Tokyo in One Day: Conrad Tokyo & Ginza Mitsukoshi — Guide Danda

Title: What's a Full-Day Private Walking Tour of Eastern Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

I guided a group who enjoy international travel and have already visited over 50 countries. They mentioned that Asia is far away, so they had only been to a few countries in the region, and that this time they wanted to enjoy Japan. After arriving at the Hotel, the meeting place, the staff told me that there were two lobbies, one on the 1st floor and one on the 28th floor, which made me a little worried, but the guests appeared in the 1st floor lobby at the scheduled time, and we started without any trouble. Since they largely left the plan up to me, I obtained their agreement to visit eastern Tokyo and to walk around 20,000 steps, and we headed to Ginza. One item on the guest's to-do list after arriving in Japan was to have their makeup done at a department store cosmetics counter, so I was glad to be able to introduce that department store first thing in the morning (they planned to stop by on the way back, which is why the ending point became Mitsukoshi Ginza). At Ginza Wako, they enjoyed window shopping, mentioning things like buying a wedding ring and taking a photo at the clock tower, and noting connections to Mikimoto pearls, so the Ginza 4-chome intersection seemed to be a wonderful place for the guests. Since there had been no opportunity to study Asian history during their schooling, they were happy to learn about Japan's history and customs through the guiding. At the Imperial Palace, I debated whether to visit the Ninomaru Garden and go from Nijubashi to Tokyo Station, or to pass through the Tenshudai and head toward Takebashi, but since they were interested in history, I obtained their agreement in advance that this would involve about 30 minutes of walking, and we proceeded toward the Tenshudai. It was a very refreshing day, perfect for a stroll, and they praised the drama "Shogun" as wonderful, so they listened attentively to explanations about the policies of the Tokugawa shogunate. They were also interested in things such as the same characters being read differently, as well as the difference between Sensoji Temple and Asakusa Shrine. They shared that the way of praying at shrines has commonalities with Hinduism (apparently in Hinduism one circles clockwise three times), and taught me that the Swastika symbol found as a temple symbol at Nezu Shrine also appears with a certain deity in Hinduism. Exchanging this kind of information was a valuable experience for me as well.

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