Today, I guided an elderly couple who came to Yokohama Daikoku Wharf on a excellent cruise ship on a tour of Tokyo. As both the couple have some problems for walking, they requested a private tour in a private car rather than a group tour. From Yokohama, we first drove to Tsukiji Market, strolled around the morning fish market, and then explored Hama-Rikyu Gardens.

The wife was in a wheelchair, and the husband pushed the wheelchair in stead of a walking stick, guiding them as they moved slowly. In some places in Hama-Rikyu, the paving stones were large and difficult to move in a wheelchair, so the wife got out of the wheelchair and the husband and I supported her. We had a relaxing time with some matcha tea and Japanese sweets at Nakanoshima tea house.

After that, we took a stroll around the crowded electronics district of Akihabara and headed to Asakusa. In Asakusa, I guided them to minimize the distance they walked and to use the elevator when going up to the main hall, so that they would not have to put strain on their legs.

Afterwards, the plan was to visit Meiji Shrine and stroll around Harajuku, but the wife said that it would be difficult to get in and out of the car, so we decided to tour Meiji Shrine and Harajuku from the car window, and also explained about the Imperial Palace, Ginzai, and Shibuya from the window before returning to Yokohama.

The driver chose the most convenient pick-up and drop-off points at each location, and was flexible in accommodating wheelchairs when getting in and out of the car, so the guests were very satisfied.

Last night, I guided around Shinjuku night to a American mother-daughter pair who came to Japan on a cruise ship . A few weeks ago, they requested me to be their guide directly through my website, and we exchanged emails several times to create a plan for last night.

When I asked them why they sent me an email, they told me that they had been introduced by a friend who had also visited Tokyo on a cruise ship about a half year ago and whom I had guided. So, although it was a short tour, I made more detailed preparations, such as having them eat at a very ordinary yakitori restaurant that not many tourists go to, and then just passing by the yakitori street in Omoide Yokocho, which is full of foreign tourists. Also, yesterday was unfortunately drizzly, so we couldn’t expect to see a view from the observation deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, so I quickly re-examined the area and added a new place to the tour, a place in Shinjuku Central Park where we can look up at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building from the ume plum blossoms and Kawazu cherry blossoms.

Whenever I guide a guest, I always give them a small bag containing an origami crane and my business card, as a token of my gratitude for our “once-in-a-lifetime encounter” and in the hope of meeting them again. This time, my guest showed me a photo of the bag I gave them six months ago and said, “A friend showed me this and I sent an emailto you,” which made me very happy.

Of course, this time too, I ended the tour by giving the mother and daughter a bag with origami cranes.

Yesterday, I guided a family of three women from the United States to Meiji Shrine, Zojoji Temple, and Senso-ji Temple. By the guests’ request, we included Zojoji Temple instead of the standard Imperial Palace and Tsukiji Fish Market.

At Zojoji Temple, they were able to leisurely view the Amida Buddha statue, which cannot be seen at Senso-ji Temple, and they also enjoyed the tranquil atmosphere in the bamboo grove behind the main hall.

This tour was organized through Tours by Locals.

Visit winter Japanese garden

Yesterday, I guided a family of four from New York to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace and Koishikawa Korakuen. This time, they had applied for a course to tour Japanese gardens after they watching my profile on a registered Canadian travel agency. They are very interested in Japanese gardens and horticulture, and enjoy gardening in their own gardens, planting Japanese maples in them. I had a great time showing such guests around. Unfortunately, the peak of the autumn leaves had passed, but they still enjoyed the garden, with its red and yellow leaves still remaining, and the passing of autumn and the arrival of winter.

Japanese gardens landscape

Looking down on the garden from a high vantage point, I explained how the evergreen and deciduous trees, both large and small, are skillfully arranged to create an attractive landscape, and explained why evergreen plants such as pine and bamboo are so popular with Japanese people, while explaining about craftman’s skill on straw snow hanging and New Year decorations. I think they enjoyed a unique way to enjoy a garden in winter. All the photos, except for the lunch photo, were taken the day before during the preliminary inspection.

All of my outdoor work for this year, both paid and unpaid, is now finished, and I’m feeling a little like it’s the end of the year (although I still have a lot of desk work left).

Looking back on this year, there were periods when I couldn’t get any work and I got anxious, and then I got infected with COVID-19 and had to quickly ask for a replacement guide, so I experienced the hardships and sorrows of being a self-employed person, but overall I think I was able to manage my time in a relaxed and enjoyable way.

I’m thinking of not scheduling too much outside work like a guide until around mid-January, and instead spending some time relaxing and doing desk work like organizing accounting and finance-related work and improving my website.

It’s a little early, but I hope you all have a happy holiday season and new year.

This tour was organized through Tours by Locals.

Review from the guest posted to Tours by Locals

One of the best tours we had in our many travels to Japan and many other countries. Atsuhiro-san came prepared with a custom tailored information package and gave us a complete and informative brief before we started. He is very knowledgeable about the history of Japanese gardens as well as the details of every place we visited. We enjoyed his company and we learned a lot about Japanese gardens and the larger context in which they are developed. Highly recommend this delightful tour with this great guide.