Yuko met us on our first full day in Tokyo. Having listened to our goals of finding good places to explore and shop with two teenage boys, Yuko met us at Meiji Jingu early-ish in the morning so we would beat the crowds. After telling us a bit about the Shinto shrine and how to properly pay homage and respect to the hallowed area, we then met our first sweet potato vendor and helped us head toward Harajuko and found Takesheita street. Before anything opened, we had our own personal tour of the street. Yuko asked us about our interests and where we were from, and nicely pointed out places/ stores we might like. We also looked at various food places and she helped us determine what one of our 16 year olds with a shellfish allergy could and couldn't eat (we were still learning the menus). Most of all, Yuko wove in Japanese culture, telling us what good cultural practices were, how to behave, and how to appreciate various aspects of Tokyo. She was so easy to talk to and get along with-- both the teenage boys commented on her "awesome, chill vibes". Once stores started to open, Yuko took us to places that teenagers would like to shop-- vintage stores, good priced stores, and told us about Gu (the young person's Uniqlo). We went to Onitsuka Tiger, ate crepes, tried the orange juice machine, and grabbed boba, learning small Japanese phrases and customs throughout. We also booked a haircut (one of our goals for the day) and learned how to use the metro app. The haircut place for our 16 year old was perfect-- stylish, a great price, and they were so friendly, even though we used Google translate to communicate. Because of Yuko, we were more immersed in Japanese culture and we had a fantastic start to our trip. We returned to that street, and neighboring Harajuko so many times in our 5 days in Tokyo. Yuko made the trip so special. Her personality, her interest in us, and the ways she communicated and followed up were so appreciative. If we could give Yuko 13/10 stars, we would!
