Tokyo in One Day: Shinjuku & Shinjuku-sanchome — Guide Masa

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

The guests were visitors from North America. It was their first visit to Japan. One of the guests had joined a group tour of about 18 people for a two-week trip to Japan, mainly focused on the Kansai region. A week earlier, they had met up in Osaka, then traveled through Hakone and arrived in Tokyo the previous day. After this, they planned to stay in Tokyo for a few days before flying home. One of the guests was particularly interested in pottery, and the Kansai trip had mainly been about visiting areas known for pottery and washi paper production.

It was a clear but somewhat chilly day for the tour.

After photographing the "Godzilla Head" and the "3D Cat Billboard" in Shinjuku Kabukicho, we first headed to Tsukiji. As always, it was very crowded.

At Tsukiji, I explained the "history of Tokyo's fish markets since the Edo period" and the "differences between Toyosu Market and the Tsukiji Outer Market." There were questions and comments such as "Can we see the tuna auction?", "Do all Tokyo residents come here to buy fish?", and "It's crowded, but it seems like there are a lot of tourists." They bought and sampled "tuna sashimi," and also purchased "wasabi peanuts" as a souvenir.

We then moved to Asakusa.

Starting from in front of Kaminarimon Gate, I explained the "history of Sensoji Temple and of Tokyo from Edo to the present," "what the five-story pagoda is for," "what Buddhism is," and "the differences between Buddhism and Shinto." We took commemorative photos at Kaminarimon, in front of the five-story pagoda, and at various other spots, and strolled slowly through the Nakamise shopping street. There were questions and comments such as "What are the main religions in Japan?", "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people follow?", and "My family also occasionally visits temples back home."

We moved on to Harajuku.

At Meiji Shrine, I explained "about Shinto," "about torii gates," "about Emperor Meiji," "why sake barrels are displayed," and "why wine barrels are displayed." There were questions such as "What kind of religion is Shinto?" and "How is Buddhism different from Shinto?" After a break at the Cafe Terrace at Meiji Shrine, we also strolled along Takeshita Street.

From there, we moved to Shibuya.

We actually crossed the famous scramble crossing. There were questions such as "Why do so many people gather here?" and "Why did it become so famous?" We also took photos in front of the Hachiko statue.

Since the guests said they really wanted to eat sushi, we went to a sushi restaurant. They seemed satisfied, and commented, "In our country, proper sushi is extremely expensive," and "These days, young people back home all love sushi."

There were also comments and questions such as "Unlike back home, the city is clean and there's no litter, though for some reason the Kabukicho area near the hotel has trash scattered around," "There are no homeless people to be seen," "Is it safe to walk around late at night?", and "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?" They also mentioned that "Shinjuku was very noisy last night."

I saw them off at Shinjuku-sanchome Station, ending the tour.

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.