Tokyo in Half a Day: Ariake Station & Shimbashi Station — Guide Masa

Title: What Is a Private Tokyo Day Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Tsukiji, Ueno, and Asakusa

The guests were a group visiting Japan from Oceania. It was everyone's first visit to Japan. They were on a two-week holiday trip. They had arrived at Narita the previous night and traveled to their hotel by hired car. They planned to stay in Tokyo for four days, then travel around Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, and Hiroshima before returning home from Kansai Airport. They mentioned that they planned to visit Disneyland the next day and the day after. It was a tour under clear skies. We met at the hotel at 12:00. We took the Yurikamome line via Toyosu Station to the Tsukiji Outer Market. I explained "the history of fish markets since the Edo period" and "the difference between Toyosu Market and the Tsukiji Outer Market." First, we went to "Tsukiji Uogashi." Here too they took photos here and there. After that, we went to the outer market. We looked around various shops, and the guests bought and sampled grilled crab and shrimp as well as matcha ice cream. There were questions such as "Why are there so many people here?" and "Are these people who live in Tokyo, or are there many travelers from overseas?" For some reason, the "white strawberries" were very popular. After that, we went to the Ameyoko shopping street in Ueno. This place was also very crowded, and there were questions such as "Why are there so many people?" and "Who comes here, and what do they buy?" From here, we moved on to Asakusa. We passed from Kaminarimon through the Nakamise shopping street to the main hall. It was extremely crowded. I explained "the history of Sensoji Temple and of Edo becoming Tokyo," "what a five-story pagoda is," and "the difference between Buddhism and Shinto." There were questions such as "Do all Japanese people believe in Buddhism?", "What kind of teaching is Buddhism?", and "How many Christians are there in Japan?" There was a comment: "Tokyo is so clean everywhere. There is no litter on the ground." There were also comments and questions such as "I don't see any homeless people" and "There are no trash cans on the streets. Why is that?" As the guests wished to be taken back to the hotel, I saw them off at Ariake Station on the Yurikamome line, and we parted ways.

Click here for more details: Tsukiji Local Food & Culture Half-Day 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.