Tokyo in One Day: Kiyosumi Garden & Nezu Shrine — Guide Danda

What Is a Private Old-Town Walking Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

I guided guests visiting from North America. Beforehand, I had introduced three options — old-town streetscapes, a mix of styles, and major tourist spots — and they said they would love to see the old townscapes. While we were exchanging these messages, they suddenly told me they had forgotten to notify me about a hotel change, so the accommodation was changed at the last minute.

We started at Fukagawa Fudodo, where the guests purchased goma prayer sticks for "good health" and "warding off misfortune," wrote their names and ages, took commemorative photos, walked once around the hall, and then watched the goma fire ritual. They also had their belongings purified along the way, and they were delighted to experience a traditional Buddhist ceremony from a front-row spot with a full view of everything. That said, perhaps because they could see the whole thing, there was none of the usual startling moment, which left me personally feeling a little wistful.

At the next stop, Kiyosumi Garden, they were captivated by its beauty and took many photos, though it was a shame that it started to rain and we had to take temporary shelter for a while. Still, since they had been looking forward to the autumn foliage, they made sure to photograph the leaves that had just started to change color (at Lake Kawaguchiko they had been hoping to see a snow-capped Mount Fuji together with autumn leaves).

Because there were requests to eat, to find an extra-large rain jacket, and to exchange currency, we headed to Ameyoko. At Montbell they found an XXL item they liked, but gave up on it because the chest size was too large; they were pleased that the exchange rate was two yen better than in Ginza; for lunch, to save time, they finished a meal at a Matsuya they happened to spot; and at Futaki-ya, which they had only intended to pass through, they ended up buying lots of sweets — thoroughly enjoying Ameyoko. At Jogyo Bosatsu, one of the guests scrubbed the back for the hips and another scrubbed the feet with a brush after getting blisters from wearing brand-new shoes for the trip.

Since the guests did not seem particularly interested in history, I kept our visit to Ueno Park brief. They mentioned that among their acquaintances it was trendy to give dogs Japanese names, and they knew that "inari" refers to a fox. While riding the train, one of the guests was always playing Pokémon GO, proudly showing me the screen and saying, "In nine years I've already caught over 100,000 Pokémon and traveled 50,000 km." When I pointed out the two Pokémon manhole covers in Ueno Park, they happily said, "I'd like to photograph them when I go to other places too," and took pictures.

After that, we continued along my usual route from Yanaka to Nezu Shrine, and they liked the atmosphere so much that they said, "Let's come back again when we visit the Tokyo National Museum," checking the photos and locations of several shops such as Kayaba Coffee, Yuga-an, and Nonbiri-ya. They were also very curious about Ogyo-ko, and when I said I was too scared to ever go in, they innocently asked, "Why?" and, finding its unique appearance amusing, took photos.

They loved the old townscape with few foreign tourists, giving it the highest rating of the day and thanking me with, "Thank you for bringing us here." They were lovely guests.

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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.