Thank you very much to all the guests who participated in the 3 tours on the day. We hosted one Singaporean gentleman on the morning tour and 9 guests from Mexico, UK, Singapore and Italy on the afternoon tour in Asakusa. On the Ueno Park tour in the afternoon, we hosted a family of 4 from Australia. It was really a cold day with light rains, the highest temperature of the day was below 10 centigrade, which was like the middle of winter. We hope all of you enjoyed and shared interesting conversations with us during the tour. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached to remember the fun times we had. Morning Tour in Asakusa Afternoon Tour in Asakusa Ueno Park tour The temperature is lowering day by day and we are entering winter season. People turn on heaters at home and wear coats outside. Winter is a cold season. But winter can be a fun season depending on how you deal with. You can enjoy fashion such as kimono and a cashmere coat like the one a guide wore on the Ueno Park tour. You can enjoy hot pot food or sake for meals. As for trips, […]
Thank you for choosing our tour at the East Garden of the Imperial Palace on November 25, 2023. We welcomed 6 guests from UK, US, and, New Zealand. I hope all of you enjoyed and shared interesting conversations with us during the tour. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached to remember the fun times we had. Today is about 10 degrees Celsius cooler than yesterday. We brought warm clothes but ended up warming up as we walked. The trees in the East Garden have started autumn leaves and the view is really picturesque. The Ginkgo tree-lined avenue along Gyoko Street in front of Tokyo Station is a recommended spot for taking photos. The ginkgo is the symbolic tree of Tokyo. You might even encounter a bride and groom capturing their special moments. After sunset, you can enjoy the LED illumination. Hot pot dishes are also a great choice for dinner. November 23 was a Japanese national holiday, Labor Thanksgiving Day. This year, it happened to be on the same day as Thanksgiving Day in the United States. The tradition of Black Friday Sales entered Japan in 2014 when Toys ‘R’ Us started it. In 2016, AEON also began […]
Thank you so much joining our tour today! We welcomed 7 guests from USA, Poland, Spain, Turkey, Philippines. Today was a great day for the tour and both guides and guests enjoyed the walks very much. As promised, some photos are attached to remember the fun times we had. group A group B Autumn in Japan is a magical time of year when the landscape transforms into a vivid palette of warm reds, oranges, and yellows. The cool, crisp air and the gentle rustling of leaves create an atmosphere that is truly enchanting. Ninomaru Garden, a small but wonderful Japanese garden in the East Garden, is about to enter the beautiful season of autumn leaves. This is a photo taken in early December of another year. Please come to enjoy the autumn season of Japan. We always strive to give high-quality tours. Your feedback is very important and useful to us. If you have a moment, please consider posting comments about tours on TripAdvisor /Facebook, etc. Your remarks will certainly help us improve and continue developing our tours. Also, please tell your family and friends about us. Next time you’re in Tokyo, please come to another one of our tours. […]
Thank you for choosing our Meiji Shrine and Harajuku tour on November 19, 2023. We welcomed 12 guests from US, Philippines, Turkey, Australia, and Netherlands. I hope all of you enjoyed and shared interesting conversations with us during the tour. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached to remember the fun times we had. Unfortunately, today was a Butsumetsu, which is considered an unlucky day because it’s part of the Rokuyo, a recurring sequence of six days, associated with Buddha’s death. Originally, the Rokuyo had no connection to Shinto shrines. So, visiting a shrine on an inauspicious day like Butsumetsu is not a problem. However, some older people still believe that celebratory events like Shichigosan (celebration for children aged three, five, and seven), Omiya-mairi (shrine visits for newborns), and prayers for safe childbirth should occur on auspicious days. We were fortunate enough to encounter a wedding procession. The new wine ‘Beaujolais Nouveau,’ made from grapes in the Beaujolais region of France, was released on November 16. The sommelier seems to think it tastes better than last year. As you walk towards the main hall of Meiji Shrine, you’ll see rows of wine barrels. Back in the Meiji era, Emperor […]
Thank you for choosing our tour at the East Garden of the Imperial Palace on November 18, 2023. We welcomed 7 guests from UK, US, and, Israel. I hope all of you enjoyed and shared interesting conversations with us during the tour. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached to remember the fun times we had. The regular Saturday tours are usually conducted in the afternoon, but today the tour took place in the morning. We enjoyed a delightful tour with our guests under the clear and pleasant weather. Due to Shibuya Station improvement construction, all trains on the Yamanote Line outer loop between Osaki – Shibuya – Shinjuku – Ikebukuro were closed on November 18 and 19. We were worried that some guests might face difficulties joining the tour or experience considerable delays due to the train suspension. Fortunately, we were relieved to find that our guests were not significantly impacted. Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress met with the President and his wife of Kyrgyzstan on November 17 at the Imperial Palace and hosted a luncheon. While Western cuisine has consistently been served at luncheon and dinner parties for foreign guests, this time, at the suggestion of […]
