Tokyo in Half a Day: Hotel Tokyu & Meiji Shrine — Guide Danda

What Can You See on a Private Cherry Blossom Tour of Tokyo? A Licensed Guide's Report

I guided a group visiting from North America (one of the group stayed home to care for a French bulldog). Because one of the guests was interested in an animal cafe on Takeshita Street, and because they had a dinner reservation in Shibuya at 18:00, I planned the itinerary as the Imperial Palace Inui Street, Asakusa, and Meiji Shrine, accepting that some travel time would be lost. On Inui Street, they were delighted by the combination of cherry blossoms and Edo Castle and took many photos. Since the Jindai-akebono cherry, which is expected to be the next-generation cherry blossom, was almost in full bloom, we took a photo together there (or rather, as usual, I had a guest take the photo), and they mentioned that the Japanese Prime Minister had sent 250 cherry trees to North America (I did not know this). I looked it up online, but there was no mention of the type of cherry tree, so I answered "probably Jindai-akebono." At the Inui Gate, the guests told me, "Thank you for bringing us here" and "It was wonderful." After that, at Asakusa, since one of the guests said they were hungry, we entered a restaurant where we could have lunch right away. Since it becomes an izakaya at night, they enjoyed the atmosphere of the interior. Along the way in Asakusa, they asked me about Alice in Borderland, but I did not know what it was, and one of the guests said, "What, how do you not know it, it's so famous?" They probably wanted to ask me something about this drama, so I apologize. I was surprised that an ordinary Japanese drama is popular in North America. To save time, I skipped Asakusa Shrine, Azuma Bridge, and the area along the Sumida River. On the Ginza Line to Meiji Shrine, when I showed them a video of the animal cafe on Takeshita Street, they were very interested and said, "This is definitely a place we're going," and afterward looked it up themselves. At the final stop, Meiji Shrine, since we were running past our time, we went around quickly, but we were able to come across a wedding photo shoot, and the guests were happy to take photos. There were many people out, but the weather was calm, and it was a good day for touring places with a traditional atmosphere. They were glad to be able to visit the only traditional, historic places during their three days in Tokyo, and I received a thank-you email afterward.

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Tour Report by Danda

Nice to meet you. I am delighted to introduce myself. My nickname is Danda. I live in Saitama prefecture next to Tokyo, but I was brought up in Kanazawa, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan. My favorite things are bonsai and hiking. Also, I have been a big fun of history and sumo since my childhood. As for the guide, I have enjoyed making communication with foreign visitors since 2019. I have taken more than 30 private groups to not only major scenic spots but also their favorite places such as tea ceremony, maid cafe, sumo tournament, bonsai village, fire ritual and so on. I can arrange the original tour based on your requests and curiosity. It will be only for you. I look forward to meeting you soon. Thank you.