Tokyo in One Day: Ariake Station & Nippori Station — Guide Masa

Title: What Is a Full-Day Private Tour of Tokyo Like? Asakusa, Ueno, and Yanaka with a Licensed Guide

The guests were two groups of friends visiting Japan for the first time from Europe. They were all enjoying travel after retirement. The purpose of this visit to Japan was a 14-day cruise around Japan. Two weeks earlier they had boarded the ship at the Port of Osaka, and after cruising around Japan (including Busan in Asia), they had arrived at the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal the day before. The day before, they had gone to Shibuya by taxi. After this, they planned to stay in Tokyo for two more days, and then fly home from Narita Airport. They said, "We really loved the atmosphere of Kyoto."

Although the sky was slightly cloudy, we were not caught in any rain, and it was a tour in surprisingly warm weather.

First, we headed to Asakusa. Despite it being a weekday, there was a large crowd. We started from in front of the Kaminarimon Gate. I explained "the history of Sensoji Temple and Edo to Tokyo," "what the five-story pagoda is for," "what Buddhism is," and "the differences between Buddhism and Shinto." We took commemorative photos at various spots, including in front of the Kaminarimon Gate and the five-story pagoda. The area around the weeping cherry blossoms in the temple grounds was full of tourists absorbed in photography. We strolled slowly through the fully crowded Nakamise shopping street. There were questions such as "What are the main religions in Japan?", "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", and "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people believe in?" There was also a question: "We see many people wearing kimono in the temple grounds — why is that? Are they all Japanese?"

We moved on to Ueno. In Ueno Park, the weeping cherry blossoms at the entrance were in full bloom, but the Somei Yoshino cherry trees along the path were only about 30% in bloom. Even so, there was a large crowd, and there were many groups holding parties. The guests said photography was their hobby, and they were absorbed in taking photos here and there.

After this, since they said, "We want to eat Japanese food" for lunch, we went to Hibiya Chanter. After browsing several restaurants, they eventually chose a soba restaurant. Everyone ordered "a set meal of soba and tempura."

Since they said, "We want to see the old part of Tokyo," we went to the Yanesen area. First, we went to Nezu Shrine. I explained "about Shinto" and "about torii gates." There were questions such as "What kind of religion is Shinto?" and "How do Buddhism and Shinto differ?"

We moved to Yanaka. I explained "the history of Yanaka." They said, "We love this kind of atmosphere." We strolled slowly through Yanaka Ginza. Along the way, they bought some matcha.

From Nippori Station we went to Shimbashi. There were comments and questions such as "Tokyo is clean throughout the city and there is no litter on the streets," "The public toilets everywhere are clean and free, which we appreciate. That would be unthinkable back home," "There are no trash cans on the streets — why is that?", and "Everyone is quiet on the trains."

I saw them off at Ariake Station, and we parted ways.

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.