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

What Can You See on a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visitors from North America, and it was their first time visiting Japan. They had arrived at Haneda Airport on a direct flight the previous day. The main purpose of this visit to Japan was a cruise around Japan departing from Yokohama Port starting the next day.

Some of the guests had family roots in Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture, and mentioned that the cruise ship would also stop at Sakata Port, so they were looking forward to meeting relatives there.

They were only staying in Tokyo for this single day.

They were surprised at how cold it was after arriving.

Unlike the previous day, the tour took place under pleasant, clear skies.

First, we went to Asakusa.

Despite the early morning hour, it was very crowded. I explained about "Senso-ji Temple and the history from Edo to Tokyo," "what a five-story pagoda is," "what Buddhism is," and "the difference between Buddhism and Shinto."

There was a question: "Do all Japanese people believe in Buddhism?"

They drew an omikuji fortune and got a "bad luck" result, which was a bit of a disappointment.

We strolled leisurely along the Nakamise shopping street.

After this, at their special request, we went to Rikugien Garden.

I explained "the history of Rikugien" and we strolled slowly through the garden.

Unfortunately, the weeping cherry tree at the entrance had already lost about half of its blossoms, and they said it was "truly a shame." However, they were deeply impressed, saying, "I have never seen such a wonderful Japanese garden before."

We moved on to Tokyo Tower.

Inside, it was extremely crowded with many visitors. We went up to the main deck and enjoyed a panoramic view of Tokyo. I explained about "the formation of Tokyo" and "Tokyo Tower and Skytree."

They said, "Now I really understand how wide and vast a city Tokyo is."

We moved to Shibuya. Despite it being midday, there were huge crowds. I explained "the history of Shibuya."

We walked across the scramble crossing and took commemorative photos in front of the Hachiko statue.

There were questions such as, "Why is the scramble crossing so crowded?" and "Are all of these people locals?"

After this, since they really wanted to eat sushi, we went to a sushi restaurant. One of the guests was a big sushi fan.

They commented, "It's really fresh, and the price is extremely reasonable." They also remarked that back home, the sushi chefs at the sushi restaurants somehow all seem to be from another region.

They commented, "The people passing by are all so quiet," "The whole city is very well planned and maintained, and everything runs in an orderly way," "There is no trash on the streets," and "There are no homeless people to be seen."

They also commented, "The trains and subways are clean and quiet. No one is chatting," and "The public restrooms are well-equipped and clean."

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.