Tokyo: Haneda Airport Terminal 3 & Kinshicho — Guide Masa

Title: What's a Private One-Day Garden and Cherry Blossom Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from Europe. The main purpose of this trip was to celebrate a retirement.

This morning, they arrived at Haneda Airport via Bangkok, Thailand. Their flight arrived earlier than scheduled, and they said that passing through customs and other procedures was very smooth.

They planned to stay in Japan for a few weeks. In addition to Tokyo, they intended to leisurely visit Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, and other places.

One of the guests loves gardens, has created a small Japanese garden at home, and enjoys planting various flowers. The others said they were not particularly interested in gardens. Photography was also mentioned as a hobby.

In the morning, the tour took place in chilly weather with light rain. However, from the afternoon, the sunshine returned.

First, we headed to Harajuku. Despite the light rain, Meiji Shrine was packed with groups of overseas tourists. There were so many tour buses that they could not all fit in the parking lot, causing congestion along the access road.

At Meiji Shrine, I explained about Shinto, the torii gate, Emperor Meiji, why sake barrels are displayed, and why wine barrels are also displayed. There were questions such as "What kind of religion is Shinto?" and "How does Buddhism differ from Shinto?" A traffic safety amulet was purchased.

We also took a quick stroll along Takeshita Street. As it was early in the morning, most shops were not yet open.

We then moved to Rikugien Garden. The weeping cherry tree near the entrance was in full bloom, and many tourists had gathered. The guests took photos enthusiastically. We strolled slowly through the garden, and they commented that a Japanese garden is truly calming. We took a break at the garden's tea house, where they enjoyed matcha and sweets.

Next, we moved to Ueno Park and strolled along the cherry blossom avenue. The weeping cherry tree at the entrance was nearly in full bloom, though the cherry trees along the avenue were just beginning to bloom. We saw several groups holding cherry blossom viewing parties. There were also many food stalls, and we browsed as we walked. Once again at the stalls, we bought roasted chestnuts, dango, and grilled squid, sampling them as we walked.

We then moved to Kiyosumi Garden. This place was not so crowded, though there were several groups of overseas tourists. We strolled slowly through the garden, and they commented that although it was small, it was a relaxing garden.

There were comments and questions such as "The streets are clean and free of litter," "The public toilets are free, tidy, and clean, which would be unthinkable in Europe," and "There are no trash cans in the streets. Why is that?" There were also various questions about spots to visit the next day.

Finally, I saw them off at their Hotel in the Kinshicho area, and we parted ways.

Click here for more details: Tokyo Japanese Gardens Private Tour 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.