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

Title: What Can You See on a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Tsukiji, and the Imperial Palace

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from North America. They had arrived at Haneda Airport the previous afternoon via a connecting flight, then taken a taxi to their hotel. The purpose of this visit to Japan was a cruise around Japan departing from Yokohama Port, with only two days spent in Tokyo. They planned to fly home from the cruise's final port of call in Asia. The night before, they had strolled around the hotel area and enjoyed grilled meat.

It was overcast, but we were able to carry out the tour without any rain.

First, we headed to Asakusa. It was extremely crowded, making it difficult to move forward. We started from in front of the Kaminarimon Gate. I explained "Sensoji 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 in front of the Kaminarimon Gate. There were questions such as "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?" and "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people follow?"

Next, we went to the Tsukiji Market. I explained "the history of the fish market since the Edo period" and "the difference between the Toyosu Market and the Tsukiji Outer Market." There were also questions like "Why are there so many people here?" and "Do all people in Tokyo come here to buy fish?" We strolled at a leisurely pace and bought and sampled "strawberry mochi" and "fried sweet potato."

We then moved to the Imperial Palace and strolled through the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. There was a question, "When is the best time to see the cherry blossoms?" I explained "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 political power?"

Since the guests said they wanted to have lunch somewhere, we went to Tokyo Midtown Hibiya. The guests had varying preferences regarding food, so in the end we entered a soba restaurant, where each person chose according to their own taste.

We moved to Harajuku and visited Meiji Shrine. I explained "about Shinto," "about the torii gate," "about Emperor Meiji," and "why wine barrels are displayed there." There were also questions such as "What kind of teachings does Shinto have?", "When did Shinto originate?", and "How many shrines are there in Japan?"

We went to Shibuya. First, we took photos at the Scramble Crossing. 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 strange that there is no trash on the streets," "Doesn't anyone throw trash on the streets?", and "I rode the subway for the first time, and it was very comfortable and convenient."

Since there was a request to be taken back to the hotel, I saw them off at Tochomae 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.