Tokyo in One Day: Daiba Station & Ryogoku Station — Guide Masa

Can You Do a Private One-Day Tour of Tokyo Before a Group Trip Across Japan? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visitors from North America, and this was their first trip to Japan. They had arrived at Narita Airport the previous evening and taken a taxi to their hotel. The purpose of their visit was to join a 12-day group tour of Japan (about 100 participants) starting the day after next, traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Hiroshima before returning to Tokyo and heading home. The guests had come to Japan ahead of this and planned to spend two days in Tokyo. For today, they said they wanted to visit the main spots in the city and get a sense of the transportation situation.

The guests could only walk slowly and stairs were not possible, so we moved at a slow pace throughout. It was a tour under clear skies, in weather almost hot.

First, we went to Tsukiji. Even though it was a closed day, it 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 seems like there are a lot of tourists." They said they wanted to try some food, and ended up buying and sampling strawberries and matcha soft serve. They also bought dried soybeans as a souvenir.

They further requested to see a Japanese Catholic church, so we walked to Tsukiji Catholic Church. There were many questions about the history of Christianity in Japan. After this, they said they were a little tired, so we took a lunch break at a café.

We then moved to Asakusa. Starting from the 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 and various spots, and slowly strolled along 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 women wearing kimono could be seen within the temple grounds.

We moved to Ryogoku, as one of the guests wanted to learn about Japanese sumo. We viewed the Ryogoku Kokugikan from outside and went to Ryogoku Edo Noren. I explained the history of sumo, the rules of sumo, about sumo stables, and the daily life of sumo wrestlers. There were questions such as "At what age can one become a sumo wrestler?", "How much do sumo wrestlers weigh?", and "How much annual income do they earn?"

On the train, the guests were offered seats several times, and they remarked that Japanese people are kind. There were also comments and questions such as "We can't understand why the city is so clean with no litter on the ground," "There are no trash cans in the city. Why?", and "Is it okay to drink beverages on the train?"

I saw them off at Daiba 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.