Tokyo: Shijo-mae Station & Shinjuku Station — Guide Masa

Can You Visit Toyosu Fish Market's Tuna Auction on a Private Tokyo Tour? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were visitors from North America. It was their first visit to Japan. The previous evening they had arrived at Haneda via a connecting flight and taken a taxi to their Hotel. On this trip they planned to spend some time in Tokyo, then travel to Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima, before returning to Tokyo and heading home. They said, "We'd like to visit as many places as possible, and also try as many kinds of Japanese food as we can." Later in the day they planned to walk around Ginza and Asakusa.

At 5:30 am we arrived at the south side of the main gate of Toyosu Market. First, we went to the seafood wholesale building, where they enthusiastically observed the tuna auction. The guests had applied for and won the lottery for the "Tuna Auction Viewing Deck," so on this occasion I guided them from the viewing deck.

Before entering the viewing deck, I explained the history of Tokyo's fish markets, the differences between Toyosu Market and the Tsukiji Outer Market, and the differences between the wholesale market and the intermediate wholesale market. They asked questions such as: "Where is the tuna caught?" "Is all the tuna from around the world sent to Toyosu Market?" "When is the market closed?" "What kinds of tuna are there, and which is the most expensive?" "How many are put up for auction per day?" They also asked, "How much is one tuna?" and "Which part of the tuna is the most delicious?"

The viewing deck is connected to the auction floor, so it was quite cold and there was a smell of fish. After this, we visited the intermediate wholesale building. They asked, "What kind of people come here to buy?" and "We'd really like to go inside and see it — is that not allowed?"

We took the Yurikamome and the subway to the Tsukiji Outer Market and slowly walked around the area. As it was early morning, not all the shops were open yet. We looked around at various shops, sampled roasted soybeans and dried squid, and they bought a large amount. The guests love sushi. They said, "We'd like to have sushi here for breakfast," so we went to a restaurant.

They made comments and asked questions such as: "The city is so clean. There's no litter on the ground." "We don't see any homeless people." "There are no trash cans on the streets — why is that?"

They also said, "We really want to buy a sashimi knife as a souvenir for a member of the family, so please tell us how to get to Kappabashi Kitchen Town."

They said they wanted to return to the Hotel once, so I saw them off at Shinjuku Station and we parted ways.

Click here for more details: Toyosu Tuna Auction & Tsukiji Local Food 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.