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

Title: Can a Licensed Guide Handle Suica, JR Pass, and Shinkansen Bookings? A Private Tokyo Day Tour Report

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from Oceania. The night before, they arrived at Narita Airport and took a taxi to their hotel. However, because the flight was delayed and customs at the airport was crowded and time-consuming, they did not reach the hotel until 21:00 and were tired.

The purpose of this trip was a 14-day stay in Japan. After staying in Tokyo, they planned to visit Hakone, Hida-Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, and Osaka, then depart from Kansai Airport. The previous night, they rested at the hotel.

Their wish for today was to explore the main sights of central Tokyo and get a sense of how the transportation system works.

They also mentioned that their travel agency had asked the guide to help with "purchasing the Welcome Suica Card," "activating the JR Pass," and "reserving Shinkansen and other trains."

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

First, we went to the Ekitabi Concierge at the south exit of Shinjuku Station and took our time to complete the procedures.

After that, we moved to Asakusa. Starting from the front of Kaminarimon Gate, I explained "Sensoji 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 spots, and strolled slowly through the crowded Nakamise shopping street. There were questions such as "What are the main religions in Japan?", "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", and "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people follow?" There was also a question about "Why do we see people wearing kimono within the temple grounds?"

From here, we went to Tsukiji, which was as crowded as ever. 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 many tourists." They said they wanted to try something, and in the end they bought and sampled "strawberries" and "matcha soft serve."

We 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.

We moved to Shibuya. Looking at Scramble Square, there were questions such as "About how many people cross at once?" and "Why did it become famous?" Here too, we crossed the scramble intersection, and took photos in front of the Hachiko statue. There were comments and questions such as "I don't understand why the city is so clean with no litter," "There are no trash cans on the streets—why?", and "Everyone is quiet on the trains."

We saw them off at Shinjuku 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.