Tokyo in Half a Day: Shiomi Station & Otemachi Station — Guide Masa

Title: What Can You See on a Private Walking Tour of Tokyo? A Licensed Guide's Report from Asakusa to the Imperial Palace

The guests were a group visiting Japan from Oceania. It was their first visit to Japan for all of them.

They had arrived at Narita Airport the previous evening and taken a taxi to their hotel. Customs procedures took some time, so they reportedly reached the hotel around 4:00 p.m. Exhausted, they had dinner at the hotel that night.

This time, they were on an 11-day trip to Japan. They would stay in Tokyo for several days, visiting Disneyland and other places, and then travel by Shinkansen to Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara. They planned to fly home from Kansai International Airport.

For today, they said, "We'd like to take a rough walk around the city to get a feel for the traffic situation, the atmosphere, and the general vibe," and "In the evening, we plan to visit teamLab."

It was a pleasant tour under clear skies and comfortable weather.

They wanted to buy a "Welcome Suica Card," so we first stopped at the Eki-Tabi Concierge at Ueno Station on the way.

After the purchase, we moved to Asakusa.

We started from in front of Kaminarimon Gate. I explained "Sensoji Temple and the history from Edo to Tokyo," "What is the purpose of the five-story pagoda," "What is Buddhism," and "The difference between Buddhism and Shinto."

We took commemorative photos at Kaminarimon and various spots. We slowly strolled through the crowded Nakamise shopping street.

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

There was also a question: "We see many people wearing kimono within the temple grounds, why is that? Are they all Japanese?"

We went to Tsukiji, which was as crowded as ever.

I explained "The history of the fish market since the Edo period" and "The difference between Toyosu Market and Tsukiji Outer Market."

There were questions and comments such as "Do all Tokyo residents come here to buy fish?" and "It's crowded, but it really seems like there are a lot of tourists."

They said, "We'd like to try something." In the end, they purchased and sampled "tuna nigiri."

We moved to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace.

I explained "Japanese history from Edo to Meiji," "The Meiji Restoration," "Why Edo Castle became the Imperial Palace," "The history of the Imperial Family," "World War II and the Tokyo air raids," and "How stone walls are built."

There were questions and comments such as "Does the current Emperor of Japan hold political authority?" "Who is the next Emperor?" and "Can a woman become Emperor?"

They also remarked, "The pine trees are wonderful."

There were comments and questions such as "It's quiet on the trains. No one is talking loudly," "The city is clean with no litter on the ground," and "It's surprising that public restrooms are clean and free."

I saw them off at Shiomi 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.