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

Title: What Is a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Skytree, the Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine, and Shibuya

Body: The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from North America. They had arrived at Haneda Airport the previous evening on a direct flight, then took a taxi to their hotel. For this visit to Japan, they planned to spend some time in Tokyo, then travel to Kyoto and Hiroshima (as a day trip from Kyoto) before returning to Tokyo and heading home. The interest in this trip to Japan came in part from a keen enthusiasm for Japanese culture and studies. It was a warm, somewhat hot day under cloudy skies. Following their request, we first went to the Skytree. There were many students on school trips, so it took a little while to get in. Unfortunately we could not see Mount Fuji, but they remarked, "We can really understand now how vast and sprawling a city Tokyo is." They were interested in the market on the lower floors and observed it carefully. We then moved to the Imperial Palace. We strolled through the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. They said, "It's a shame we couldn't see the cherry blossoms." I explained about "the history from the Edo period to the Meiji era," "the Meiji Restoration," "why Edo Castle became the Imperial Palace," and "why the capital moved from Kyoto to Tokyo." There were questions such as "Are there no more samurai?" and "Does the current Emperor of Japan hold any political power?" As they wanted a light lunch, we had sandwiches at a shop in the underground area of Otemachi. We moved to Harajuku and visited Meiji Shrine. I explained about "Shinto," "torii gates," "Emperor Meiji," and "why wine barrels are displayed there." There were also questions such as "What kind of teachings does Shinto have?", "When and why did Shinto originate?", and "How does Buddhism differ from Shinto?" We then went to Shibuya. First we walked across the scramble crossing, and afterward took photos looking down from the entrance to a railway platform. There was a question: "Why do so many people gather here?" We also took photos in front of the Hachiko statue. There were comments and questions such as "It's amazing there's no litter on the streets," "Does no one drop trash?", "Back home we travel everywhere by car. This was the first time riding a subway, and it felt very comfortable and convenient, though it takes some getting used to," and "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?" As they said, "Finding our way back to the hotel seems confusing—we might get lost," I saw them off at Daiba Station, where 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.