Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Minoruasai

What Is a Private Tokyo Tour to Gotokuji and Sensoji Temple Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting from North America. They stayed in Tokyo for six days and planned to continue to an onsen in the Kansai region afterward. The course had been finalized through several email exchanges beforehand. We first went to Gotokuji Temple, where they wished to dedicate a beckoning cat figurine, so I assisted them. One of the guests dedicated the largest cat for 10,000 yen, and another dedicated a slightly smaller but still large cat for 7,000 yen. I was quietly surprised at the fairly high value of the offerings as I watched over them, and the guests, including the person who had booked the tour, closed their eyes and prayed for a long time before the beckoning cat hall. I sensed there must be some special reason, and I learned what it was over lunch. As it turned out, one of the guests had proposed the day after arriving in Tokyo, and the proposal had been accepted, so they had prayed that they might spend a long and happy life together. The reason they wished to visit Gotokuji Temple was that one of the guests loves cats very much. I have guided a great many tours in the city, but this was the first time I had heard of a proposal during a trip, and as I enjoyed some delicious, warm okonomiyaki, my own heart was warmed, and I offered them my heartfelt congratulations. All of them were very sincere and genuine, and they eagerly asked about Japanese history and culture, which made explaining things a real joy for me. I explained the various differences between the serene Gotokuji Temple and the ever-lively Sensoji Temple, and they understood this very well. I was impressed by how thoughtful and grounded they were despite their youth, and we ended the tour on that note. When I asked for their impressions at the end, they told me, "It was a very educational and enjoyable tour. Thank you." Being surrounded by so much happiness made me feel happy as well, and I concluded the tour with deep gratitude for the chance to guide such an auspicious tour at the start of the new year. Indeed, I am now convinced that the beckoning cats of Gotokuji Temple surely bring good fortune and wonderful encounters with good people (laughs).

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Tour Report by MINORUASAI

I acquired national guide license in 2014, and I have been doing guide work full fledged since 2016. In my career before starting guide work, I was a business man and made more than 1,000 business trips both abroad and in Japan, and that experience is my foundation as a guide because I came to know so many places both abroad and in Japan. I have been taking care of both group and individual tourists, and the number of foreign guests I have taken care is close to 2,500 so far. I am based in Tokyo, but I can cover guide work in many prefectures throughout Japan. When I take care of foreign guests, my major concern is to listen attentively to them, find out what they want to know and do in Japan, and give them appropriate guiding in accordance with what I heard from my guests. I would like to provide tailor made tour as much as possible for every precious guest who kindly chose Japan as the tour destination.