Tokyo in One Day: Shangri-La Tokyo & Ginza Station — Guide Masa

What Is a Private Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Ueno, the Imperial Palace, and Akihabara

The guests were a group visiting from North America, all visiting Japan for the first time. Some of the group are studying at a university in North America.

They arrived at Haneda Airport two days earlier and took a taxi to their hotel. The previous day, they had strolled around the area near their hotel. This trip was about a two-week visit to Japan. From the next day, they planned to travel around Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and other destinations before returning to Tokyo and then heading home.

Everyone said, "We love Japanese food. We want to try many kinds and enjoy it."

The tour took place under cloudy skies.

First, we headed to Asakusa. Despite the early hour, there was a large crowd, making it hard to move forward. In particular, there were many international tour groups and school excursion students.

We started from in front of Kaminarimon Gate. I explained about "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 many times in front of Kaminarimon Gate, the five-story pagoda, and elsewhere. Everyone also drew omikuji fortunes, each getting results like "great blessing," "blessing," or "bad luck," which sparked lots of discussion.

Some of the group also bought "omamori" charms.

There were questions such as, "What are the main religions in Japan?" "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?" and "Besides Buddhism, what religions do people believe in?"

There were also questions like, "How often do people go to temples?" and "Is some kind of service held at temples every day?"

We moved to Ueno and the Tokyo National Museum.

Everyone was interested in "Japanese history" and observed and photographed things eagerly. They were especially absorbed in looking at the Buddhist statues.

There were questions such as, "When was Buddhism introduced to Japan?" and "How many sects of Buddhism are there?"

They bought postcards at the shop.

There was a request that "We're a little hungry, so let's have lunch somewhere," so we went to Hibiya Chanter.

Everyone ordered only gyoza at a Chinese restaurant, and it was a short meal.

We moved to the Imperial Palace.

We strolled through the Imperial Palace East Gardens. I was asked many times, "Can't we see the cherry blossoms?" and "When do they bloom?"

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 was a question such as, "Does the current Emperor of Japan hold any political authority?"

Since they said, "We really want to see 'anime street,'" we went to the Akihabara Electric Town.

We visited a few shops in a short time and looked around. There was also a question about "maid cafes."

Here, the tour by chauffeured car ended.

Since they said, "After this, we'd like to stroll around Ginza at our leisure and have dinner there. Please take us to Ginza," I saw them off to Ginza Station by subway and we parted ways.

There were comments and questions such as, "It's strange that there's no litter on the streets." "Doesn't anyone throw trash on the streets?" and "This was my first time riding the subway, and it was very comfortable."

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.