Tokyo in One Day: Shiomi Station & Hatchobori Station — Guide Masa

Title: What Is a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Tsukiji, Meiji Shrine, and Shibuya

The guests were visitors from Oceania, and it was their first visit to Japan. They had arrived at Narita Airport the previous evening via a connecting flight. This trip was a journey of about 14 days in Japan. They would stay in Tokyo, and afterward planned to travel around Hakone, Hida-Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, and Osaka before returning home from Kansai Airport.

Today, their request was: "We would like to visit the notable spots in Tokyo while getting used to how to ride the trains and subways."

Despite it being September, the tour took place in hot and humid weather.

They said, "First, we'd like to obtain the JR Pass and reserve Shinkansen tickets. We'd also like to buy a SUICA card," so we first went to the Ekitabi Concierge at Ueno Station. It took a fair amount of time, but the procedures were completed.

We then moved on to Asakusa. Starting 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 at Kaminarimon, in front of the five-story pagoda, and at various spots. We strolled slowly through the Nakamise shopping street.

There were questions such as: "What are the main religions in Japan?" "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?" "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people believe in?" "Are there Christians in Japan?" "Is there something like a weekly sermon by a pastor, as in church?"

After this, we went to Tsukiji. As always, it was very crowded with tourists. We strolled through "Tsukiji Uogashi" and then went to the "Outer Market." I explained "The history of Tokyo's fish market since the Edo period" and "The difference between Toyosu Market and the Tsukiji Outer Market."

There were also questions and comments such as: "Do all people in Tokyo come here to buy fish?" and "It's crowded, but it does seem like there are a lot of tourists."

At the request of one of the guests, they purchased and sampled "matcha ice cream." They also bought "coffee peanuts" as a souvenir.

We moved to Harajuku. First, we went to Meiji Shrine. I explained "About Shinto," "About the torii gate," "About Emperor Meiji," "Why sake barrels are displayed," and "Why wine barrels are displayed." There were questions such as "How do Buddhism and Shinto differ?" There were also comments and questions such as "This place has a lot of greenery and is very calming" and "Where can we enjoy sake tasting?"

After resting for a while at "Forest Terrace," we went to Takeshita Street.

From there, we headed to Shibuya. First, we took a photo looking down at the Scramble Square from the entrance of the Keio Inokashira Line platform, and then actually walked across the scramble crossing. There were questions such as "Why do so many people gather here?"

We also took photos in front of the Hachiko statue. There were comments and questions such as "The Japanese are all quiet and polite" and "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?"

Since they said, "We're not yet used to the transportation system," I saw them off to the Keiyo Line platform at Hatchobori 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.