Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Noripy

Private Full-Day Walking Tour of Tokyo from Tokyo Station: A Licensed Guide's Report on Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine, Shibuya, and Asakusa

The guests were visiting from Oceania, living near a national park. One of them had visited Japan about 50 years earlier. The guests travel all over the world, and this time combined a roughly two-month trip through Europe with their visit to Japan. They had been in Europe just before arriving. When I met them on the day, they said they would leave the itinerary entirely up to me as their guide, so we began.

Despite the intense heat, the guests were remarkably strong walkers. We first walked from their accommodation, located right by the Yaesu exit of Tokyo Station, to the Imperial Palace. After that, we went via Ginza-dori to Meiji Shrine. While I was explaining the ema (votive wooden plaques) hung at Meiji Shrine, one of the guests spotted, among the many ema, one with three dogs' faces painted on it, pointed to one of them and laughed, saying "That's definitely a Pomeranian," and asked about the meaning of the message written on it. The message appeared to be in Chinese, reading something like "peace and good health." On the premise that I do not understand Chinese, I inferred from the meaning of the kanji and answered that it was probably a wish for the health of a beloved dog. The guests told me that they keep two Pomeranians at home and showed me photos. Their family was looking after the dogs while they were away, but they said they missed them during the long trip and would need to make an effort to be remembered by them once they returned home.

For lunch in Shibuya, the guests wanted something light, so I offered several options, and they decided to each buy something they liked at the basement food hall and eat in the eat-in corner. At Tokyu Food Show they had salad and acai yogurt, among other things. When they noticed I was drinking carrot-apple juice, one of them showed interest and bought the same drink to have as well. After that, when we arrived in Asakusa, the Asakusa Samba Carnival happened to be taking place, so there were traffic restrictions and enormous crowds. That said, this may have meant that Nakamise-dori and similar areas were relatively less crowded. The guests bought several souvenirs. One item they particularly liked was a fairly realistic, high-quality ceramic maneki-neko (beckoning cat) figurine. At the Hachiko statue in front of Shibuya Station, they were moved by the story of the loyal dog Hachiko and bought a Hachiko plush toy as well, and from all of this I could sense how much they love animals. Because of the traffic restrictions, we could not cross over to the Sumida Park side, so we could only view the Asahi Beer headquarters building and similar sights from a distance. Finally, upon arriving at Nihonbashi Station, we said our goodbyes on the Ginza Line.

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Tour Report by Noripy

Hello, I’m Noripy.
I am a lively woman in my 60s who loves having fun. My charm lies in my bright and approachable personality. Drawing on over 30 years of international experience, I began working as a tour guide in 2023. I have conducted over 100 tours annually, ensuring that my clients enjoy Tokyo and its surrounding areas. I have received high praise from a wide range of customers, from teenagers to people in their 80s. I cater to solo travelers, couples, newlyweds, families, and groups of up to about 10 people. Living in the heart of the city, I actively guide tours primarily in Tokyo. In addition to being certified in English, one of my strengths is being able to communicate effectively in Spanish as well.
I’m looking forward to meeting you all in Tokyo!