Date: 6th April 2025

I guided a four-person Russian Americans family visiting from the US through Tokyo in full bloom in spring. The Somei-Yoshino cherry blossoms were in full bloom at the time, but they also enjoyed the beautiful spring in Tokyo, learning about the differences between weeping cherry blossoms and other cherry blossoms, as well as the young leaves of the ginkgo tree, the tree of Tokyo.

At Meiji Shrine, I explained the relationship between Shinto and everyday life, starting from a car that was just being purified at the car purification center, and at Sensoji Temple, I touched on the relationship between Shinto and Buddhism in Japan, explaining Japanese culture from various perspectives.

This tour was organized through Tours by Locals.

Review from the guest posted to Tours by Locals

We had a fantastic day in Tokyo with Atsuhiro Meno as our guide. Our group of four adults really appreciated his balance of interesting facts and fun stories—he shared cool insights without ever getting too geeky or overwhelming. Atsuhiro navigated the metro like a pro, which made moving around the city smooth and stress-free. He also took us to some great hidden gems we would’ve never found on our own. Atsuhiro is intelligent, tasteful, and clearly passionate about sharing Japanese culture in an accessible way. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a smart, engaging, tour of Tokyo.

Date: 3rd April 2025

Today, I took three guests from the United States, who we had guided around Tokyo until the day before yesterday, to the popular spots around Mt. Fuji. We left the hotel in a one-box wagon with a driver and headed straight for Arakurayama Sengen Park. In good weather, it is a super popular spot where we can see cherry blossoms, the five-story pagoda of Chureito, and Mt. Fuji all at once. Unfortunately, it has been raining since morning, so there is little chance of seeing Mt. Fuji, but we would move according to the schedule planned by the travel agency. We could not enter the parking lot near the Arakurayama Sengen Park with our hired car, so we asked the driver of the hire car to drive as close as possible and wait there.

After that, we headed to the observation deck on the Kawaguchiko Mt. Fuji Panorama Ropeway, but we still couldn’t see Mt. Fuji. We ate the specialty hoto noodle at a restaurant by the lake and went to Oshino Hakkai. The weather improved a little, so we took a walk around the beautiful spring water, and then I dropped them off at the hotel in Hakone, and today’s mission was over.

This tour was arranged by a Japanese travel agency.

Date: 1st April 2025

Following on from yesterday, I guided three guests from the United States to sightseeing spots in Tokyo. Unfortunately, it was raining from the morning, but the customers wanted to see both the Nijubashi Bridge, the main gate of the Imperial Palace, and the East Garden, so I first explained the situyation and meaning of the Imperial Palace in front of the Nijubashi Bridge, and then, since it was spring and the season for passing through the Imperial Palace, we walked from Sakashita Gate to Inui Gate, and then strolled through the East Garden. There were many kinds of cherry blossoms in bloom, but unfortunately the rain and cold weather meant we couldn’t enjoy them very slowly.

After that, we visited Sensoji Temple, had tempura for lunch, and then enjoyed the spring scenery on a Sumida River cruise to Hinode Pier, admiring the cherry blossoms blooming on the banks of the Sumida River.

We had planned to stroll through Hama Rikyu Garden from Hinode Pier, but the wind was getting stronger, so we enjoyed shopping in the basement of a department store in Ginza and around shopping area.

This tour was arranged by a Japanese travel agency.

Date: 28th March 2025

Continuing on from the previous day, today I took a family from Oregon to Kawagoe, a popular tourist spot about 50km north of Tokyo that retains the atmosphere of the pre-modern and early modern eras such as the Edo and Meiji periods.
At Kita-in Temple, a famous temple with deep ties to the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Shidarezakura, weeping cherry blossoms were in full bloom, allowing us to relax and enjoy the cherry blossoms and gardens inside the temple.

At the request of the guests, we enjoyed a pancake lunch at a coffee shop in Kawagoe City, strolled through the unique streets of storehouses and sweets alley, and enjoyed Hikawa Shrine and the cherry blossoms, Somei-yoshino that were just starting to bloom on the Shin-Kashi River behind it.

Back in Tokyo, I showed them the view from the observation deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku, Shibuya Crossing, and the bronze statue of Hachiko.

This tour was organized through Tours by Locals.

Review from the guest posted to Tours by Locals

Atsu really made our trip incredible. Besides giving us a wonderful tour and history of some beautiful shrines, he accommodated our interests. He took us to a very nice knives store and worked with the owners to help us select some knives we wanted to buy. He was very invested in making sure our trip was as enjoyable as possible and designed the trip to our interests. It was clear he had carefully planned the day to ensure everything went smoothly. Really a wonderful guide with a wealth of knowledge.