Tour Guiding in Tokyo 101

Tour Guiding 101

It was a chilling Friday morning when we embarked for Narita Airport to fetch my fellow ALT’s sisters and his 8-year old niece for a 2-day vacation before going back to Canada. From our place in Hanyu City, Saitama, we got of in Ushida Station along the Tobu-Isezaki Line then took the Keisei Line bound for Narita. The snow fell that day and trains were slightly delayed but we got just in time. It was my first time to be a tour guide to fellow foreigners.


Narita Airport
Upon arriving, we hurriedly left their huge luggages in the storage counter on the 4th floor of the airport. The entire six luggages amounted around 4,000 yen. Then we ate lunch in one of the Japanese restaurants in the airport. This time, we had them try authentic Japanese ramen. We ordered seafood ramen they liked it. We explained to them that when eating ramen in Japan, making a sipping sound is a custom to show courtesy to the chef that the ramen is delicious. Well, they find it weird, but the heck, they tried it. Everything was consumed up to the last noodle.



Ameyoko
After our lunch, we immediately rode the Keisei line and went to Ueno. They said they wanted to see fish and seafood stalls here in Tokyo. Though Tsukiji is the best recommended place here in Tokyo, Ameyoko, in between Ueno and Okachimachi, is probably the easiest way to take a glimpse of this kind of scenery. We just had a short stroll.


Afterall it was drizzling and it’s difficult to shop either. They were amazed to realize that fish products and fruits sold in Ameyoko are very expensive compared to Canada. Try to imagine one stick of sliced pineapple at 100 yen. And five pieces of one pack of dried cuttlefish is around 3,000 yen. Of course, this is Japan, and price is always equated to its freshness. After the stroll, we had coffee in a nearby Starbucks before going home.

Shinjuku
Our stroll of Shinjuku was quite interesting for them. Here, the things they only see on TV and magazines are now right in front of their eyes. The bustling people, the noise of pachinko stalls, the enticing food displays on restaurants, the sometimes annoying tissue-marketing gimmicks in front of station exits, the sight of everything black (i.e., the salaryman), and the Japanese taste for fashion.


Everything was so overwhelming from tall buildings, massive people walking, to running commuters who want to catch the train and few sightings of homeless people. We decided to have lunch at this entertainment district near the famous “sanchoume” area.


Good thing about most Japanese restaurants in central Tokyo is that there are displayed samples of the day’s menu, whether real or fake food.

Luckily, I can read most of the kanji of the menu and I was able to explain how these menus taste like and what its ingredients are. After deciding, three of us ended up ordering the same menu, stir-fried pork and vegetables set meal (niku yasai itame teishoku) and the other one ordered Japanese-style curry. My friend’s sister didn’t like the curry very much. Japanese curry is almost soup-based and not stew type nor dry like Indian and the taste is also different compared to Persian/Thai curry. The difficulty with having a child to be touring with is if the child can eat what is only within the menu. Our little girl ended up ordering katsudon. And the problem is that, she won’t eat using rice bowl and of course too impossible with chopsticks So, we requested for a plate and fork and spoon just for her to eat. Apparently, she liked it. So it was a relief.

After eating, we went to the neighboring 100-yen shop to experience shopping for 100-yen a piece of anything. Our kid bought “kawaii” gloves colored pink and some kawaii stickers. Afterwhich, we set-off for Shibuya.


Shibuya
When we got-off from the station, there were a lot of cause-oriented labor groups who flock the area doing some consultations and giving free warm food to some homeless people. The sight was pretty odd because a few meters away from the area, there was a semi-luxury restaurant catering food to middle-class Japanese.


The flock of weekend afternoon people was overwhelming. The kid we were touring with said from the top of Starbucks that it looked like the Japanese walked like penguins. Indeed, it was. You can see majority of people either in suits or weekend’s best black dresses.

The two ladies were amazed with how vibrant Shibuya is and how lively its streets are especially the Hachiko Crossing. After taking some pictures and perking the afternoon with a cup of brewed coffee, we head out for Imperial Palace.

Imperial Palace Grounds
Using the Yamanote Line, we got of at Yurakucho Station and walked further for 10 minutes, until reaching the park. If you love strolling, jogging and brisk walking, this place is for you. A lot of people are running within the vicinity, perhaps, in preparation for Tokyo Marathon.


We reached the Statue of Kusunoki Masashige and took a lot of pictures within the area. After a few minutes of walking, we reached the Imperial Palace fortress. The famous Nijubashi Bridge was a picturesque view while behind it is the Imperial Palace. The view of the bridge was breathtaking. It was about 4PM when we reached the site and we were not able to go further near the Palace to take a picture since entry near the bridge is only up to 4PM.

Funny thing about our trip was we stumbled upon a woman who kept on talking to the Palace guards in English and I became her accidental interpreter. It was almost 430PM when we left the site and head towards Tokyo Tower. From there, we took the Mita Line from Hibiya Station to Shibakoen.



Tokyo Tower

It was my nth time in Tokyo Tower since my previous office was just three blocks away from Tokyo Tower, and from time to time way back then, I kept on going to Tokyo Tower. I wasn’t thrilled at all but touring some friends with me is a worth experience. We did not go to the observation deck since it was cloudy and we just bought a lot of souvenirs in the ground floor. All of us ate the same dinner, Kyushu Ramen while our little girl ate McDonalds. After a couple of picture-taking sessions within the area, we left and rode several trains way back home.


The following morning, we took the Sky Liner Line of the Keisei Railways in Ueno Station. It was a little fast since it only took us less than an hour to reach the airport.

I was glad that my old knowledge of Tokyo, the use of its rail system and its famous spots that they might find interesting, helped me with my instant tour guide task.