Japan Books

Japan (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

DK Publishing

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Subjects -> Travel -> Guidebook Series -> Eyewitness -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great Book To Have 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is wonderful book full of great pictures, fun facts and interesting snippits. It is very entertaining and remains interesting thru out. It is well written with the American Traveler in mind.
Major attractions of each city/region are covered. It covers a lot of area and provides a great overview without getting to deep into any one place. It gives pricing information and as such is well done. Interesting historical and modern facts are given about locations adding to the fun.

I used it on a 2006 trip to Japan and found it very useful. It was especially helpful in the preliminary planning stages of our journey.

For a more encompassing travel guide, I recommend "Gateway to Japan" and "Exploring Japan". These three along with a common phrases book or electronic translator should be about all someone would need to have an enjoyable trip!

Editorial Review:

The guide that shows you what other travel books only tell you!

If you are planning a trip to the Land of the Rising Sun, make sure you don't leave home without DK's Eyewitness Travel Guide: Japan. All aspects of modern Japan, as well as its history, art and ancient traditions are explained through informative text and spectacular photographs and illustrations. Learn about Japanese history and culture, and experience the exotic cuisine and entertainment. Over 800 full-color photographs, street-by-street maps, and aerial 3-D cutaways highlight all of Japan's major attractions. Japan's enormous variety in landscape (from near arctic in the north to sub-tropical in the south) comes to life like no other guide. Whether in Tokyo, Kyoto, Okinawa, Honshu, or Hokkaido this is the ultimate resource for all points of interest.

Japan (Country Guide)

Chris Rowthorn

Amazon Price: $19.13 List Price: $28.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Lonely Planet Amazon Marketplace: 52 new & used starting at $17.45

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Don't buy this book 1 out of 5 stars.
6 of 8 people found this review helpful.

We've travelled all over the world using Lonely Planet guide books, and we've had a great experience with them. The Japan book on the other hand was the most useless guide book I have ever seen. We would arrive in a bustling part of Tokyo, open the book, and it would say, "just walk around, everything is good." I didn't spend $25 on a guidebook for that. The whole book seemed lazy, there were maps printed upside down, sights they write about and don't place on their maps and the most amazing things we did in Kyoto weren't in the book, we learned about them through our hostile. If you are going to Japan, don't buy this book, I would have preferred to have no book at all because I spent so much time frustrated at this book.

Editorial Review:

Discover Japan

Dodge flying fish at the world's greatest sashimi market
Find yourself spirited away to Miyazaki's museum of anime
Master the perfect double-clap and bow for your first shrine visit
Earn your keep in a Buddhist temple

In This Guide:

Japan resident authors, 343 days of research, 120 detailed maps, three geisha sightings
You asked for it, we researched it - everything you need to know about onsen (hot springs) and skiing, and more language assistance than ever
Cost-saving tips even the locals don't know.

The Rough Guide to Japan Fourth Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

Jan Dodd, Simon Richmond

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Rough Guide to Japan provides invaluable advice on everything from getting there (including overland routes) to tracking down the latest and best places to sleep, eat, drink and shop. There is comprehensive coverage of all the major sights – and many off the beaten track - from the northern tip of Hokkaido down to the islands of Okinawa, closer to Taiwan than Tokyo. Full-colour sections introduce manga and anime, arguably Japan’s most successful cultural export, its rich variety of festivals and its stunning traditional gardens. All this is accompanied by in-depth coverage of Japan’s history, religions, arts, movies and music plus a discussion of environmental issues. There are maps of all the main towns and tourist destinations, together with separate colour maps of the Tokyo subway system and the rail network in Osaka.

Lonely Planet Tokyo Encounter

Wendy Yanagihara

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

What Will Your Tokyo Encounter Be?

...playing paparazzo to Harajuku's famed and outrageously clad cosplay zoku (costume-play gang) (p12)
...sinking sake in the down'n'dirty alleys of the Golden Gai (p14)
...waking at dawn for the freshest sushi breakfast at Tsukiji Market (p13)
...strutting down Ginza's boulevard lined with fashion straight off the catwalk (p18)
...blowing off steam the traditional way, in a popular neighborhood onsen (p176)
...getting your geek out in Akihabara's bargain bins of electronics, games, and manga (p19)

Discover Twice the City in Half The Time...

