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

What Can You See on a Private Tokyo Walking Tour? A Licensed Guide's Report on Yanaka, the Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine, and Shibuya

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from Europe. They had arrived at Haneda Airport two days earlier via a connecting route in Europe. The day before the tour, they had walked around the area near the Imperial Palace (they mentioned that "the East Gardens were closed, so we couldn't go in"), as well as Asakusa and Ginza. They planned to stay only in Japan, mainly around the Tokyo area, and were planning a day trip to Mount Fuji the following day. They said they were "interested in Japanese history" and expressed a wish "to go to quiet places that ordinary tourists don't often visit."

The tour took place under clear skies and extremely hot weather.

First, we headed to the Yanaka-Nezu-Sendagi area. It was still early morning, so most of the shops were closed. They said, "We're happy to see the old townscape. It resembles the streets back home."

We then moved to 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 shogun and samurai after the Meiji Restoration?" "Does the current Emperor of Japan hold political power?" and "Who is the next Emperor?" The guests seemed to have already studied Japanese history.

From there, we moved to Gotokuji Temple (they mentioned that one of the guests is a great cat lover). We walked around the grounds. There were quite a lot of tourists. They commented, "We like the quiet, calm atmosphere."

We moved on to Harajuku, to Meiji Shrine. I explained about "Shinto," "torii gates," "Emperor Meiji," and "why wine barrels are displayed here." There were questions such as "What kind of teaching is Shinto?" "Around when did Shinto originate?" and "How many shrines are there in Japan?" We took a short break at Forest Terrace Meiji Jingu. We also took a leisurely stroll along Takeshita Street.

Then to Shibuya. First, we took photos looking down at Scramble Square from the entrance to the Keio Inokashira Line platform, and 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.

There were questions and comments such as "Tokyo felt clean and extremely safe even at night," "Why aren't there any trash bins around town?" "The Tokyo subway is very well made," and "The public toilets are wonderful."

Finally, I saw them off at Hanzomon 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.