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

What's a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour Like for a Family? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Tokyo Tower, and Shibuya

The guests were a group visiting from Oceania. It was their first visit to Japan. They arrived at Narita Airport last night and traveled to Shinjuku by taxi shuttle bus.

The main purpose of this trip to Japan was a ski trip in Hakuba. They planned to stay in Japan for two weeks, with only today in Tokyo. From tomorrow morning they would head to Hakuba, and after returning to Tokyo they planned to fly home immediately.

They were also planning to watch a "Sumo Show" this evening.

It was a chilly day with clear skies but a cold wind blowing throughout the tour.

First, we walked from the hotel to Shinjuku Station.

They asked for help with "obtaining train tickets to Hakuba" and "purchasing a Welcome Suica Card."

We then moved to Asakusa.

Although not as crowded as during the New Year period, the temple grounds were busy with worshippers and tourists. There was a long line to pray at the main hall.

I explained "the history of Sensoji Temple and of Edo into 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. We strolled slowly along the Nakamise shopping street.

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

From here we moved to Tokyo Tower.

There were fewer tourists here, so we were able to look around at a relaxed pace.

We went up to the main deck and strolled around slowly. I explained the main buildings and spots in each direction. Unfortunately, we were not able to see Mount Fuji.

I explained "the size and area of Tokyo," "the population of Tokyo and Japan," and "the issues Tokyo faces today."

They said, "We now understand that Tokyo is truly a vast city."

From here we moved to Shibuya. The crowd at the Scramble Crossing was not particularly large either.

We actually crossed the Scramble Square. There were questions such as "How many people gather here at the busiest times?" and "Why did it become so famous?"

We also took photos in front of the Hachiko statue. We then strolled slowly along Shibuya Center Street as well.

There were comments and questions such as "The streets are clean and there is no litter. So clean.", "I was surprised at how clean the public restrooms are.", and "There are no trash cans on the streets. Why is that?"

I saw them off at Shinjuku 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.