Tokyo in One Day: Shintakashima & Yokohama — Guide Masa

Title: What's a Private One-Day Tour of Tokyo Like from Yokohama? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visitors from North America. This was their first visit to Japan. They arrived at Narita Airport the previous evening on a connecting flight and took a taxi to their hotel. In the evening, they took a stroll around the town near their hotel.

The main purpose of this visit to Japan was a cruise ship voyage around Japan departing from Yokohama Port the following day. They planned to fly home from Asia at the end of their trip.

The guests were recovering from illness and requested a "slow-paced walking" tour.

Even under cloudy skies, the tour was not affected by rain.

We transferred by train from Yokohama and first headed to Asakusa. Although it was a weekend, it was crowded, and the guests, perhaps unaccustomed to it, seemed a little overwhelmed.

We started from the front of Kaminarimon Gate. I explained "Sensoji Temple and the history from Edo to Tokyo," "what the five-story pagoda is for," "what Buddhism is," and "the difference between Buddhism and Shinto."

Even early in the morning it was crowded, with many groups of tourists and school excursion students.

We took commemorative photos in front of Kaminarimon Gate and the five-story pagoda.

There were questions such as "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people believe in?", "How many Christians are there?", and "We follow Judaism ourselves—are there synagogues in Japan?"

We moved to the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno. The guests share an interest in "the history of countries around the world" and always make a point of visiting the museums of the countries they visit.

Incidentally, they said the museums that impressed them the most so far were "those in Rome, Italy, and in Tibet."

They took photos in many places, and gazed particularly intently at the Buddhist statues and hanging scrolls.

We moved to the Imperial Palace.

We strolled through the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace.

I explained "the history from the Edo period to the Meiji era," "the Meiji Restoration," "why Edo Castle became the Imperial Palace," and "why the capital moved from Kyoto to Tokyo."

There were questions such as "Are there no more samurai?" and "Does the current Emperor of Japan hold political power?"

We moved to Harajuku, first heading to Meiji Shrine.

I explained "about Shinto," "about torii gates," "about Emperor Meiji," and "why barrels of sake and wine are displayed here."

There were questions such as "When and why did Shinto originate?" and "How do Buddhism and Shinto differ?"

We came across a wedding procession and took photos many times.

We went to Shibuya.

First, we took photos looking down at Scramble Square from the entrance to the Keio Inokashira Line platform, then actually crossed the intersection. There was also a question, "Why do so many people gather here?"

We also took photos in front of the Hachiko statue.

There were comments and questions such as "There's no litter on the streets—it's so clean," "The subway is so quiet inside," and "Why are there no trash bins on the streets?"

Finally, I saw the guests off at Shin-takashima Station, and we parted ways.

Click here for more details: Tokyo in 1 Day from Yokohama: Private Tour, 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.