Tokyo in One Day: Akasaka-mitsuke & Shibuya — Guide Masa

Title: What Can You See on a Full-Day Private Tour of Tokyo? A Licensed Guide's Report on Yanesen, Akihabara, and Meiji Shrine

The guests were a group visiting Japan, and one member of the group had roots in the Nagoya area of Japan. Most of the group were visiting Japan for the first time. The group was traveling around Japan for about two weeks. They had arrived on separate flights and reached their accommodation the previous night by taxi or by transferring between trains. From the following day, they planned to visit Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Hiroshima, and then return to Tokyo before heading home.

Interestingly, everyone in the group was fond of history and had researched Japanese history in various ways beforehand. They also said, "Today, we'd like to visit as many places as possible." In addition, they said, "We'd like to try and enjoy many different kinds of food, not just Japanese cuisine."

It didn't rain, but the tour took place under cloudy skies.

First, we headed to the Yanesen area, which they had requested, as they wanted to see old Japanese townscapes. Despite the early morning hour, there were many foreign tourists. "This gave us a good sense of what old Tokyo was like," they said. At Nezu Shrine, we passed through the rows of red torii gates and took commemorative photos many times.

We strolled through the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. "It's a shame we can't see the cherry blossoms. When is the best time to see them?" was one question. I explained about "the history of Edo," "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 also questions such as "What was the balance of power between the shogunate and the emperor?", "What happened to the shoguns and samurai after the Meiji Restoration?", and "Does the current Japanese emperor hold any political authority?"

At their request to "see the anime district," we went to Akihabara. They purchased some game software. There was also a question: "What exactly is a maid café? Is it worth going into one?"

Since they wanted to eat sushi for lunch, we went to Hibiya Chanter and had lunch at Tsukiji Sushisei. "This is far fresher than what we eat in New York," they said.

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

We also took a quick walk through the iris garden. There were comments and questions such as "It's amazing that there's no litter on the streets," "Does no one throw trash on the streets?", "The subway is very comfortable and convenient—far better than New York's," and "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?"

We then moved to Shibuya, saw them off at the Ginza Line ticket gate, and 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.