Tokyo in One Day: Shinjuku Gyoen & Walk around Kichijoji — Guide Yoko

What Is a Private Off-the-Beaten-Path Tokyo Family Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Shinjuku Gyoen and Kichijoji

The guests were a family visiting from North America. As part of the group was a very young child, the tour was paced around the child's mood throughout the day. Since the guests planned to visit the major sightseeing spots on their own, they requested hidden-gem locations, so I guided them to Shinjuku Gyoen and Kichijoji.

Having arrived only the day before, the child was affected by jet lag and was sleepy and fussy from the morning, but seemed to enjoy moving around and did a lot of walking. The Ginza Line was still crowded during the 9 o'clock hour, so after discussing with one of the guests, we decided to walk to Edogrand in Kyobashi to pass the time with a kimono fitting and origami. However, the child was too fussy to try on the kimono, so the guests decided to visit Edogrand on their own another time, and we took the subway to Shinjuku Gyoen. The English-style garden at Shinjuku Gyoen was a wonderful place for a small child to run around, and the guests were delighted. The guests had a folding stroller, but the child wanted to walk. The child did not want to hold hands, which the guests found challenging, but I was impressed by how patiently they handled the situation no matter how much the child cried. After running around a lot at Shinjuku Gyoen, we walked to Shinjuku with the stroller. We were about to have lunch in Kichijoji when the child fell asleep just beforehand, so we postponed lunch and spent the time shopping at nearby stores and buying sandwiches from the food section of the station building to eat lightly on a bench until the child woke up. Once the child woke, we had a somewhat late lunch, and I guided them to the location of a cat cafe before saying goodbye.

I felt that with guests traveling with a small child, you have to adapt flexibly, watching the child's condition on the day. For that reason, I thought it would be good to consider various possibilities and prepare many candidate destinations. Depending on the location of the hotel, boarding the train during the morning rush hour can be difficult, so I felt that it is necessary to either shift the tour time or guide guests somewhere within walking distance before taking the train. The guests were very satisfied, but there are still points to improve, which I would like to apply to future tours.

There were moments of fussiness, but the child would also break into dance when happy and come running over to me, and I was soothed by such an adorable child.

Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide

Tour Report by Yoko

I’m Yoko Kusumoto, a government lisenced English-speaking guide.
I have been living in Tokyo for more than 20 years, and it’s my pleasure to show you around Tokyo. I recommend Meiji Shrine and Asakusa if you are first time in Japan. I also recommend off-the-beaton path spots like Fukagawa Fudodo and Gotokuji Temple(lucky cat temple).
I was born and brought up in Kamakura, where the first shogun’s government was established. It will be my pleasure to introduce you my hometown as well.

I live with my husband and one teenage son.
I like traveling, flowers, sewing, quilting, scrapbooking, and exploring Tokyo.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon.