Tokyo in One Day: Tochomae & Shinjuku-gyoemmae — Guide Masa

Can You Do a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour Covering Asakusa, Tsukiji, and the Imperial Palace? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting Japan from Europe. It was everyone's first visit to Japan. This trip to Japan was only a two-day stay in Tokyo during the course of a longer holiday. They had arrived at Haneda the previous evening on a direct flight and taken a taxi to their hotel, and they were scheduled to depart late at night for their next destination. It was the group's first overseas trip since retirement.

The tour took place in hot and humid conditions, and we were caught in the rain many times along the way.

From Tochomae Station near the metropolitan government building, we first headed to Asakusa. Despite the bad weather, the area was crowded with large numbers of people. We started from the front of the Kaminarimon Gate. I explained about "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 slowly along the Nakamise shopping street. There were questions such as "What are the major religions in Japan?", "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", and "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people follow?"

We went to the Tsukiji Outer Market. I explained about "the history of Tokyo's fish market since the Edo period" and "the difference between Toyosu Market and the Tsukiji Outer Market." Everyone was a big fan of sushi. There were also questions and comments such as "Do all Tokyo residents come here to buy fish?" and "It's crowded, but there seem to be a lot of tourists."

We moved on to the Imperial Palace and walked around the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. 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 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?"

Since everyone wanted to have sushi for lunch, we went to a sushi restaurant in the Hibiya area. There were comments such as "Extremely fresh, and one-fifth the price of sushi restaurants in Europe."

We moved on to Shinjuku Gyoen (there was a request to see a Japanese garden). Within the Japanese garden, they took photos in many places. There was a comment that "In Japan, there is so much greenery that you can feel at ease." There were also questions and comments such as "Tokyo feels clean and extremely safe," "Why aren't there any trash cans on the streets?", "I think Tokyo's subway system is very well made," and "The public restrooms are wonderful."

I saw the guests off at Tochomae Station, and 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.