Tokyo in One Day: Toranomon Hills Station & Ginza Station — Guide Masa

What's a Ladies' Shopping and Lunch Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Tsukiji, Asakusa, the Imperial Palace, and Ginza

The guests were a group visiting from North America. They were all attendees of an international conference being held at a hotel in Tokyo, and this city tour was part of a ladies' program. The other members of their party were attending the conference all day.

Although attendees at the conference came from various countries around the world, the participants in this tour were all visitors from North America. It was their first visit to Japan. The initial booking had been for a larger number, but the final group was smaller by the time of departure.

The tour was coordinated by a staff member of the conference organizer's office. At the start of the tour, there was a request to be flexible and accommodate the participants' wishes regardless of the originally planned itinerary. As a result, the route ended up being significantly different from the original plan.

After the tour started, the guests requested that, since they had already visited the major spots the previous day on a pop-up bus, today they would like a tour focused on shopping and lunch.

It was a sunny day, warm enough to feel almost hot. At the Tsukiji Outer Market, after walking around the market once, there was a request to set aside free time for everyone to explore on their own, so I arranged 45 minutes of free time. The guests seemed to enjoy eating sashimi and sweets while standing. Some purchased matcha and knives as souvenirs.

In Asakusa as well, there was a request to enjoy shopping rather than sightseeing, since they had visited on the bus tour the day before, so I arranged one hour of free time. The guests reportedly purchased items such as yukata, cosmetics, and folding fans. There were questions such as "When was Sensoji Temple built?" "Are all Japanese people Buddhist?" "What other religions are believed besides Buddhism?" and "How many Christians are there?"

At the Imperial Palace, we walked around the East Gardens. There was a question about why a castle site became the Imperial Palace. There were also questions such as "Does the Emperor really live inside here?" "Does the Emperor hold political influence?" and "Was the Imperial Palace also damaged during the war?"

One of the guests wished to buy a rugby shirt at a shop in Marunouchi as a souvenir, so we made a brief stop at a building nearby.

There was a request to eat sushi for lunch, so we went to a sushi restaurant in Tsukiji. Some of the guests enjoyed sushi with beer or wine.

Afterward, there was a request to shop in Ginza, so we went to Ginza. Here too I arranged one hour of free time. In addition to major department stores and well-known shops, the guests seemed to purchase souvenirs at a discount store and a casual clothing store as well.

The guests commented, "Unlike cities in other countries, the streets are clean," "I was impressed by how quietly and politely everyone lines up at the boarding areas in the subway," and "The public restrooms are clean and pleasant."

I saw everyone off to their hotel, where we parted ways. As a precaution, I reported the completion of the tour to the coordinator in charge.

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.