Tokyo: Hilton Tokyo & Shinjuku Gyoenmae Station — Guide Masa

What Is a Private Tokyo Day Tour Like With a Licensed Guide? A Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting Japan from Europe. It was everyone's first visit to Japan. This time it was about a two-week trip to Japan. After arriving at Narita, they immediately flew to Kobe Airport. They traveled around Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kanazawa and other areas, and this morning flew back to Narita Airport, then arrived at the Hotel by taxi.

This morning they arrived at Narita Airport from Kansai Airport and went to the Hotel by taxi. Everyone seemed a little tired. The tour took place under cloudy skies.

First, we went to Shibuya Sky, which they had strongly requested to visit. Due to traffic restrictions for Halloween, I had difficulty finding a place to park. I waited at the exit of Shibuya Sky. Although it was cloudy, the guests said, "It was great to see the whole panorama of Tokyo."

From here we went to Tokyo Skytree. Here too, I waited at the exit. After more time had passed than expected, we finally met up at the exit. They commented, "We enjoyed the beautiful view."

From here we moved to Asakusa. As always, it was very crowded. We started from in front of Kaminarimon Gate. I explained about "Senso-ji Temple and the history from Edo to 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, and slowly strolled through the Nakamise shopping street.

The guests asked, "What are the main religions in Japan?" "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?" "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people follow?" and mentioned, "My family also visits temples when they return to Asia."

We moved to Shinjuku Gyoen. The group leader said, "I love Japanese gardens" and "I would really like to make one in my own garden, so I want to use this as a reference," and was absorbed in taking photos here and there. They said, "My current garden at home is a lovely Victorian-era garden, but I would like to change it into a Japanese garden."

During our stroll it began to rain, and we hurried to the bus. We had planned to head to Harajuku after this, but the guests said, "We have a dinner appointment with an acquaintance in Tokyo from 18:00," and "We have an early-morning Mount Fuji tour planned for tomorrow, so we would like to return to the Hotel now," so we returned to the Hotel.

They also made comments and asked questions such as, "The city is so clean and there is no litter on the ground," and "Why are there no trash cans in the city?"

I saw them off at the entrance of the Hotel, and we parted ways.

Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed 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.