Tokyo in One Day: Tochomae Station & Shinjuku Station — Guide Masa

Title: What Does a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour Cover? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Tsukiji, Yanaka, and Meiji Jingu

The guests were visitors from North America. It was their first visit to Japan. The purpose of this trip to Japan was to board a cruise ship departing from Yokohama Port for a voyage around Japan. Yesterday, after finishing the cruise, they traveled from Yokohama Port to Shinjuku by taxi. Last night, they said they had joined a "food tour" in Shinjuku. Tomorrow they plan to watch morning sumo training, and the day after they plan to return home by air. On the cruise, they said they particularly liked the city of Kagoshima and the sand steam bath. The tour took place under cloudy skies with occasional glimpses of sunshine.

They mentioned that something they ate on yesterday's food tour seemed to have upset their stomach, so we proceeded while making frequent stops at restrooms along the way.

First, we went to Asakusa. As always, it was extremely crowded. We started from in front of 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 at Kaminarimon, in front of the five-story pagoda, and at various other spots. We strolled slowly through the Nakamise shopping street. There were questions such as "What are the major religions in Japan?", "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people believe in?", and "Are there any Catholics in Japan?"

After this, we went to Tsukiji. This too was as crowded with tourists as ever. We strolled through "Tsukiji Uogashi" and then went to the "outer market." I explained about "the history of Tokyo's fish markets 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 Tokyo residents come here to buy fish?" and "It's crowded, but it seems like there are a lot of tourists."

Since they said they were getting hungry and wanted to eat something light, we went to Tokyo Midtown Hibiya. They both had warm soba noodles.

They said they wanted to see an old part of Tokyo, so we went to Yanaka Ginza. They said, "Even though it's narrow, it was nice to see the atmosphere of an old town."

We moved to Harajuku. I explained about "Shinto," "torii gates," "Emperor Meiji," "why sake barrels are displayed," and "why wine barrels are displayed." There were questions such as "What kind of religion is Shinto?", "It's completely different from Sensoji Temple," and "How do Buddhism and Shinto differ?" We took a break at the café terrace at Meiji Jingu. They commented, "Japanese people are all quiet and polite," and "There are no hand dryers or paper towels in the public restrooms."

I saw them off at Shinjuku 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.