We were delighted to have you join us at our tour in Asakusa on November 15th. There were as many as 21 people from UK, Germany, France, Austria, Ireland, Italy, Canada, US and Australia. It was cloudy and a little cold, but not too bad. I hope you enjoyed walking with us. You may have seen children wearing cute dresses for Shichi-Go-San event. November 15th is traditionally the day for Shichi-Go-San celebration. Group photos and snap shots are posted. As reported on November 3yd, Shichi-Go-San(7-5-3) is an important celebration for children of 3(San)-year-old boys and girls, 5(Go)-year-old boys and 7(Shichi)-year-old girls for growing up and wishing for their future blessings. Children wore cute clothing with candy bags. They looked happy and promising. Why for the age of 3, 5 and 7? The infant death rates were high during the Edo period. Children’s growth was a social problem. These ages were a turning point in a child’s growth. Children of three years start to understand what someone says, children of five years start to use their wisdom and the baby teeth of children of seven years will be replaced by adult teeth. Also, it is believed that the odd numbers have […]
2024年1月の新規会員の募集にあたり、オリエンテーション（説明会）を開催致します。 当会では、皇居東御苑、浅草、上野公園、明治神宮・原宿の4コースにおいて、英語によるボランティアガイド活動を行っています。外国からのお客様に、日本文化や歴史について理解を深めていただき、日本に親しみを持っていただくことを第一の目的として活動しております。そのための基本的な英語力や、日本文化、歴史の知識は必要ですが、外国のお客様への「おもてなしのこころ」を何よりも大切にしています。まずは「習うより慣れろ」ですので、お気軽にご参加いただければと思います。 ＜応募資格＞１．当会の活動にご賛同いただき、ツアーへの参加および運営活動を含めたボランティア活動に参加いただける方。２．年齢18歳以上（高校生を除く） ＜申込期間＞2023年11月1日（水）～2024年1月15日（月） ＜会費等＞入会金：1,000円年会費：2,000円 ＜オリエンテーション実施要領＞日時： 2024年1月27日（土）10:00～12:00（予定）会場： Zoom開催（接続先はお申し込みをいただいた方に開催日１週間前を目途にご連絡します） ＊オリエンテーション参加により必ず入会しなければならないというものではありません。活動内容をお聞きいただいた上でご判断いただけます。＊ご入会検討の一助としていただくため、オリエンテーション開催前に体験ツアーを1月20日（土）に開催予定です。 詳細につきましては、当団体のHPトップ上段のグリーンのバナーからご確認いただき、お申込みをお願いします。 当会HP：Free walking tours for foreign tourists and residents│Tokyo Free Walking Tour (tfwt.jp)
Thank you very much to all the guests who participated in 4 tours on that day. It was a cloudy day with light rain from time to time. The temperature dropped significantly from a few days ago marked the record high for month of November. We felt like being in winter skipping autumn. According to the traditional calendar, since 8 of November, we’ve entered the beginning of winter season. We hope all of you enjoyed and shared interesting conversations with us during the tour. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached to remember the fun times we had. On the first tour of the day, we hosted 5 people from New Zealand, Netherland and the USA at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, morning time. On the second tour at the same place in the afternoon, we hosted 3 people from UK and Australia. On the third tour at Ueno Park, we hosted a gentleman from France in the afternoon. Lastly, back in Asakusa, we hosted a lady from Italy in the evening. That day’s issue of Tokyo’s local newspaper reported that this year over 13 million foreigners visited Japan from January to October. Before the pandemic outbreak, in 2019, over […]
Thank you for choosing our tour at the East Garden of the Imperial Palace on November 11, 2023. We welcomed 17 guests from US, UK, Slovenia, South Korea, India, and Vietnam. I hope all of you enjoyed and shared interesting conversations with us during the tour. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached to remember the fun times we had. November was hot this year, but it’s finally cooling down, feeling more like the typical fall weather we’re used to. Every year on November 11th (11.11), we celebrate Pocky Day, as the number “1” resembles the Pocky stick, a chocolate-covered biscuit stick. It was established by the Japanese confectionery manufacturer, Glico, for promotion. https://www.glico.com/global/ The 30 nominees for the 2023 Trending Buzzword Awards in Japan have been revealed. The winner will be announced in December. I’m hoping for an award for the catchphrase “I’m wearing pants!” from one very successful Japanese comedian, Tonikaku-Akarui Yasumura, who is known as “Tony” who appeared on a British audition program. The phrase “Don’t worry, I’m wearing” made the top 10 in the 2015 Trending Buzzword Awards in Japan, and now it’s nominated in English again. If you are interested, enjoy his performance on YouTube. […]
On behalf of our guides, I just wanted to send a few words of gratitude. Thank you forjoining our tour at Meiji Shrine and Harajuku on Nov 5th. We welcomed 19 guestsfrom USA, Canada, Australia, Ireland and Indonesia. The group was divided into four teams. Although it was an unseasonably warm day, we enjoyed walking through the forest and town, where we could feel the signs of autumn.We’ve posted group photos and snapshots so that you can look back on the fun times we had. <Group A> ＜Group B> <Group C> <Group D> During the tour, we enjoyed Chrysanthemum exhibition in the main approach road. There were many varieties of beautiful flowers and elaborated presentations. The emperor Meiji and The Empress Shoken are enshrined in Meiji Jingu Shrine and Chrysanthemum is a family crest of the imperial family. In fact, the flower language of chrysanthemum is “Noble” in Japan. On the other hand, I heard in English speaking countries it is “Cheerfulness”. I feel like it symbolizes our tour, too!!This exhibition will run until Nov 23rd. Why don’t you join our next tour on Nov 19th? We always strive to give high-quality tours. Your feedback is very important and usefulto […]
