Me: Thank you for making the time today She: Come here, please
Me: OK She: We'll use the rickshaw over there Me: I see She: Be careful of the steps
Me: OK, thank you She: Come here, please
Me: Thank you She: Please sit in the middle of seat
Me: Thank you She: I'll leave your bag at your feet Me: Thank you. It may be heavy She: I'll set the seat belt
Me: Thank you very much Me: Excuse me, could you open the roof? She: Of course I'll do it Me: Because the weather is nice today, this is to prevent backlighting
She: Oh, I understand She: It may be hot, but I will put a lap blanket on you She: Yesterday it rained, but today it's sunny!
Me: You're right Me: It rained on and off yesterday
She: Yes, you're right Rickshaw Staff: Please be careful as I open the roof Me: Thank you very much She: Okay, I'll lift it up! Me: Yes, please She: Please lean on the backrest She: Lifting! 1,2,3! She: Heave-ho～! She: I'm going to back up a little bit She: Please fill the gap between the seat and your buttocks
It will make it easier to sit down Me: I understand, Thank you She: Let's go!
Rickshaw staff: Good luck! She: It is 10:15, so we will return to this location 30 minutes later She: We are now going to tour around downtown Asakusa Me: OK! She: My name is "Momoko Takahashi"
Please call me whatever you want Me: Okay, I'll call you "Momo-chan"
She: Okay, I understand! She: What should I call your name? Me: Let's see...
Please call me "Taro" She: I understand. I'll call you Taro! She: We're leaving! Me: OK Me: Was your rickshaw job busy during Golden Week? She: During Golden Week, I worked only two days, including today Me: Oh, I see She: Moreover, it rained terribly the first day Me: Oh, that day, right? She: So I have not yet experienced the busyness of Golden Week Me: I see She: What did you do during Golden Week? Me: I spent every day of Golden Week editing the rickshaw video She: Oh, really?
I'm glad to hear it! Me: I went to shoot Izumo Taisha Shrine for one day She: Oh, did you go to Izumo Taisha Shrine?
Me: Yes Me: I haven't decided whether to upload it to YouTube or not, Me: but I got a reservation for a popular sleeper train in Japan, so I went to Izumo City to shoot it She: It's great! She: Did you edit videos on all other days? Me: Ah, yes.
Was editing videos on the sleeper train as well. LOL She: You don't know whether you went on a trip or to work, do you? Me: Yes, you're right She: I'm not very good with computers, so I envy your video editing skills!
Me: Oh, really? Thank you very much Me: I watched a few videos on YouTube of Momo-chan's appearances She: Oh, really? Me: I am envious of Momo-chan's communication skills and ability to explain things well, which I don't have She: Oh, today, the expectations of the guide I am about to give have been raised by you She: I am glad you watched the video I appeared in Me: Oh, I'm glad to hear you say so Me: I am glad to be able to ride in the rickshaw you are driving today She: I too am glad to finally meet you! Me: Oh, really? Thank you very much She: Let's head toward downtown Me: Thank you She: Look above Me: Ah, there is someone She: Several dolls are installed
Me: Yes She: From here is "Denpoin Street" She: There are five dolls on this street Me: They are in places I wouldn't notice if I were taking a normal walk She: You're right Me: Because people usually do not walk while looking up She: I had been visiting Asakusa before I started this job, but I did not know about the dolls until after I started this job Me: Oh, really? I see She: I learned the joy of walking on this street looking up Me: You're right Me: Do you have a store on this street that you would recommend? She: Passed by a little bit, but I recommend a store called "Ichigo-za" right in front of the store Me: Oh, Ichigo-za. I know this store She: The strawberry smoothie is delicious
Me: I see. Thanks for telling me Me: I have not had it yet and will come back for a drink next time She: Do you like to drink alcohol? Me: Yes, I like to drink and can drink a little She: This store also sells strawberry beer and strawberry highballs Me: There is also a sign for strawberry tequila She: Yes, you're right She: You should give it a try Me: Oh, OK She: The weather is nice today, so I think the drinks will be good Me: You're right She: We came to a back street Me: It has a nice downtown atmosphere She: You're right She: I didn't even know about this street until I started my current job She: The store here sells a lovely sweet called "kerotozzo"(Kero means "croaking frog" in Japanese.) Me: Is the name Kerotozzo because it is Maritozzo the frog(kero)? She: Yes, it is Maritozzo with strained sweet red beans Me: Oh, it has anko (red bean paste) in it She: Manju with fresh cream and red bean paste Me: Good! She: Do you often eat gourmet food in Asakusa? Me: Yes, I go to a rickshaw driver's recommendation store after the YouTube shoot She: I'm very happy that you go to the store I introduced them to Me: Oh, I'm glad you said that Me: I'm shooting a video of the store's food and may release a video at some point Me: All the stores that the rickshaw drivers introduce to me are very good stores She: I'm glad to hear that.
