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

Title: What Can You See on a Private One-Day Tour of Tokyo? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visitors from Europe. It was their first visit to Japan. The purpose of their trip to Japan this time was a cruise voyage around Japan departing from Tokyo. They had arrived at Narita Airport the previous night and traveled to their accommodation by limousine taxi. The night before, they had bought sandwiches at a nearby convenience store for their meal. Today, they requested, "We would like to see the main spots in Tokyo." It was a tour in light rain.

First, following their wishes, we went to Asakusa. We started in front of Kaminarimon Gate. I explained about "Senso-ji 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 other spots. Despite the rain, we slowly strolled along the Nakamise shopping street, which was crowded with school excursion students and others. 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?"

After this, also following their wishes, we went to Tsukiji. As always, it was extremely crowded. I explained about "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 the people in Tokyo come here to buy fish?" and "It's crowded, but it does seem like there are a lot of tourists." They said, "We'd like to try something," and in the end they bought and sampled tuna sushi and matcha soft serve.

We moved to Harajuku and visited Meiji Shrine. I explained about "Shinto," "the torii gate," "Emperor Meiji," "why the sake barrels are displayed," and "why the wine barrels are displayed." There were questions such as "What kind of religion is Shinto?", "How do Buddhism and Shinto differ?", and "Why did Shinto arise in Japan?" We took a break at the Cafe Terrace at Meiji Shrine.

We moved to Shibuya. From in front of the Keio Line platform, we looked out over the scramble crossing, and then actually crossed it. We also took photos in front of the Hachiko statue. There was a question: "Why are so many people crossing here?" There were comments and questions such as "The town is clean and there is no litter on the ground," "There are no trash cans around the town. Why is that?", "The subway is complicated, but very well made," and "I don't see any homeless people."

We saw them off at Daiba 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.