...full-color pull-out map and detailed neighborhood maps for easy navigation
...our experienced author recommends the top neighborhoods, shops, restaurants, sights and entertainment
...unique itineraries and highlights help you make the most of a short break
...locals reveal Tokyo's secrets: from a fashion designer's favorite places to shop to the restaurant recommendations of an organic foods chef

Tokyo City Atlas: A Bilingual Guide (3rd Ed.)

Kodansha International

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Subjects -> Reference -> Atlases & Maps -> World
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This is the updated third edition of an atlas first published in 1998. During the past six years, the transportation network of the metropolitan area of Tokyo has changed a good deal. In the case of the subway system, lines have been extended, and some rapid-transit lines have been added, so code numbers for each station are given in our atlas for foreign travelers to identify them easily. In addition, as a result of urban development in areas such as Roppongi, Shinagawa, and Shiodome, quite a few new company buildings, stores, and hotels have appeared. These developments are also covered in this updated edition.
- 21 area maps of Metropolitan Tokyo (42 pages) showing not only chome numbers but also block numbers (banchi).
- 18 detailed maps of Central Tokyo (30 pages) to guide the reader even to numbered subway station entrances.
- An additional 7 maps of central Yokohama and Kawasaki and access maps to 3 U.S. military bases (Yokosuka, Yokota and Zama).
- Comprehensive index: More than 3,600 entries of town and station names, as well as major organizations and buildings, provide the user with easy access to all destinations.

Etiquette Guide to Japan: Know the Rules...that Make the Difference

Boye Lafayette De Mente

Amazon Price: $8.76 List Price: $10.95 In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served. By: Tuttle Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 11 new & used starting at $6.49

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Better work on your bow! 5 out of 5 stars.
24 of 25 people found this review helpful.

In Japan, as visiting foreigners keep discovering -- if they're paying proper attention -- "etiquette" means a great deal more than simply knowing which knife and fork to use. (Or, in this case, what not to do with your chopsticks.) Japan has been a deeply and subtly ritualized and mannered society for millennia, and even with the postwar easing of some rituals and the introduction and acceptance of certain Westernisms -- and even though the Japanese are generally tolerant of minor faux pas on the part on non-Japanese -- the foreign visitor still needs to be very aware of the expectations of those around him. However, this book is also an excellent source for the non-visitor who simply has an interest in Japanese society and culture. The author has been both a periodic resident and been otherwise closely involved with Japan for going on six decades, and he's also a very observant and thoughtful writer, which makes him an ideal guide for the westerner on all things Japanese. He not only tells you what to do, what not to do, and what you can get away with, he provides the historical background, the psychological rationalization, which not even some Japanese are really aware of. This will help you to extrapolate your behavior in other situations, and will assist you toward an understanding of why the Japanese are the way they are. Those shallow-thinkers who consider the Japanese simply "inscrutable," alien, and beyond American understanding should definitely read this book.

Editorial Review:

Etiquette Guide to Japan offers an inside look at the social norms of the Japanese-when to bow, how to propose a toast, when to pay the bill, the careful art of gift-giving, how to deal with public transportation, dating, weddings, funerals, and last, but not least, how to say good-bye at the end of your stay. If you want to save yourself from possible embarrassment during your stay in Japan, you will find the Etiquette Guide to Japan to be a much-needed companion.

Frommer's Japan (Frommer's Complete)

Beth Reiber, Janie Spencer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Very good guide book! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a great guide book. I used it on my very first trip to Japan and it really helped me experience a lot of things that I would have never been able to find or know about on my own. I traveled with a friend that is Japanese and there were things in this book that they didn't even know about. The maps of the cities are also accurate, which is a big help. My other travel partner had another book from a different publisher and it only listed pictures and locations about things to do. It didn't have maps or directions. I think that is what puts this product ahead of the others.

Editorial Review:

America’s #1 bestselling travel series

Written by more than 175 outspoken travelers around the globe, Frommer’s Complete Guides help travelers experience places the way locals do.

