Tokyo in One Day: Ikebukuro Station & Shibuya Station — Guide Masa

Can You Do a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour Covering Shinjuku, Harajuku, and Shibuya? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting Japan from Oceania. One of the guests had visited Japan several times before for travel, while the others were visiting for the first time. This time they were staying in Japan for a period.

The following day they planned to explore Asakusa and the eastern part of Tokyo on their own. The day after that they planned to visit Disneyland. After that they intended to travel around Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Hiroshima, before returning to Tokyo and then heading home.

The tour took place under clear skies.

First, we went to the observation deck at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a spring haze, so we were unable to see Mount Fuji. Still, one of the guests commented, "I really understand now that Tokyo is a vast, sprawling city."

After that, we moved to the east side. We strolled through Kabukicho, Omoide Yokocho, and Golden Gai. The guests commented, "It's noisier than the west side," and "It's similar to Ikebukuro." They took photos of the "Godzilla Head" and the "3D cat screen."

We then moved to Harajuku. First, we visited Meiji Shrine. I explained about the torii gates, the Meiji Restoration and the history of Edo and Tokyo, and about Emperor Meiji. I also explained the differences between Buddhism and Shinto. There was also a question, "How many Christians are there in Japan?" Within the shrine grounds, we came across a wedding procession and took photos. The guests remarked, "It's wonderful that there is such a green park right in the center of the city."

From here, we moved to Takeshita Street and Cat Street. Some of the guests loved vintage clothing, so we browsed through many shops and they made a large number of purchases.

We moved to Shibuya. I explained about the history of Shibuya. We walked across "Shibuya Scramble Square," and took commemorative photos in front of the Hachiko statue. There were questions such as, "Why are there so many people at the scramble crossing?" and "Are they all locals?"

After this, the guests said, "We want to eat sushi," so we went to a sushi restaurant in Shibuya. They also commented, "The people passing by are so quiet and polite," and "There's no trash on the streets." They also noted, "The trains and subways are clean and quiet."

I saw them off at Ikebukuro Station, and we parted ways.

Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day 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.