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

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

The guests were visiting Japan for the first time from North America. They arrived at Haneda Airport the previous night and planned to stay in Japan for about two weeks. The day before, they had explored the area around the Imperial Palace and Ginza on foot. The main purpose of this trip to Japan was to join a group cycling tour of about 15 people (using electric-assist bicycles), mainly traveling by bicycle around the Izu Peninsula and Nagano Prefecture. Afterward, they planned to visit Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara, then return to Tokyo before heading home. They expressed a wish to see cherry blossoms if possible. They had originally hoped to visit the Tokyo National Museum, but unfortunately it was closed that day. Although the sky was cloudy, the weather was pleasantly mild during the tour.

Before the tour, the guests wanted to buy a SUICA card, so we went to the travel concierge at Ueno Station. From there, we first headed to Asakusa. We started in front of the Kaminarimon Gate. I explained the history of Sensoji Temple and the transition from Edo to Tokyo, the purpose of the five-story pagoda, an introduction to Buddhism, and the differences between Buddhism and Shinto. We took commemorative photos at the Kaminarimon Gate and various other spots. The weeping cherry blossoms in 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 believe in?" There was also a question: "We see many people wearing kimono in the temple grounds — why is that? Are they all Japanese?" The guests bought a lucky charm as a souvenir for their grandchild.

Next we went to Tsukiji, which was crowded. After briefly viewing the Tsukiji Uogashi, we strolled slowly through the outer market. I explained the history of the fish market from the Edo period and the difference between the Toyosu market and the Tsukiji outer market. There were questions and comments such as "Do all Tokyo residents come here to buy fish?" and "It's crowded, but it seems there are a lot of tourists." The guests wanted to try some food, so they sampled tuna sushi and grilled Kobe beef skewers. One of the guests loves Japanese food and said they wanted to eat as much Japanese food as possible while staying in Japan.

We then moved to Harajuku. Meiji Shrine was full of tourists. I explained about Shinto, the torii gate, Emperor Meiji, and why the sake barrels and wine barrels are displayed there. There were questions such as "What kind of religion is Shinto?" and "How does Buddhism differ from Shinto?" We also came across a family celebrating Shichi-Go-San, and with their permission, took photos. We strolled through the very crowded Takeshita Street and Cat Street, then took a short break at a nearby café.

We then moved to Shibuya and actually crossed the Scramble Crossing. There were questions such as "About how many people cross here?" and "Why did it become so famous?" We took photos in front of the Hachiko statue and also strolled through Shibuya Center Gai. One of the guests had a blister, so we stopped by a drugstore. There were comments and questions such as "The streets are clean and there's no litter," "The public restrooms are clean," "There are no trash cans on the streets — why is that?", "Everyone is quiet on the trains," and "There are vending machines everywhere." We saw the guests off at Otemachi Station and 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.