• More annually updated guides than any other series

• 16-page color section and foldout map in all annual guides

• Outspoken opinions, exact prices, and suggested itineraries

• Dozens of detailed maps in an easy-to-read, two-color design

Tourism to Japan increased by 12% over the first half of 2007. Half a million tourists were North Americans, of which approximately 100,000 were traveling on business.

A Year in Japan

Kate T. Williamson

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Princeton Architectural Press Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $6.59

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Why bother? 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Why bother with this book? If the author were creating this for herself (i.e., like the way we write in our own journals) that's perfectly fine. But for an audience other than the self, this books is useless, and meaningless. For an audience other than the self, the author needs to give more in-depth illustrations and textual explanations. Pictures do not speak for themselves when one is a stranger to the place the pictures come from.

Do not buy this book. Go to your local bookstore and read/glance at the darn thing for 20 minutes (or less) and you'll be done.

Editorial Review:

The Land of the Rising Sun is shining brightly across the American cultural landscape. Recent films such as Lost in Translation and Memoirs of a Geisha seem to have made everyone an expert on Japan, even if they’ve never been there. But the only way for a Westerner to get to know the real Japan is to become a part of it. Kate T. Williamson did just that, spending a year experiencing, studying, and reflecting on her adopted home. She brings her keen observations to us in A Year in Japan, a dramatically different look at a delightfully different way of life.

Avoiding the usual clichés — Japan’s polite society, its unusual fashion trends, its crowded subways — Williamson focuses on some lesserknown aspects of the country and culture. In stunning watercolors and piquant texts, she explains the terms used to order various amounts of tofu, the electric rugs found in many Japanese homes, and how to distinguish a maiko from a geisha.

Time Out Guide to Tokyo, 5th Edition

Time Out

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great Tokyo Guide 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Just got back from a trip to Tokyo and this book was great. I bought the Rough Guide to Japan as well as this book, and I was glad to have this book while in Tokyo. It provided tons of info and lots and lots of pictures...I like to have pictures when I travel, it helps me make quick decisions about what I want to see and when.

Time Out Tokyo 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

If you are looking for a very comprehensive guidebook on Tokyo, you won't get anything better than Time Out Tokyo. The Time Out guidebooks are almost always very complete with a wide range of activities, restaurant, and recommendations. There is also cultural information in there to help you get a little more acquainted with the cultural differences of the country you are visiting. No matter wat your purpose is for the trip, Time Out Tokyo is definitely a good buy.

Editorial Review:

Time Out Tokyo leads readers through the marvels and mysteries of this metropolis — from futuristic skyscrapers to ancient temples, from sex clubs to sushi bars. Color photos and maps throughout the guide lend assistance in navigating the city with no street names, and help make the most of its numerous shopping options, from must-have souvenirs to electronics bargains. Also included are etiquette do’s and don’ts, a menu-reading guide, and listings of gay- and lesbian-friendly spots. Travelers can also explore the sights beyond Tokyo, including Yokohama, the hot springs of Hakone, and the slopes of Mount Fuji.

Exploring Kyoto: On Foot in the Ancient Capital

Judith Clancy

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

What began as the author's translation of Japanese-language Kyoto street and informational signs grew into a bountiful little book complete with superstitions, legends, history, and popular culture. The map key foretells the natural details used to guide the visitor through 27 walking tours of this beautiful, ancient city. Pagodas, gates, and shrines are marked, along with waterfalls, springs, cherry trees, plum trees, and lotus flowers. Romantic names such as "Sound of Feathers Waterfall," "Moon-Crossing Bridge" and "Teahouse of Clear Rippling Waves" intimate how highly the Japanese regard the natural world. On each clearly written tour, the author reveals fascinating facts about the city: the lattice-windowed wooden townhouses are called eel houses because of their depth and narrowness, and norens are the split curtains that help distinguish businesses from homes, hanging in the doorways of open shops and restaurants to announce the name of the business and the nature of its trade. Whether or not you're planning a trip to Kyoto, this is a fascinating glimpse into the culture of Japan.