Tokyo in One Day: Takadanobaba Station & Ginza Station — Guide Masa

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

The guests were a group visiting Japan from North America. It was everyone's first trip to Japan. They arrived at Haneda Airport the previous evening and took a taxi to their hotel. The night before, they had strolled around the Takadanobaba area near their accommodation and enjoyed gyudon (beef bowls) at a restaurant for dinner.

This was a 10-day visit, staying only in Tokyo (one of the guests planned to travel to Kyoto alone for a few days). They said, "In Japan, we want to visit as many places as possible," and added, "We want to try and enjoy as many kinds of Japanese food as we can."

The tour took place in the rain. First, we went to Tsukiji. It was a market holiday, so half of the shops were closed. I explained "the history of the fish market since the Edo period" and "the difference between Toyosu Market and the Tsukiji Outer Market." One of the guests asked, "Do all Tokyo residents come here to buy fish?" We strolled leisurely, and they purchased and sampled items such as strawberry mochi, fried sweet potato, and matcha ice cream.

We moved on to Asakusa. Despite the rain, there was a large crowd, including many foreign tour groups and school excursion students. We started in front of Kaminarimon Gate. I explained "the history of Senso-ji Temple and the shift 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 drew an omikuji fortune, and one of the guests was disappointed to draw "bad luck." There were questions such as "What are the main religions in Japan?", "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", and "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people follow?" There was also a question: "Do people go to the temple every week?"

On the way, we stopped at a supermarket inside Ueno Station to buy gluten-free bread. We then moved to Akihabara, where I explained the history of the district. They purchased a digital camera and character cards.

We moved to the Imperial Palace and strolled through the East Gardens. There was a question: "It's a shame we can't see the cherry blossoms. When is the best time to see them?" I explained "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 questions such as "What happened to the shoguns and samurai after the Meiji Restoration?" and "Does the current Emperor of Japan hold any political power?"

We then moved to Ginza and strolled through department stores and other shops. One of the guests was very interested in cars and enthusiastically visited an automaker's showroom. There were comments and questions such as "It's amazing there's no litter on the streets," "Does no one throw trash on the streets?", "It feels far cleaner and safer than cities back home," and "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?"

I saw the guests off at Takadanobaba 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.