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初日 DAY ONE · ASAKUSA · 3 HOURS
TOKYO FIRST DAY TOUR.
Everyone reads the etiquette lists on the plane and forgets all of it at the first ticket gate. So we don't read anything. On your first or second morning we walk into the station, the konbini, the temple and a small restaurant, and you do each thing once — with a Japanese teacher standing next to you.
THE FORMAT
THE STREET IS THE CLASSROOM.
Four stops, three hours, one rule: you try it, not me. Nothing is role-play — every place we practise in is a place you'll walk into again this week.
The station
Buying and topping up an IC card, which side of the escalator to stand on, and how people line up for a train that hasn't arrived yet (the written version: train etiquette). We ride one stop together.
The convenience store
Why your money goes on the little tray and not into the cashier's hand, how to ask for a bag, and why you'll be carrying your own rubbish for the rest of the day (konbini etiquette, where the bins went).
Senso-ji
Washing your hands at the water pavilion, where to walk, the coin, the bow, the clap, the bow — done properly, once, so it stops being a guess (shrine & temple etiquette).
A small meal
The two things you must never do with chopsticks, how to call a member of staff without feeling rude, and how paying works when nobody brings the bill to your table (dining etiquette, why you don't tip).
WHAT YOU LEAVE WITH
THREE THINGS, PLUS THE REST OF YOUR TRIP.
Your Manners License
A printed card with your name on it, handed over at the end. Silly on purpose — but you will have earned every line on it.
The cheat sheet
A one-page PDF of the phrases and rules we practised, sent to your phone so you can check it in the queue.
A line to me
LINE or WhatsApp access for the rest of your trip. Stuck at a machine, unsure if a shop is open, need a word translated — send a photo.
What to do next
We finish with the rest of your days: what's worth your time near where you're staying, and what to skip.
WHY ME
THIS IS A LESSON, TAUGHT BY A TEACHER.
Plenty of people can tell you the rules. The difference here is that teaching is my actual profession — I do it every day, for a living, in two languages. This class is brand new, so it has no reviews of its own yet. These are the receipts from the work it grew out of.
Fair warning
This is the first season this class runs. If that bothers you, book the Akihabara anime tour instead — it has been running for years and has the ratings to show for it. If it doesn't bother you, you get the version of a new class that gets the most attention: the first one.
THE PRACTICAL BITS
WHAT YOU'RE BOOKING.
| Length | 3 hours, in the morning |
|---|---|
| When | Best on your first or second morning in Japan — that's the whole point |
| Meeting point | Asakusa, Tokyo. Exact spot sent after booking |
| Group size | 6–8 people maximum |
| Price | About ¥8,000 per person (roughly $55) |
| Language | English |
| Included | Your guide and teacher, the Manners License card, the cheat-sheet PDF, and messaging support for the rest of your trip |
| Not included | Your IC card top-up, what you buy in the konbini, and your own meal — you pay for those yourself, on purpose |
| Bring | Comfortable shoes, some cash, and a phone that can take photos |
Jet-lagged and awake at 5am anyway? That's the ideal student for a morning class.
START YOUR TRIP
KNOWING WHAT TO DO.
Three hours on the first morning, and the other thirteen days stop being a test.