I'm glad I was able to recommend the store to you Me: Thanks as always She: I love to eat, so on my days off I go to Asakusa to eat She: I like to eat and walk around Me: Good! Eating and walking in Asakusa is fun, isn't it? She: Yes, I love doing it She: Just taking a walk is fun Me: You're right She: Do you see that temple bell over there? Me: Yes, I see that She: That is the bell that tells the time
It is the bell that rings on New Year's Eve Me: Oh, I see Me: This bell will be rung?
See: Yes, that's right She: This is where people gather to celebrate the New Year's Eve moment She: There is "Benzaiten" in that red building Me: Oh, I see She: The name Benzaiten is derived from the Japanese Kanji character for treasure, She: but the name Benzaiten here uses the Kanji character for talent Me: Oh, I see She: So, it is good to wish for the improvement of skills and performing arts here She: In my case, I wished to become faster on my feet and improve my conversational skills She: This place is said to be the place where such wishes come true She: Do you have any other hobbies besides video editing? Me: Except for video editing...hmmm Me: I can't think of any... She: Do you like to edit videos? Me: Yes, I'm trying to get better at video editing now She: Oh, good! She: I look forward to watching this video Me: Oh, please don’t expect too much She: Looking forward to it Me: I would also like to improve my English skills She: I'm not good at English either Me: I see Me: Can you guide customers from abroad? She: Oh, I will guide customers through the conversation using only the words I know Me: You can manage to have a conversation, can't you? She: Simple conversation is possible She: It would be great fun to have many conversations with customers from abroad Me: I think so too She: I think it will make the customer's time on the rickshaw ride even better Me: I can read and write a little English, but it is very difficult to speak it well She: Just being able to read and write is an amazing feat Me: I want to be able to speak English well She: I'm not very good at reading, writing, and speaking all aspects of English She: The gate over there is "Niten-mon" Me: A very cool gate! She: You're right, it's my favorite gate too
This gate is a national important cultural property She: Would you like to take a picture here? Me: No, thank you. Thanks for asking
She: OK, I see She: My recommendation is to enter through this gate and go to Sensoji Temple Me: Oh, that's good! She: It is good to go to Senso-ji from the Kaminari-mon side, but it is also good to go from the Niten-mon She: I recommend that you enter through Niten-mon and walk to the Kaminari-mon side, which I think is also enjoyable Me: That sounds good too She: First-time visitors to Sensoji Temple usually enter from the Kaminari-mon side, Me: You're right She: But if this is second or subsequent visit, try entering from the Niten-mon Me: It seems easier to walk in from the Niten-mon because it is less crowded She: You're right Me: Entering from the Kaminari-mon side, the area around Nakamise-dori is enjoyable but very crowded and difficult to walk through She: This side is recommended for such people Me: How long have you been doing this job, Momo-chan? She: I have been doing this job for just two years Me: You have been doing this job for a long time She: Yes, I'm one of the more experienced rickshaw drivers Me: Is this your main job? She: It’s not my main job Me: Oh, I see She: I used to work every day in Asakusa because this was my main job She: Now I have started another job Me: Oh, I see She: I don't work too many rickshaw driver jobs now She: Thank you for accommodating your schedule to my workday Me: Don't worry about it. I am very happy to ride in a rickshaw driven by you She: This street has a store that I highly recommend Me: Oh, please tell me She: I recommend the Cuban sandwich store there Me: Oh, is it a Cuban sandwich store? She: Yes, Cuban sandwich stores are rare in Japan Me: Right She: They serve toasted sandwiches with a variety of fillings Me: There's a video of a Cuban sandwich on the Tokyo Rickshaw's TikTok, isn't there? She: Yes, you're right Me: It looked very delicious She: You've also been watching Tokyo Rickshaw's TikTok, haven't you?
