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

Title: What's a Full-Day Private Walking Tour of Tokyo's Old Downtown Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a family group visiting Japan from North America. Some of the guests had visited Japan once before, about 30 years earlier, while the others were visiting for the first time. The family had roots in Asia. They were staying in Japan for about a week, planning to travel only around the Tokyo area. They had arrived at Narita four days earlier and had already explored the major sightseeing spots on their own. On the previous two days they had visited Disneyland and DisneySea. Their accommodation was at a Hotel in Maihama. They planned to go to Hakone the next day and take a day trip to Mount Fuji the day after, before returning home. They mentioned that they had decided on this trip to Japan to give the group some experience abroad.

In the intense summer heat (with some light rain along the way), the tour included several rest breaks.

First, we traveled from Sasazuka Station on the Keio Line, via Shinjuku Station, to Shibamata in Katsushika. The guests commented, "It's so quiet, it's hard to believe this is within Tokyo," and "The old townscape is wonderful." On the approach road they bought and tasted kusa-mochi.

After that, we went to Nippori. At Yanaka Ginza the guests remarked, "It's wonderful to see an old Tokyo shopping street." Here again, along the way, they bought and tasted ice cream.

Next, we visited Nezu Shrine. Passing through the torii gates, they took commemorative photos many times. I explained about "Inari shrines." At the shrine office, I bought protective charms for the younger members of the group.

Inside Otemachi Station, we all had a late lunch of standing-style soba.

The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace were very crowded. I explained about "the history of Edo and Tokyo," "the Meiji Restoration," and "the current Imperial family." There were questions such as "When was it built as a castle?" and "Why did Edo Castle become the Imperial Palace?" There were also questions such as "Does the Emperor live inside here?", "Can we meet the Emperor?", "What is the relationship between the Emperor and the Prime Minister?", and "Who will become the next Emperor?"

There were also comments such as "The city is clean and quiet everywhere. There's no litter on the ground," "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?", and "There are really a lot of subway trains, but it's hard to get used to." One of the guests also commented that, compared to their previous visit, they felt the value of respecting one's elders in Japan seemed to have declined, noting that on the subway younger people remained seated without offering their seats to older passengers.

I saw them off at Shinjuku Station, and the tour concluded.

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.