Tokyo in One Day: Toranomon Hills & Shibuya — Guide Masa

What Is a Full-Day Private Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Tsukiji, the Imperial Palace, and Shibuya

The guests were visiting Japan for the first time from North America. They had previously run a business, which was closing this month, and this trip was to invite some of their long-standing clients. The main purpose of their visit was a 14-day cruise around Japan departing from Yokohama Port starting the next day. (They mentioned they would travel from their hotel to Yokohama Port by taxi.) The night before, they had arrived at Narita and taken a taxi to their hotel, where they had dinner inside the hotel.

It was a tour under clear skies in hot and humid weather.

The Tsukiji Outer Market was, as expected, very crowded. We walked around slowly, taking it all in. There were questions such as "Do all Tokyo residents buy their fish here?" and "When did this market begin?"

We took a leisurely walk around the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. None of the guests climbed up to the former castle keep site, saying it was difficult on their legs. There were questions such as "Why did the site of a castle become the Imperial Palace?", "When was the castle built?", and "Can we go inside the Imperial Palace?" There were also questions such as "Does the Emperor live in here?", "Does the Emperor hold political influence?", and "Are all members of the imperial family wealthy?" There was even a question of "Why did Tokyo become the capital of Japan?"

There was a request that "we'd like to eat sushi for lunch," so we went to a sushi restaurant in Hibiya. They enjoyed it while having white wine.

At Meiji Shrine, there were questions such as "What are the torii gates for?" and "How does Buddhism differ from Shinto?" One comment was "It's wonderful that there is such a quiet, green place in the heart of the city." Within the shrine grounds, we came across a wedding procession and took photos.

Afterwards, we walked along Omotesando to a well-known souvenir store. They spent a lot of time browsing, saying they wanted gifts requested by their grandchildren.

We moved on to Shibuya and observed the Scramble Crossing. One comment was "I can't understand why so many people come out here." We took commemorative photos in front of the Hachiko statue.

There were comments such as "The whole city is clean. There's no trash on the ground," "You don't see homeless people," "The subway is quiet. Even at the boarding doors, everyone lines up in an orderly way," and "The public restrooms are clean and pleasant."

We saw them off at Toranomon Hills 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.