I'm glad to hear that Me: It was a very impressive video She: That store is my top choice Me: Thank you for telling me She: Isn't it hot with the rickshaw roof open? Me: Thank you for your concern. I am not feeling the heat Me: The breeze is cool when riding in a rickshaw She: I see Me: Thank you for your concern She: Sorry for the delay in noticing Me: No need to apologize, as it is perfectly fine Me: Isn't it hot to drive a rickshaw? She: I don't feel the heat when I drive a rickshaw Me: Oh, really? She: Yes Me: I have the impression that it looks very hot to drive in the summer She: The first summer of my first year in this job, the heat of the mask was hard Me: Oh, the masks are so hot in the summer She: I am used to the heat of the mask now Me: Really? You're amazing Me: The atmosphere of the shrine grounds seems to have changed since my last visit to this location She: There are a lot of things being put in place today She: There are also food stalls lined up outside the shrine grounds today She: Sensoji Temple comes into view Me: It's big She: Within this large Senso-ji temple, a small 5.5-centimeter statue of the Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) is enshrined Me: Wow, it's very small She: Right, it's very small Me: Kannon was caught in the river, right? She: You're right.
Since Kannon was caught in the river, the chief of this village turned his house into a temple and enshrined it The temple has been rebuilt many times due to earthquakes and fires, resulting in such a large temple Me: Wow, amazing! It has grown so big She: I'm curious to know how big the first home was Me: Originally a private house, right?
She: Yes, it was She: I like the red color used for Sensoji temple Me: Oh, this red color? She: This unique red color is... She: It's vermilion!
Me: It's vermilion! She: It is a calming color for me
Me: I think so too She: When I tell my friends that I like this color, they don't really understand... Me: It's a unique red color that has been used in Japan for a long time She: You're right She: It is a calming color She: I'm from Yamagata Prefecture Me: Oh, there are a lot of good sake in the area, aren't there? She: Yes, you're right She: I recently went back home to Yamagata Pref She: But for some reason I didn't feel comfortable Me: I kind of understand that feeling She: I was returning to my hometown in Yamagata Prefecture, but I had a strong desire to return to Asakusa She: When I returned to Asakusa, I felt at home Me: I see She: Where are you from?
Me: I'm from Yamaguchi Prefecture She: Where are you from?
Me: I'm from Yamaguchi Prefecture She: It is a place far from Tokyo.
Both prefectures have "Yama" in their names Me: You're right
I think both prefectures are about the same distance from Tokyo She: Are they about the same distance? Me: I think that's about it She: Yamaguchi Prefecture had a more distant image She: I have yet to visit Yamaguchi Prefecture Me: Oh, I see She: Which sightseeing spots do you recommend in Yamaguchi Prefecture? Me: Tsunoshima Island is recommended for its scenic beauty Me: It is a place where there is an island on the sea and one very long bridge Me: Its bridges are so low in height that you can experience driving over the ocean in a car She: Oh, great.
In Japan, I don't think there is any other place like that Me: You're right
You may have seen the pictures of the island because it is famous She: I'll check it out She: It will shake a little
Me: OK She: I'll check it out Me: It is also recommended for those interested in history, as there are still castle towns that originated in the closing days of the Tokugawa shogunate She: I'm not very familiar with Japanese history Me: I see Me: Ganryujima Island, where "Musashi Miyamoto" and "Kojiro Sasaki" fought a duel, is also famous Me: That's all She: The talks make me want to travel Me: Thank you for saying so She: I would like to travel Me: Did you travel during Golden Week? She: I worked every day during Golden Week Me: Oh, you were busy with another job? She: Yes, it was busy, but it was fulfilling Me: Oh, that's good! She: It was a enjoyable busyness, not a painful busyness Me: That's great! She: My Golden Week was like that Me: I see She: Before I knew it, Golden Week had begun, and before I knew it, Golden Week was over She: I noticed that everyone was posting pictures of their Golden Week fun on Instagram Me: Do you have a job with no set days off? She: You’re right. I work irregular holidays Me: Oh, I see She: But it is easy for me to go out since I'm often on my holidays when everyone else is at workdays Me: Oh, that's good She: I am glad I don't have to take a crowded train Me: You're right. Crowded trains are very hard, aren't they? She: There are so many people that I cannot enter the train Me: Crowded trains in summer are the hardest She: Just the thought of riding a crowded train makes me sweat Me: You're right She: Do you spend your holidays editing videos? Me: Yes, I edit videos Me: I sometimes go to the movies to relax She: Oh, what movie did you go see recently? Me: Well... Oh, I went to see "Crayon Shin-chan" She: Oh, really? Me: I've been watching Crayon Shinchan movies for a long time She: Actually, I love Crayon Shinchan Me: Yeah, actually, I know She: LOL She: When I hear the word "Crayon Shinchan", I immediately get excited Me: I'm planning to have lunch today in Asakusa Me: Other than monjayaki and tempura, are there any other restaurants that Momo-chan recommends? She: Oh, well, which restaurant shall I introduce to you She: I recommend Asakusa's soba noodles Me: Asakusa soba noodles?
