Tokyo in Half a Day: intercontinental tokyo bay — Guide Danda

What's a Private Walking Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Meiji Shrine, Shinjuku, and Shinjuku Gyoen

The guests were a group from Europe. They were wonderfully warm and cheerful people who were steady on their feet, and I was able to spend a truly enjoyable day with them as their guide. Since we had not exchanged many emails beforehand and no specific destinations had been decided, when we met in the morning we talked about the cherry blossoms and I learned that the bus meeting point for their trip to Lake Kawaguchi on Thursday was near the "Love" object, so I planned a route covering Meiji Shrine, Shinjuku, and Shinjuku Gyoen. We had a lively conversation about overseas trips we had each taken, including Machu Picchu, and it really is wonderful to share a common interest with the guests. We also found we had grandchildren of similar ages, and we agreed that we both end up exhausted when the grandchildren come to visit.

On the tour, they were especially delighted by Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai in Shinjuku, and one of the guests said with sparkling eyes, "This is lovely, we'll have to come back for yakitori and drinks," so they may well head there this evening. I introduced a few bars in Golden Gai. The 3D cat and Godzilla performances were just about to begin, so we waited a little to watch them, and they listened with interest to stories about touts and the rumors of the leaping figure. In front of the host club billboards in Kabukicho, I asked one of the guests, "Which one is number one?" and they gave a wonderful reply pointing to their companion, which made everyone burst out laughing.

They enjoyed the atmosphere of Meiji Shrine as a forest in the middle of the city, though I got the impression they were somewhat more drawn to Hanazono Shrine in Shinjuku. At Shinjuku Gyoen, they thoroughly enjoyed the Japanese garden and the cherry blossoms in full bloom, and finally we headed toward the lunch spot. Since they had not done much research on Tokyo in advance, we obtained a guidebook at the Shinjuku Tourist Information center, and when I told them, "The staff here are very kind, so please come by if you need anything," the staff responded with a smile. There is also a map just outside the southeast exit, so I showed them the places we had walked that day, and they confirmed, "Ah, I see, so we went all the way around, and Golden Gai is here." We took a slight detour, but when we arrived at Shinjuku Umaya, I explained how to get to the Metropolitan Government Building and pointed out the south gate of JR Shinjuku Station, and we parted ways. Even while the restaurant staff were guiding them, they kindly turned around to wave and smile at me, which I greatly appreciated. It was a day of guiding filled with delightful conversation with truly wonderful guests.

Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide

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.