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

Title: What Does a Private One-Day Tour of Tokyo's Main Sights Look Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from North America. [Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.)](https://www.j-g-a.org/) guide led this private one-day tour covering Tokyo's main highlights.

The night before, they had arrived at Haneda Airport and taken a taxi to their hotel.

This trip was a two-week visit to Japan, staying in Tokyo before continuing on to Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara, then returning to Tokyo before flying home.

The following day, they were scheduled to take a one-day trip to Mount Fuji and Hakone.

They expressed a wish: "Today we would like to see only the main spots in Tokyo."

The tour took place under cloudy skies but in hot and humid weather.

From Tokyo Station, we first headed to Komagome and Rikugien Garden.

We moved to Komagome and Rikugien Garden, as the guests had said, "We would really like to see a Japanese garden."

They made comments and asked questions such as, "What a beautiful garden. I'd love to create one in my own yard," "Do pine trees naturally grow with those curves?" and "Are these the same kind of trees used for bonsai?"

Next, we went to Asakusa. As usual, it was crowded with large numbers of people, including many foreign tour groups and school excursion students.

We started from in front of 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 Kaminarimon and strolled leisurely through Nakamise shopping street.

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

For lunch, we moved to Hibiya. (I had received advance notice that everyone in the group avoided meat and fish entirely.)

I took them to a restaurant in Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, but they didn't seem quite satisfied with it, so in the end some of the guests chose Vietnamese food while another chose spaghetti.

We moved to Harajuku and visited Meiji Shrine.

I explained "about Shinto," "about torii gates," "about 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?"

At the request of the group, we also strolled along Takeshita Street. They seemed to enjoy a cat café.

We then went to Shibuya. We walked across the scramble crossing and took photos in front of the Hachiko statue.

We also visited Tokyu Food Show.

There were comments and questions such as, "I felt Tokyo is extremely safe," "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?" and "The Tokyo subway system is very well made."

I saw them off at Tokyo 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.