Tokyo in One Day: Hotel Tokyo Shiomi — Guide Danda

Title: What's a Full-Day Private Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Ueno, Yanaka, and Akihabara

Body:

The guests were a group of three visiting from Oceania. Since they had not decided on a destination, we started after having a planning meeting at the Hotel. In Asakusa, I asked my usual question about what the giboshi (ornamental railing knobs) look like, and one of the guests answered "a woman's chest," which made everyone laugh a lot. After that, every time we saw giboshi at various places, there was more big laughter. I am sure the guests will never forget what giboshi are now. At Sensoji Temple, we were able to see the koi that had turned blue for the first time in a while, and everyone was delighted. I also sometimes play a guessing game about the number of shrines, temples, convenience stores, and dental clinics, and this time there were quite a few questions about dental clinics, and it was interesting to learn the differences between the guests' home region and Japan. They were very cheerful people, and it felt like they were laughing the whole way. In Ueno, they were surprised that Benten Pond was covered with lotus leaves, and everyone enjoyed taking photos of the Pokemon manhole covers. Since I realized they were interested in Pokemon, we stopped by a Pokemon card shop in Akihabara, where they experienced its popularity with amazement. "What, two million yen for one card!" — which led to an emergency photo session as well. After this, one of the guests wanted to go to Yanaka, where old Japanese buildings remain, so we headed there on foot from Ueno. We had been walking quite a lot without a meal up to this point, so I asked if everyone was all right, but they all smiled and cheerfully said "no problem at all," and often even walked ahead of me. They were very curious about the buildings in Uenosakuragi, and decided to have a beer there, and I was treated to a glass as well, even though I am a weak drinker (following a request from the shop staff who said, "Since this is not a cafe, we would like at least three out of four people to order beer"). While we were chatting, I struggled with the question "What is the job of the family member living overseas?", and they took out a phone and said, "If English is difficult, just speak to this in Japanese." I explained, "No, I cannot even figure out how to explain the work in Japanese in the first place, so I cannot do that either," which again brought big laughter. After that I somehow managed to put it into words and resolved it. After leaving the shop, they greatly praised the beer, saying "the beer here is easy to drink and delicious," and I then set off with a very red face and my head not quite working. On the way to Nippori Station, we stopped in front of a traditional Japanese house, and everyone held an appreciation session while chatting about various things. After that, since one of the guests had sewing as a hobby, we went to the textile district in Nippori and stopped by several shops, but because I have no knowledge about fabrics and could not have conversations about which shops to recommend, and perhaps out of consideration for the others, they decided to wrap it up partway and move on. As time was running short, we went to Akihabara, where everyone became interested in maids, and finally enjoyed the atmosphere at a maid cafe in the Akihabara culture zone (without going inside). One of the guests waved at a maid on the street and peeked into the shop to greet the maids, smiling the whole time, and will probably visit tomorrow. For my part, I had a truly wonderful and enjoyable time.

Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide

Tour Report by Danda

Nice to meet you. I am delighted to introduce myself. My nickname is Danda. I live in Saitama prefecture next to Tokyo, but I was brought up in Kanazawa, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan. My favorite things are bonsai and hiking. Also, I have been a big fun of history and sumo since my childhood. As for the guide, I have enjoyed making communication with foreign visitors since 2019. I have taken more than 30 private groups to not only major scenic spots but also their favorite places such as tea ceremony, maid cafe, sumo tournament, bonsai village, fire ritual and so on. I can arrange the original tour based on your requests and curiosity. It will be only for you. I look forward to meeting you soon. Thank you.