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

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

The guests were a group visiting Japan from North America. All were visiting Japan for the first time, and the trip was to celebrate a graduation. The group had arrived at Narita Airport the previous evening and taken a taxi to their hotel. However, because the flight was delayed and customs at the airport was crowded and took a long time, they did not reach the hotel until 21:00 and were tired.

For this trip, the group would be staying in Japan for eleven days. After spending time in Tokyo, they planned to travel to Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima, then return home from Kansai Airport.

They said, "Today, we would like to visit the main sights in the city and get a sense of the transportation." It was a tour under cloudy skies, in somewhat chilly weather.

First, I guided them to Asakusa, the Kaminarimon Gate, and the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center, then went from Asakusa Station to Tsukiji Station. (They said they would explore Asakusa on their own later at a leisurely pace.)

At Tsukiji, 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 does seem like there are many tourists."

They said they wanted to try some food. In the end, they bought and sampled strawberries and matcha soft-serve ice cream.

We went to Shinjuku Sanchome. After that, we went to Shinjuku Golden Gai. I explained "the origins and history of Golden Gai." Even during the daytime, quite a few foreign tourists were strolling through Golden Gai.

After that, we went around Kabukicho and Omoide Yokocho. I also explained "the history of Kabukicho" and "the difference between the east and west exits of Shinjuku." They enthusiastically photographed the Godzilla Head and the 3D cat billboard. They commented, "The atmosphere is different from other places in Tokyo."

We moved on to Harajuku. Meiji Jingu was fairly 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 is Buddhism different from Shinto?"

We took a short break at Forest Terrace Meiji Jingu, and also strolled along Takeshita Street and Cat Street. They said, "With the crowds, it doesn't really suit us."

We moved on to Shibuya. Looking at the Scramble Square, there were questions such as "About how many people cross at once?" and "Why did it become so famous?" Here as well, the group crossed the scramble intersection and took photos in front of the Hachiko statue.

There were comments and questions such as, "The city is clean and there's no litter on the ground," "There are no trash cans on the streets. Why is that?" and "Everyone is quiet on the trains."

I saw the group off to 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.