She: Yes! Me: I recommend the Men-sen and steamed bread store about 5 minutes walk from here Me: Steamed bread and Men-sen?
She: Yes She: I believe that store is open today
Me: I see, thank you for telling me She: I'll give you the Instagram account of that store later
Me: Oh, thank you very much Me: Can I introduce Momo-chan's Instagram account in this video? She: Yes, of course! Me: Oh, thank you very much Me: Men-sen? She: Yes, it is a store that sells Men-sen She: The store is located away from Kaminarimon
Me: I see Me: I will go to that store today She: Yay, I'm glad to hear that Me: Does that store allow eating in the store? She: Yes! Me: I understand. Thank you very much She: That store also offers take-out of steamed bread Me: Good! Me: Does that store specialize in steamed bread? She: The store specializes in Men-sen Me: Oh, I see that " Men-sen" is a dish She: The store also sells many kinds of steamed bread She: The store posts photos of its food daily on Instagram She: Seeing it makes me hungry She: I check the store's Instagram postings to see what kind of steamed bread they are selling that day Me: Do you like steamed bread?
She: I love it She: I'm a bread lover
Me: Oh, I see She: I love eating Me: I have only had steamed bread from convenience stores, Me: so I am looking forward to eating steamed bread from those restaurants She: I also buy bread at convenience stores when I am tired Me: I understand that feeling She: I like the fact that it can be easily purchased Me: I'm glad to hear that rickshaw drivers can give me recommendations for stores She: I'm glad to hear you say so Me: Asakusa has so many stores, it is hard to choose a store when a person comes here for the first time She: You're right She: If there are too many stores, it's hard to choose the right one
Me: Yes She: Have you ever had monja croquettes? Me: Yes, I have eaten it She: What taste did you eat Me: I had the mochi mentaiko cheese taste Me: It was very tasty
She: I love it too She: Whenever I go to a monja croquette store, I always choose the mochi mentaiko cheese taste Me: It's good that they fry it after the order is placed
She: You're right She: I sometimes spend my holidays with monja croquettes and beer Me: Oh, it's the best! She: It's a happy holiday
Me: Yes, you're right She: The guilt of eating fried food is washed away with beer
Me: Wow, great She: It's not a good way to eat for my body She: That restaurant is "Kamiya Bar" Me: I don't have the courage to go into a bar with such a nice atmosphere alone Me: This is because the bar has a long history and is still a bar Me: I'm a little nervous about visiting a bar for the first time Me: She: I know how you feel
I too was nervous when I first went to this bar Me: Have you ever visited Kamiya Bar?
She: Yes! She: At that time I went to the Kamiya Bar alone
Me: Oh, you're amazing! She: It took a lot of courage to enter the Kamiya Bar for the first time She: But I ventured inside the bar Me: Kamiya Bar's interior is also designed with a sense of history, isn't it?
She: You're right She: If visitors to Kamiya Bar try the famous electrolytic blanc
Me: Right She: Please be careful not to get too drunk Me: Yes, electric blanc is a liquor with a high alcohol content She: Are you a strong drinker? Me: I can’t hold my alcohol Me: I get very drunk with one glass of beer
She: Oh, be careful Me: When I drink alcohol, my whole body turns red and I feel like I am floating in the air She: You should be very careful She: In no time at all, we were back at this place Me: It felt like a very short time because I enjoyed this ride so much
She: Oh, I'm glad to hear it! She: Please wait a little while
Me: OK She: I signaled to my colleagues Me: I have never seen that girl rickshaw driver before She: That girl is still a driver in training
Me: Oh, I see She: I think she is almost ready to make her debut in the field
Me: Oh, great She: I think we will see her driving in a few more days Me: Great! Me: I would also like to ride in a rickshaw driven by her She: Since rickshaws take customers on the road, training is rigorous Me: I'm sure you're right She: If we can clear the training, we will be able to run the streets of Asakusa Me: It is amazing to be able to drive a rickshaw that is considerably larger than her body She: Looking at it this way, I notice that there are few girls among rickshaw drivers She: In my office, there are many girl drivers, but in Asakusa, there are many male drivers She: I just think so on my own Me: Why did Momo-chan start working with rickshaws? She: I started this job with inspiration and vigor She: I originally studied tourism She: Flight attendants, hotel employees, etc She: I decided I wanted to work in the tourism industry She: And I figured Asakusa was the place where tourism thrived She: Then I thought of a job as a rickshaw driver She: I found myself starting this job
Me: Oh, great She: We're back! She: Please wait a moment until the rickshaw in front of you departs Me: Oh, the rickshaw lane, right?
