Tokyo in One Day: Shinjuku & Shinjuku-sanchome — Guide Masa

What Can You See on a One-Day Private Tour of Tokyo? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Harajuku, Shibuya, and Shinjuku

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from Oceania. All of the guests were vegetarian and were staying in Japan for a short period. Until the previous day they had been at Disneyland/DisneySea, then moved to Shinjuku the night before. They were scheduled to depart from Haneda Airport the following evening. Their request was: "Today we would like to see as many spots in Tokyo as possible in a short amount of time."

It was a humid tour under cloudy skies. I conducted the tour at a relaxed pace, adjusting to the group and taking breaks many times.

From Shinjuku Station, we first headed to Asakusa. As usual, it was crowded with large numbers of visitors. Starting from in front of Kaminarimon Gate, I explained "Senso-ji 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 a commemorative photo in front of Kaminarimon and strolled slowly along 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 believe in?" We took a short break at a coffee shop.

We moved to Harajuku and visited Meiji Shrine. I explained "about Shinto," "about the torii gate," "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?", and "How many shrines are there in Japan?" We rested for a while at the cafe terrace near Meiji Shrine. We also strolled along Takeshita Street.

Then to Shibuya. First, we looked down on Scramble Square from the entrance to the Keio Inokashira Line platform and took photos, then actually crossed the intersection. There was also a question: "Why do so many people gather here?" We took photos in front of the Hachiko statue as well. At the request of one of the guests, an anime fan, we visited the Pokemon Center at Shibuya Parco.

From here we moved to Shinjuku. I explained "the origins and history of Shinjuku" and "the difference between the east and west sides of the station." We walked around and explored Kabukicho, the Godzilla Head, and Omoide Yokocho. One comment was, "This place feels different from other neighborhoods." There were also questions and comments such as "I felt Tokyo is a clean city and extremely safe even at night," "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?", "I think the Tokyo subway is very well designed," and "The public restrooms are wonderful."

We parted ways at Shinjuku Station.

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.