Tokyo in One Day: Departure: Azabujuban & Shibuya — Guide Masa

Title: What Is a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour Like on a Rainy Day? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from Oceania. This was their first trip to Japan. They arrived at Narita Airport two days earlier and took the train to their hotel. The previous day, they strolled around the area near their hotel (Roppongi, Akasaka, Tokyo Tower, etc.). The main purpose of this visit to Japan was a ski trip to Nozawa Onsen, with a total stay of 14 days in Japan. After visiting Nozawa Onsen, they planned to travel on to Kyoto and Osaka. They also planned to visit Tokyo Disneyland over the following two days. Today's itinerary was arranged according to the wishes of the guests.

Unfortunately, it turned out to be a very cold, rainy day for the tour.

We first went to Tsukiji. Despite the poor weather, there was a large crowd. I explained "the history of Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple," "the history of the fish market since the Edo period," and "the difference between Toyosu Market and the Tsukiji Outer Market." We looked around various shops, and they bought and sampled scallops. They also bought and sampled "strawberry-filled mochi" and "fried sweet potato." There were questions such as "Why are there so many people here?" and "Do all Tokyo residents come here to buy fish?"

We moved on to Shinjuku. We passed through "Omoide Yokocho" to Kabukicho, and took a commemorative photo in front of the Godzilla Head. I gave an overview of the history and current state of Shinjuku. There were questions such as "How is the public safety here? Is it safe to walk around alone?"

We moved on to Harajuku. As they were a little tired, we took a break at a cafe inside "With Harajuku." After that, in the rain, we strolled along Takeshita Street and Cat Street. They were very interested in the "Pig Cafe" and said, "We'd love to stop by next time."

We moved on to Shibuya, where I explained "the history of Shibuya." As they said, "We'd like to have yakitori for lunch," we went to a yakitori restaurant. After that, since they wanted to buy shoes, we went to a shoe store and purchased three pairs. Then, in the rain, we crossed Shibuya Scramble Square, took a commemorative photo in front of the Hachiko statue, and went to the Pokemon Center / Nintendo Store in Shibuya Parco. They bought Pokemon goods. There were also questions such as "Why are there so many people despite the bad weather? Are most of them tourists?"

There were also comments such as "Japanese people are all so polite," "The streets are clean and there's no litter," "Why are there no trash bins?", "The public restrooms in Japan are clean and pleasant," and "There are no homeless people to be seen."

I saw them off at Azabu-Juban Station, and we 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.