She: Yes She: The number on the license plate of the rickshaw in front is 12 Me: It has an Asakusa number, doesn't it? Yes, you're right
The number is Asakusa 1-12 She: Thank you for waiting She: Thank you for giving us your valuable time Me: Thank you, I enjoyed it very much! She: I'll take it down
1,2,3, Heave-ho～! She: I'll get ready for you to get off
Me: Thank you very much She: I'll retrieve the blankets
Me: Thank you She: I'll unbuckle the seatbelt
Me: Thank you She: I'll hold your bags
Me: Oh thank you She: Please wait inside the building
Me: OK Me: Thank you very much
She: I'll head over there right away She: Thank you for waiting She: Today you have chosen a 30-minute course She: The price is 6300 yen with a repeater discount from 7000 yen
Me: OK She: I'm not good at math Me: It's hard to do the math in head Me: Sorry, could you hold the camera for a moment? She: Of course She: Should I hold the camera like this? Me: It is a good idea to point the camera up a little She: So this is the camera lens!
Me: Yes Me: Oh, thank you very much!
I think I can use this video for a thumbnail image She: I am a little embarrassed Me: May I pay with a 10,000 yen bill?
She: Yes, OK She: Well... the change is 3,700 yen Me: Is credit card accepted for payment of rickshaw fare?
She: Yes! She: 3,700 yen change She: There are multiple payment options, including credit cards and various payment services She: Payment can also be made with transportation system IC cards such as Suica Me: Do overseas customers often pay by credit card? She: Yes, many people pay by credit card She: There are many payment options available
Me: Good! She: You will receive a receipt and a preferential ticket Me: Please wait a moment while I take out the preferential ticket I received last time She: Take your time. It's okay Me: Thank you very much She: You are holding a camera in one hand and it seems difficult to take out the preferential ticket She: Be careful not to drop the camera She: It's a camera that means a lot to you Me: Thank you for your concern She: This is the first time I have seen this type of camera of mine
Me: Oh, I see Me: Oh, I see She: Are you controlling the camera with your cell phone? Me: Cell phones are used as monitors She: Oh, I see. It's amazing Me: The camera monitor is too small to notice when the camera is out of focus She: So it is easier to see if I use my cell phone as a monitor?
Me: Yes, you're right She: I see.
I guess you won't have to regret it later Me: You're right She: Please wait a moment She: A receipt, a preferential ticket that can be used next time, and a questionnaire She: I'd like to introduce you to the Instagram account of the Steamed Bread and Men-sen store Me: Oh, thank you very much She: This store is called "Steams" She: Sorry. My phone screen is broken She: This is what the steamed bread and Men-sen at this store looks like She: Men-sen is a dish like this Me: So this is the kind of cuisine you are talking about She: I highly recommend this store She: If you like, you can go to this store
Me: Thanks for telling me She: I'll also introduce my instagram account She: This is it
Me: Thank you very much Me: Account name is "momonoki_0005" She: There is one underbar She: I don't remember why I chose the name "momonoki" She: I will give you a discount coupon for a store in Asakusa She: First, the "Taisho-Roman Pavilion" Me: Thank you very much She: The store is located on Denpoin Street, which we just passed Me: What do you recommend on this store's menu?
She: I recommend the cream soda She: The green cream soda is delicious Me: The green cream soda is a melon cream soda
I too like melon cream soda She: Next is a discount coupon for monja croquettes Me: Monja croquettes are slightly discounted if buying them on a rickshaw, right? She: Yes, if you take a rickshaw ride to buy it or use a discount coupon, you can get a 50 yen discount Me: Oh, I understand Me: Monja croquettes are cheap even at the regular price for a discount She: Eating monja croquettes while riding in a rickshaw is also recommended
Me: Good! She: Next is a discount coupon for a store called Tokiwa-do, located on the left side of Kaminarimon She: It is a store of "Kaminari-okoshi" and "Ningyo-yaki" She: Kaminari-okoshi are my standard snack Me: Oh, really? She: It is a permanent fixture on my desk Me: Kaminari-okoshi is delicious She: Next is a discount coupon for a matcha store
Me: Oh, it's a store called "Matoi", isn't it? She: Yes She: Matcha green tea affogado and anmitsu are recommended She: For non-food stores, there are discount coupons for "tenugui "(hand towel) shops Me: It will be useful in the coming season She: You're right.
Tenugui is also recommended Me: Wow, you have a lot of discount coupons She: Enjoy many stores in Asakusa She: Please be aware of the expiration date of the discount coupon and use it carefully She: Thank you for your time today
Me: Thank you very much Me: I look forward to seeing you again next time
She: Yes, I look forward to seeing you next time!
