Tokyo in One Day: Shin-Okubo Station & Harajuku Station — Guide Masa

Title: What Is a Private Family-Friendly Day Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Akihabara, and Meiji Shrine

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from Oceania. They were traveling during a school break. The day before, they had arrived at Narita Airport and made their way to their accommodation by train, transferring along the way. This was an 8-day visit to Japan, including Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, with plans to return home after coming back to Tokyo. They also mentioned that they wanted to fully enjoy the cherry blossoms.

The tour took place on a slightly chilly day. The group was staying at a B&B near the meeting point. After meeting up, we headed to Asakusa.

We started in front of Kaminarimon Gate. I explained the history of Sensoji Temple and the transition from Edo to Tokyo, the purpose of the five-story pagoda, what Buddhism is, and the difference between Buddhism and Shinto. We took commemorative photos at Kaminarimon, in front of the five-story pagoda, and at various other spots. The weeping cherry blossoms within the temple grounds had mostly fallen. We strolled slowly through the crowded Nakamise shopping street.

There were questions such as "What are the major religions in Japan?", "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", and "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people follow?" There was also a question: "We see many people wearing kimono within the temple grounds — why is that? Are they all Japanese?"

At the request of one of the guests, who is a fan of Japanese anime and especially Pokemon, we went to Akihabara. We explored various shops, and they purchased a large number of Pokemon figures. After this, at the further request of the same guest who wanted to eat ramen, we went to a ramen restaurant, where they enjoyed tonkotsu ramen and gyoza. They remarked, "The price is about one-third of what it would be back home."

We moved to Kamiyacho and visited Tokyo Tower. Unfortunately, it was cloudy with poor visibility, so we were unable to see Mount Fuji. The guests said, "We could see how large and expansively spread out Tokyo is."

We moved to Harajuku. Meiji Shrine was also full of tourists. I explained about Shinto, torii gates, Emperor Meiji, why sake barrels are displayed, and why wine barrels are displayed as well. There were questions such as "What kind of religion is Shinto?" and "How do Buddhism and Shinto differ?"

At the request of one of the guests, we also strolled along Takeshita Street. There were comments and questions such as "Tokyo is so clean throughout the city, with no litter on the ground," "The public restrooms are clean and free, which is wonderful," "There are no trash cans on the streets. Why is that?", "Everyone is quiet on the trains," and "We don't see any homeless people."

I saw them off at Shin-Okubo Station, where 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.