nakamise shopping street.

The guests asked, "What are the major religions in Japan?" "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?" and "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people follow?" They also mentioned, "When our relatives return to Asia, they visit temples too."

We moved on to the Imperial Palace.

There I explained "the history from the Edo period to the Meiji era," "the Meiji Restoration," and "why Edo Castle became the Imperial Palace."

The guests asked questions and made comments such as, "What happened to the shoguns and samurai after the Meiji Restoration?" "Does the current Emperor of Japan hold any political power?" and "The pine trees are beautiful and wonderful."

After that, we moved to Harajuku.

I explained "Shinto," "torii gates," "Emperor Meiji," "why sake barrels are displayed," and "why wine barrels are also displayed."

The guests asked, "How are Buddhism and Shinto different?"

We took a short break at the cafe terrace at Meiji Jingu.

From there we moved to Shibuya.

First, we took photos looking down at Scramble Square from the entrance of a train platform, and then actually crossed the intersection. The guests asked, "Why do so many people gather here?" and "Why did it become so famous?"

We also took photos in front of the Hachiko statue.

The guests commented and asked, "Japanese people are all quiet and polite," "The whole city is clean and there is no litter," and "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?"

Since the guests were not yet familiar with the transportation system, I saw them off at Ginza Station, ending the tour.

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.