Tokyo in One Day: Otemachi Station & Shibuya Station — Guide Masa

Title: What Is a Private One-Day Walking Tour of Tokyo Like in Cherry Blossom Season? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from North America, enjoying travel after retirement. They arrived at Haneda on a direct flight two days earlier, and the previous day they had visited Disneyland/DisneySea (though they mentioned, "The park was extremely crowded, so we could only ride a very few attractions.").

This visit to Japan was a long trip in total. In addition to Tokyo, they planned to visit Hakone, Hida-Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara, Naoshima, and Hiroshima one after another. After returning to Tokyo, they planned to return home.

They said, "We are looking forward to seeing a festival in Hida-Takayama and enjoying the atmosphere of Kyoto." They also said, "We want to fully enjoy the cherry blossoms."

The tour took place under a continuous light rain.

First, we walked to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. The cherry blossoms within the gardens were almost in full bloom. Despite the rain, there were many tourists.

I explained about "Japan's history from the Edo to the Meiji period," "the Meiji Restoration," "why Edo Castle became the Imperial Palace," "the history of the Imperial Family," "World War II and the air raids on Tokyo," and "how the stone walls were built."

There were questions and comments such as "Does the current Emperor of Japan hold any political power?", "Who will be the next Emperor?", and "Can a woman become Emperor?"

We moved on to Shinjuku Gyoen. Here too, despite the rain, there were many tourists. I explained about "the history and current state of Shinjuku Gyoen."

Here too, the cherry blossoms were almost in full bloom. They eagerly took commemorative photos in front of the cherry trees here and there.

They also said, "The pine trees in the garden are wonderful," and eagerly took photos in various spots. They also said, "The Japanese garden is wonderful. I am creating a Japanese garden in my own yard as well."

We moved to the east exit of Shinjuku. I explained "the history of Shinjuku" and "the difference between the east and west exits of Shinjuku." We strolled through Kabukicho. They eagerly photographed the "3D cat billboard" and the "Godzilla Head."

Since they said, "We really want to eat 'okonomiyaki' for lunch," we went to a restaurant in Kabukicho. They also enjoyed some beer.

We moved to Harajuku.

Meiji Shrine was also full of tourists despite the rain.

I explained about "Shinto," "torii gates," "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?"

We took a break at "Forest Terrace Meiji Jingu."

We moved to Shibuya.

After viewing Scramble Square from the platform at Inokashira, we actually crossed the intersection. There were questions such as "How many people gather at the busiest times?" and "Why did it become so famous?"

We also took photos in front of the Hachiko statue. We also strolled along Shibuya Center-Gai.

There were comments and questions such as "Tokyo is clean throughout the city with no litter," "The public toilets are clean and free, which is much appreciated," "There are no trash bins around the city. Why is that?", "Everyone is quiet on the trains," and "We don't see any homeless people."

I saw the guests off at Otemachi 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.