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

What's a Full-Day Private Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Ueno, Yanaka, Nezu, Meiji Shrine and Shibuya

The guests were visitors from North America, and it was their first visit to Japan. They arrived at Haneda Airport two days ago and took a taxi to their hotel. Yesterday they explored the Shinjuku area and Shinjuku Gyoen.

For this trip, they are staying in Japan for a while. After spending a few days in Tokyo, they will head to Hakone tomorrow, then travel to Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima before returning to Tokyo and heading home. They said, "Today we would like to visit the main spots in the city and get a sense of the transportation."

It was a tour under a cloudy sky, in weather warm enough to feel hot.

First, since they really wanted to purchase a "Welcome Suica Card," we went to the Station Travel Concierge at Shinjuku Station.

After this, we headed to Asakusa. As always, it was very crowded. We started from in front of Kaminarimon Gate. I explained "the history of Senso-ji Temple and the transition 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 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 believe in?" They purchased a good-luck charm as a souvenir.

After this, we went to Ueno Park. The hydrangeas were in full bloom and they enjoyed them. I explained "about the Edo period" and "about the history of Ueno Park."

We moved to Nippori. I explained "the history and current state of the Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi areas." Yanaka Ginza was very crowded with international tourists. They commented, "Compared to other neighborhoods in Tokyo, this is quiet and calm — this is the kind of place we wanted to visit."

From here, we moved to Nezu Shrine. At Nezu Shrine, we passed through the torii gates of the Inari shrine and offered our prayers. We came across a family doing their "Shichi-Go-San" visit, and with their permission, took a photo. I explained "what Shinto is" and "the difference between Buddhism and Shinto."

From here, 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 does Buddhism differ from Shinto?" We took a short break at Forest Terrace Meiji Jingu.

We moved to Shibuya. Looking at Shibuya Scramble Square, there were questions such as "About how many people cross the intersection?" and "Why did it become famous?" We crossed the Scramble Crossing 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 bins around the city — why is that?" and "Everyone is quiet on the trains."

Finally, I saw them off at Shinjuku 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.