Tokyo in One Day: Nihon-odori Station & Shibuya Station — Guide Masa

What's a Private One-Day Tokyo and Yokohama Tour Like Before a Cruise? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time, residing in North America. All were retired.

They had arrived at Narita Airport the previous day and taken a taxi to their hotel. In the evening, they mentioned they had strolled around Chinatown. The main purpose of this visit to Japan was a 12-day cruise departing from Yokohama Port starting the next day. They said, "We'd like to see a bit of Tokyo before we set off." They also mentioned, "We've been looking forward to seeing the cherry blossoms."

It was a tour under cloudy skies, with occasional light rain.

First, we headed to the Imperial Palace via Yokohama Station and Tokyo Station. We visited the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, where the cherry blossoms had just begun to fall. I explained about "Japanese history from the Edo to the Meiji period," "the Meiji Restoration," "why Edo Castle became the Imperial Palace," "the history of the Imperial Family," "World War II and the Tokyo air raids," and "how the stone walls were built." There were questions and comments such as "Does the current Emperor of Japan hold political power?", "Who will be the next Emperor?", and "Can a woman become Emperor?"

At their request, we moved to Tsukishima. Unfortunately, it was too early before opening time, so many shops in the shopping street were closed, and there was not much liveliness to be seen.

From there, we moved to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku. We took in the view of the city from the observation deck. Due to the weather, we couldn't see a clear view, and we were unable to see Mount Fuji either. However, they said, "We could really tell that Tokyo is a vast plateau that spreads out widely."

Since some members said, "We'd love to have a Japanese lunch, but no vegetables or seafood," we went to a Marugame Seimen. The "vegetable kakiage" and "fried chicken" toppings were well received.

We moved to Shinjuku Gyoen. I explained about "the history and current state of Shinjuku Gyoen." The garden was packed with many visitors. Here too, the cherry blossoms ranged from nearly full bloom to just beginning to fall. They eagerly took commemorative photos in front of the cherry trees here and there. They also said, "The pine trees in the garden are wonderful," and took photos enthusiastically all around. They also said, "The Japanese garden is wonderful. I have a Japanese garden in my own yard as well."

We moved to Shibuya. We actually crossed the Scramble Crossing. There were questions such as "About how many people cross at once?" and "Why did it become so famous?" We also took photos in front of the Hachiko statue and strolled around Shibuya Center-Gai. There were comments and questions such as "The streets are clean and there's no litter," "The public restrooms are clean," "There are no trash bins on the streets. Why is that?", "Everyone is quiet on the trains," and "There are vending machines all over the place."

Finally, I saw them off at Nihon-odori Station, the nearest station to their hotel, 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.