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

Title: What Can You See on a One-Day Private Tour of Tokyo's Main Highlights? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from North America. Their main trip was elsewhere in Asia for about a week, and on the way back they stopped in Japan, staying only in Tokyo for a few days. They had arrived at Narita Airport in the evening and taken a taxi to their Hotel. The previous day they had taken a day trip to Mount Fuji and Hakone, and they planned to fly home from Narita Airport the next morning. They expressed a wish to visit only the main spots in Tokyo. It was a hot and humid day.

From Akasaka Station, we first headed to Asakusa. Despite the early hour, it was as crowded as ever, with many foreign tour groups and school excursion students in particular. We started 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 and strolled leisurely through the Nakamise shopping street. 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?"

We moved on to Akihabara, and I explained "how the Akihabara electric town came to be." One of the guests was especially a fan of a popular character franchise. After this, at their request, we went to Tokyo Tower. We went up to the Main Deck and walked around it slowly. I explained "the history of Edo and Tokyo." We were able to see Mount Fuji (though it had no snow cap). One guest commented, "I really understand now that Tokyo is a vast, spread-out city, just like where we live." We bought ice cream at the shop.

We moved to Harajuku and visited Meiji Shrine. I explained "about Shinto," "about the torii gate," "about Emperor Meiji," and "why the wine barrels are displayed." There were questions such as "What kind of teaching is Shinto?", "When did Shinto originate?", "How many shrines are there in Japan?", and "What is the difference between Buddhism and Shinto?" At the guests' request, we also strolled along Takeshita Street and bought character goods souvenirs.

Then we went to Shibuya. We crossed the Scramble Crossing on foot and took photos in front of the Hachiko statue. We also went to Shibuya Parco and the very crowded Pokemon Center, where we managed to buy some trading cards. There were also comments and questions such as "I felt Tokyo was extremely safe," "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?", and "The Tokyo subway is very well made, completely different from where we live." I saw the guests off at Akasaka 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.