Hi, everyone.
My name is Naoaki, CEO of travelience.
I received the tour report from the tourist so I would like to introduce it.
Jasmin is a teenager girl from Germany.
She moved to Tokyo last year with her family.
She took part in our Asakusa walking tour and "Explore old style Tokyo" tour(Ueno & Yanaka).
It is a very interesting report.
Please read it!
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Finding places in Tokyo as a foreigner is a difficult thing.
One of the biggest problems is of course the language.
There are strange signs everywhere,it`s like a completely different world.
And in a big city like Tokyo there are so many places to see and explore,that sometimes you are in need for someone who can guide you.
When I met Masako some time ago,she told me that she`s a guide for travelience and if I`d like to come to one of the tours.
These are the chances you need to take when you want to see some beautiful places.
On a wednesday,for me very early in the morning,I started from Shinagawa station to Asakusa station.
Using the train in Tokyo is especially for tourists a big challenge,but once you understand the system you`ll have no problems at all....
Well,except for me of course, because I couldn`t even find the entrance for the Keikyu Main Line.....after living in Tokyo for nearly 5 months now.
That shows we are all creatures of habit,because when you use the same entrance for months it confuses you to use another.
But that happens to me all the time,but I`m sure people who just watch where are they going and don`t play with their phone,they`ll have no problems.
So after finally arriving at Asakusa station it was 9:40 and the tour would start at 10 o`clock.
Ufff...just in time,it was a good thing to wake up a little bit earlier after all.
From the station it was just a 3-5 minutes walk,except when you choose the wrong exit like me and need to walk back to use the other one.
Then I had finally reached my destination: the tourist information center.
In front of the building I immediately saw Masako and she introduced me to Naoaki Hashimoto.
We talked a little bit while we were waiting for others to join the tour.
At 10 o`clock we started with 2 american tourists for the Asakusa walking tour.
Right across the street was the Kaminarimon Temple Gate and Masako told us the history of this gate.
On this day there were many people especially students,who wanted to ask questions to the tourists to improve their english.
Suddenly you felt like you were on the red carpet.All of the students wanted to take a group photo.
So it`s really necessary that you are prepared,that means wear some cool clothes and avoid bad hair days and then you`ll look great on all of this photos....but don`t forget to make the victory sign.
When we finally finished our photo shootings we walked through a small street,the Nakamise Traditional Shopping Street.
The shops were everywhere with a lot of souvenirs from the temple,very dangerous for your good filled wallet.
We were told that these shops have a very long history and that the owners have them for a very long time now.
At the end of this souvenir paradise was the Sensoji Buddhist Temple.
It`s always very fascinating to see these temples.You can practically feel that the history of Japan is alive here.
We went into the temple and Masako told us how to pray and everything.
I`m a christ so for me it was a whole new experience,but also very very interesting.
It`s important that when you visit a different country that you understand and respect their spiritual ways.
Right next to the temple across the street was our last point,the Asakusa Jinja Shrine,where we met Naoaki Hashimoto again.
At the shrine we made a wish and were listening to the history of this area.
Then our tour was finished.
Now it was lunch time,Naoaki and Masako invited me to a little japanese restaurant.
We were sitting outside,enjoying the sun and talked about the culture difference between Europe and Japan.
When suddenly a group of people with big cameras walked past us.One of this man told us they were making an interview and when we asked which actor this was he told us „it`s Gerard Butler“
So it was quite an interesting day,but I forgot to take a photo of Gerard Butler....that can only happen to me.See a famous actor and forget to take a photo.
After lunch Masako and I made another tour but that`s a story for the next time.
In the end I can say,when you have the chance make some tours as often as you can.
You can learn a lot from it.
Japan is so different from Europe or America,so everything seems strange to you,but with watching and listening you`ll understand their culture soon.
For me it`s an experience for life being in Tokyo and you can meet a lot of nice people here and make friends for life.
By Jasmin