Tokyo in One Day: Asakusa & Tokyo National Museum — Guide Danda

Title: What's a Private Family Walking Tour of Tokyo's Asakusa and Ueno Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

Body: [Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.)](https://www.j-g-a.org/) guide led a private walking tour of Tokyo for a group visiting from North America. The day before, the guests asked to shift the start time to 12:00 because they had somewhere to visit in the morning, so we began one hour later than originally planned. At the meeting point there was a slightly apologetic atmosphere about a small delay, and a brief moment of tension within the group, so I felt a little uneasy at the start, but that concern quickly proved unfounded.

Since one of the guests had passed through Asakusa during the Tokyo Marathon, we first visited Sensoji Temple, and they showed me a photo of Kaminarimon Gate that they had taken while running, saying "Look at this." Communication was a little challenging at times, but at Asakusa Shrine one of the guests carefully asked me about the proper way to pray and spent a long time praying for something.

The guests keep a dog and are great dog lovers, so one of them asked permission to pet a Mameshiba being walked nearby, looking truly delighted — that smile was wonderful.

Because one of the guests had strong food preferences, we were wondering what to do about lunch, when we came to a restaurant where I had once listened to shamisen. When I explained "It's a Japanese-style building, but it serves Italian food," the reaction was "Interesting, let's go in here," and it was my first time using it since the restaurant changed hands. Although it had lost some of its former charm, the food seemed good. The edamame (topped with cheese and garlic — truly delicious) and the fried potatoes were especially well received. One of the guests specially ordered plain pasta (simply boiled) and finished it completely, while the others had pizza. On the way out, the guests spotted a shop selling character goods and were delighted, purchasing two of them. Meanwhile, outside, I had one of those familiar chats — a common worry all around the world.

In Ueno Park we started walking from Shinobazu Pond, where the cherry blossoms were blooming, then continued to Kiyomizu Kannon-do and were drawn to Anamori Inari Shrine. After Ueno Toshogu, we went to the Tokyo National Museum and rushed through the entire main building in about 30 minutes, stopping at the Buddhist statues, swords, armor and helmets, and tea ceremony utensils (or perhaps more accurately, the parts I could explain). Regarding the tea ceremony utensils in particular, the guests were sorry that they had not experienced a tea ceremony in Kyoto, so they listened intently to my explanation of "ichigo ichie" and watched a video of a tea gathering with great interest.

Because the guests had a dinner reservation, we returned to the hotel a little early and parted ways, but they were pleased, saying "That was so much fun. Thank you," which was the best possible outcome. They were a very pleasant group, and it felt as though we were always chatting about something throughout the day.

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.