Date: 17th March 2025

I guided a couple from Hawaii, husband is Americans of Japanese ancestry,  to a Japanese garden in Tokyo. Unfortunately, it was windy and raining heavily and very cold for Tokyo in mid-March. After explaining the characteristics and enjoyment of Japanese gardens by touring the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace and Koishikawa Park, which are standard courses for touring Japanese gardens, we enjoyed lunch at a Japanese restaurant in Kagurazaka.

and then tried to head to Hama-rikyu Gardens, but the rain and wind got stronger, so instead of heading to the gardens, we decided to enjoy shopping in Kagurazaka and Ginza. It was a little late for the Ume, Japanese plum blossoms and a little early for the cherry blossoms, and the weather was not good. I felt the difficulty of touring gardens to enjoy seasonal flowers. Also, I should have prepared a disposable pocket warmer.

This tour was organized through Tours by Locals.

Review from the guest posted to Tours by Locals

We had a great time with Atsuhiro. When we met at the hotel, he provided us with the day’s itinerary and a Japanese rice measuring “gō” cup. He shared his knowledge of the gardens which made us appreciate them even more. At Koishikawa Korakuen, he explained in detail the history and garden themes; that made the garden come to life for us. Our use of the intricate Tokyo subway system made our visit to each garden quite simple with minimal walking but we still cannot figure out how you did it after studying the subway route map you provided. Many thanks Atsuhiro for a wonderful learning experience despite the rainy and cold weather.

Date: 17th March 2025

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.

Date: 5th March 2025

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.