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

Title: What's a Private One-Day Tokyo Sightseeing Tour Like for First-Time Visitors? A Licensed Guide's Report

Body:

The guests were a group visiting Japan from North America. It was the first visit to Japan for everyone in the group.

The group arrived at Haneda Airport the previous evening and took a taxi to the Hotel. The purpose of this visit was a 14-day stay in Japan. This evening they were scheduled to enjoy a traditional houseboat (yakatabune), and the following two days they planned to visit Disneyland. The previous night they had rested at the Hotel.

The group mentioned, "We would like to explore the main areas of central Tokyo today and get a sense of the transportation system."

It was a tour under clear skies, with weather warm enough to feel hot at times.

Since the group wanted to obtain SUICA cards, we first went to the Ekitabi Concierge at Ueno Station.

After that, we moved to Asakusa. Starting from the front of Kaminarimon Gate, I explained "Senso-ji Temple and the history from Edo to Tokyo," "what the five-story pagoda is for," "what Buddhism is," and "the difference between Buddhism and Shinto." We took commemorative photos at Kaminarimon and various other spots, and slowly strolled through the crowded Nakamise shopping street.

The group had 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 people in kimono within the temple grounds — why is that?"

The group purchased a protective charm.

From there, we moved to Tsukiji. As always, it was extremely crowded, and we strolled while pushing a stroller. I explained "the history of the fish market since the Edo period" and "the difference between 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 does seem like there are a lot of tourists."

The group wanted to try some food, and in the end they purchased and sampled strawberries, fried sweet potato, and grilled beef skewers.

We then moved to Harajuku. Meiji Shrine was quite crowded with tourists. I explained "about Shinto," "about torii gates," "about 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 do Buddhism and Shinto differ?"

We took a short break at Forest Terrace Meiji Jingu, where one of the guests enjoyed a beer.

We then moved to Shibuya. Looking out over Shibuya Scramble Square, there were questions such as "About how many people cross here?" and "Why did it become so famous?" Here too, we crossed the scramble crossing while pushing a stroller, and took photos in front of the Hachiko statue. There were comments and questions such as "We can't understand why the streets are so clean with no litter," "There are no trash cans on the streets — why is that?" and "Everyone is so quiet on the trains."

I saw the group off at Tokyo Station on the Marunouchi Line, 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.