Tokyo in Half a Day: Ginza & Hamarikyu Gardens — Guide Danda

Title: What's a Private Ginza, Tsukiji, and Hamarikyu Tour in Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visitors from Europe who arrived in Tokyo via Seoul. Because the assignment came just three days in advance, they contacted me right away, and since they were interested in shopping, markets, and gardens, we quickly settled on Ginza, Tsukiji, and Hamarikyu. The day before, they had asked, "We'd like to buy matcha as a souvenir — do you know a good place?", so first thing on the day I introduced a tea shop in the Nakamise shopping street, where they each bought two of the "Gin" matcha and two green teas. One of the guests remarked that "in France, 30g costs 30 euros, which is expensive," and at Hamarikyu they said the matcha was "completely different from French matcha" and were very pleased. This shop also includes a small souvenir, so it is well regarded.

In Ginza, I kept it to a simple introduction of the shops so they could enjoy shopping on their own later, though they may not have been especially interested. In Tsukiji, after offering incense at Honganji Temple, we headed to the outer market. At the first chopstick shop, they asked, "Do they engrave names on the chopsticks here?", so we stopped in, and they bought two pairs of chopsticks and had names engraved. One of the guests was skilled with chopsticks and said they could even pick up soybeans. While the engraving was being done, we walked around the shops; rather than eating anything, they seemed to enjoy just looking. Regarding sea urchin, one of the guests said, "When I ate it in France it was mushy and not good," which matched my own opinion, and we agreed with each other.

We wrapped up Tsukiji a bit early and headed to Hamarikyu. From Tsukiji onward, the guests started talking to me much more, and eventually, at the teahouse in Hamarikyu, they sat on the red carpet in front of the tokonoma alcove and, for a good 30–40 minutes, we discussed differences between Japan and France — school, clothing, holidays, anime, and earthquakes (which they had experienced for the first time in their life the day before). I had assumed they were at an advanced stage of schooling, but was surprised to learn they were still at an earlier school stage. They observed the world well, had their own opinions, and were very composed, and above all, when they said "the English classes at school aren't good, so I study on my own," I was doubly surprised that they could speak this well entirely self-taught, and I was left wondering what our schools are doing — the same impression I had on a previous tour.

Finally, we walked all around the pond and took photos in front of the large clock (I nearly forgot), then parted ways at Shimbashi Station. It felt less like giving a sightseeing tour and more like simply chatting about all sorts of topics together in English, but that seemed to be exactly what the guests enjoyed, and right after we parted they messaged me, "It was a wonderful time. Thank you." It was a fun day for me as well.

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.