Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Marky

What Is a Full-Day Private Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

Weather and tour overview: Light rain had continued since the previous day, but it mostly stopped in the latter half. The guests were a group from North America whose arrival in Japan was delayed due to a flight delay, which changed their schedule, so this appeared to be a case reassigned from another guide. Because of this, the case came in only about one week before the tour day, and the guide points were largely decided in advance, so there was no need to spend much time discussing the destinations. On the day before the tour, I received word that they had already visited one location (Shibuya Crossing), and I thought an additional destination might be needed, but since Shibuya Crossing itself takes only a short time, this was absorbed by adjusting time at the planned destinations and at a stop along the way.

Guests and tour details: Some of the guests had visited Japan before, while others were visiting for the first time. After arriving in Tokyo, they had only been to a fish market (possibly Tsukiji), and otherwise they had visited Kyoto and Hakone. Today was their first and only full tour in Tokyo, and they were scheduled to depart for home in the evening. I had considered several candidates for lunch, but at the first restaurant they commented that it was too American, so I took them to a Japanese-style set-meal restaurant, and they seemed very satisfied. During the lunch conversation, they mentioned that Asakusa was nice, but they preferred Hamarikyu Gardens. On the way to Hamarikyu, they purchased coffee at a Starbucks, and on the way from Hamarikyu to the station they stopped at a Don Quijote, which took some unplanned time. I became concerned about the finishing time, but because Shibuya Crossing had been omitted, we were able to keep it to roughly two hours and finish.

Requests: In terms of tour time, we actually departed the Hotel about 10 minutes late because it took time for the guests to gather in the lobby and to check their luggage. Also, the tour ended at 14:10 in front of the main hall of Meiji Shrine. As a request, if the options for the tour start and end times could be set in 5-minute increments, I think it would be possible to enter the times a little more precisely to match the actual situation, so I would appreciate your consideration.

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Tour Report by Marky

Nice to meet you. I’m Masayuki. Please call me Marky. After three years’ experience as a non-licensed guide, I took out the guide license as a National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter. I have been living in Tokyo for over 25 years in total with some intervals. Not to mention famous historical places such as East gardens of the Imperial Palace, which is the former Edo castle, Meiji Shrine, Senso-ji temple and Ueno Park, I can show you around other places in Tokyo and surrounding areas. My policy is that I make in-depth research of the destinations even if I am not familiar with the place. Tokyo does not stop changing and continues to be renewed while it keeps traditions and remnants of the history. It is very exciting to know the things of the city. I am looking forward to guiding you and exploring this marvelous place.