Category: Tour report

Autumn harvest observation event in Yoyogi Park on a cold, rainy autumn day

Unfortunately, it rained in Tokyo on Saturday, the first day of the three-day weekend. However, the rain was still a little light in the morning, so the Nature Exploration group in Tokyo City Guide Club held an observation event in Yoyogi Park with the theme of autumn fruits or nuts.

We don’t usually pay much attention to these small fruits, but if looking closely, I can see that Chinese hackberry, Scabrous aphananthe, and camphor trees are secretly bearing fruits.

Also, depending on the type of acorn, the way the fruit is formed and the shape and pattern of the cupule, also called a cap, vary, and when we understand the differences, we will feel a little proud. The autumn leaves in the park have started to change little by little, with flowering dogwood and winged spindle bearing red fruits, but most of the trees, including the maple, are still green.

The autumn leaves are a little late this year, but in a little while the leaves of the trees in the park will turn red and yellow and we will be able to enjoy them again, but I am a little worried about how the heat of this summer will affect the autumn leaves.

What surprised me a little was that the early-blooming Kawazu cherry trees was blooming out of season. Could this be due to the long, hot summer this year?

Offering the best experience for cruise ship guests visiting Tokyo

Yesterday and the day before, I was assigned a task work for the first time since spring, showing guests who came to Japan on a cruise ship around Tokyo’s tourist spots and taking them to the airport after disembarking. The cruise ship I assigned this time crossed the Pacific Ocean from Alaska and arrived in Otaru about four days ago, then docked in Tokyo. It was a ship with many seniors and elegant persons on board, and children were not allowed on board.

Many of the passengers were visiting Tokyo for the first time, so I took them on a bus ride through the city center, explaining the popular tourists’ spots such as Tokyo Tower or the State Guest House that could be seen from the window of coach, and guiding them the Imperial Palace and the Skytree.

I usually guide small families and groups on custom-made itineraries using public transportation such as the subway, but it was quite a challenge to explain the surrounding scenery from the bus window one after another to about 30 customers, and to guide them so that they don’t get lost in the crowded the Skytree and Solamachi shopping town. I also walked slowly, being considerate of senior passengers, and walked shorter distances than usual, so I thought my legs wouldn’t get too tired, but standing and sitting on the bus and talking to face to customers seemed to put a lot of strain on my legs, and yesterday my legs were so tired I had to give them a massage in the bathtub long time.

Still, I completed the whole trip without any passengers getting lost, and when we got off the bus, everyone was smiling and I even received a small tip, so I guess it was all good.

Of course, there are many small things I could have done better, and I need to improve one by one.

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