Tokyo in One Day: Shibamata Station & Asakusa Station — Guide Masa

Title: What's an Off-the-Beaten-Path Private Tokyo Day Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Shibamata, Yanaka, Nihonbashi, and Ginza

The guests were a group visiting from North America, all coming to Japan for the first time. The purpose of this visit was a stay in Japan of about two weeks, with plans to travel from Tokyo to Hakone, Kanazawa, Hida-Takayama, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, and Hiroshima. They were not all traveling together; each part of the group had different destinations and schedules, planning to finally meet at Narita Airport and return home together. The evening before, they had arrived at Haneda Airport and taken a taxi to their accommodation. The previous day, they had strolled around the Sensoji Temple area.

They expressed a wish: "We want to go to places that ordinary tourists don't visit. We don't like Shibuya or Shinjuku." The tour took place under clear skies, in weather that was almost too warm.

From Asakusa, we moved to Shibamata. There were more visitors than expected, and we strolled slowly along the approach. I explained the history and current state of Taishakuten. They said, "I've seen the Tora-san movies," and were quite familiar with the background. There was also a question: "Do Japanese people eat carp?" We entered the temple grounds and paid our respects. We also strolled through Yamamoto-tei and along the banks of the Edogawa River. They commented, "Unlike Asakusa, it's not noisy, and I prefer this."

We moved to Nippori. I explained the history and current state of the Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi areas. However, Yanaka Ginza was very crowded with overseas visitors. They commented, "Compared to other parts of Tokyo, it's quiet and calm—this is the kind of place I wanted to come to." At a bakery, they bought and tried sandwiches. At Nezu Shrine, they passed through the torii gates of the Inari shrine and paid their respects. The azaleas had already finished blooming. They said, "Unlike Asakusa, it's quiet, and I prefer this."

We moved to Nihonbashi. I explained the history and current state of Edo and Nihonbashi. First, I explained the "Kidai Shoran" scroll. After that, we strolled through Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, Ozu Washi, and Kiya Honten, and enjoyed a sake tasting at Toyama-kan. They said, "It was great to be able to feel the atmosphere of the Edo period." Saying they were a little tired, we took a short break at a café.

We moved to Ginza. We strolled through the 4-chome area, took in the views of the surroundings from the rooftop of Ginza SIX, and rested for a while. They made various comments and asked questions such as: "Tokyo's streets are clean and there's no litter." "There are no trash cans on the streets. Why is that?" "Everyone is quiet on the trains." "There are vending machines everywhere." I saw them off at Asakusa 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.