Japan Books - Page 4

The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto

Pico Iyer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 40 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

When Pico Iyer decided to go to Kyoto and live in a monastery, he did so to learn about Zen Buddhism from the inside, to get to know Kyoto, one of the loveliest old cities in the world, and to find out something about Japanese culture today -- not the world of businessmen and production lines, but the traditional world of changing seasons and the silence of temples, of the images woven through literature, of the lunar Japan that still lives on behind the rising sun of geopolitical power.

All this he did. And then he met Sachiko.

Vivacious, attractive, thoroughly educated, speaking English enthusiastically if eccentrically, the wife of a Japanese "salaryman" who seldom left the office before 10 P.M., Sachiko was as conversant with tea ceremony and classical Japanese literature as with rock music, Goethe, and Vivaldi. With the lightness of touch that made Video Night in Kathmandu so captivating, Pico Iyer fashions from their relationship a marvelously ironic yet heartfelt book that is at once a portrait of cross-cultural infatuation -- and misunderstanding -- and a delightfully fresh way of seeing both the old Japan and the very new.

"[Iyer] is a sharp-eyed and thoughtful observer, and he is successful in evoking the life of Kyoto's malls, temples, and back streets, moonlit nights on the water, and the vulgarity of the Westernized nightclub and amusement quarter." -- New Yorker

"Pico Iyers remarkable talent is enough justification for going anywhere in the world he fancies." -- Washington Post Book World

With Respect to the Japanese: A Guide for Americans (Interact Series)

John C. Condon

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

I have already recommended this book to others I work with! 5 out of 5 stars.
18 of 18 people found this review helpful.

I work at a Japanese Company and recently participated in across-cultural learning class. This book was provided as apre-requisite to the class. I was able to get more out of this book than any other book on this subject that I had previously read. The book explains how children are raised in the Japanese Environment, their belief/value system, and how that translates into their eventual adult/working life environment. I have recommended this book to both people inside my company and Companies I deal with on a daily basis. It has taken some of the "mystery" out of the Japanese Culture for me.

An Interesting Look At Japanese Culture 5 out of 5 stars.
16 of 19 people found this review helpful.

Since I am going to Japan this summer, I have taken many interests to different books about the country. This one in particular was a wonderful read because it wasn't just "Hey, this is how it works in Japan." It was more of a comparrison to the Japanese lifestyle to the American lifestyle. It also has feelings and oppinions from each culture. Like someone from Japan would state that Americans talk too much but then you would have someone from America say that the Japanese listen too much.

I found the book very helpful and I recommend it to anyone who is looking into Japan, working with a Japanese company or going over to Japan.

A Guide to the Gardens of Kyoto

Marc Treib, Ron Herman

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Gardening & Horticulture -> Japanese Gardens

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A Guide to The Gardens of Kyoto, Marc Treib and Ron Herman 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Don't leave home without this book! Anyone who is planning a trip to Japan (resident foreigners included) and has even the slighest interest learning about the Gardens of Kyoto should buy a copy of this superb book, which is small enough to carry in your shoulder bag. The book contains gives the balance of detail,giving good a historical background and landscape points overview. This is a buy you will not regret. Well done to the authors.

Editorial Review:

Designed for the layman as well as the professional, this concise yet comprehensive guide provides both practical information and theoretical insights into the design of the Japanese garden. Kyoto, the capital of Japan for over one thousand years, possesses a richness of garden art without equal as a living chronicle of Japanese cultural history and environmental design. Following the introductory essays are individual entries for more than fifty temple and palace gardens. The text is augmented by an excellent selection of photographs, historical prints, maps and color plates.

The Japanese Way : Aspects of Behavior, Attitudes, and Customs of the Japanese

Noriko Takada, Rita Lampkin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A thorough guide and a must... 5 out of 5 stars.
114 of 119 people found this review helpful.

As many seasoned travellers are acutely aware, visiting foreign countries without adequate research into the language and culture can turn a business trip or holiday into a nightmare. Since WW2, most European countries use English as a second language and therefore are accommodating to the ignorant visitor. In other terms, one can 'get by' without too much confusion or fuss. A few years ago, on my way to the U.S. to visit friends and family, I made a two-day stop over in Japan. Because of my limited stay and time constraints, I chose not to do any research on the language and culture. This was a big mistake. The reason being is that Japan's culture - behaviour, customs and attitudes are so different to Western modes of living. My two-day stop over was a personal disaster for many reasons. If only I had done at least a little research, my short time in Japan would have been much more meaningful. ~The Japanese Way~ is a gem of a text that covers the essentials for any one to successfully 'get by' while visiting this fascinating country.

This text is a crucial reference to the most common aspects of the culture to the more specific traits in Japan's social framework. In the contents page is a list of 89 subjects ranging from body language and gestures to gender roles and business cards. For example, taking a taxi in Tokyo can be expensive and sometimes frustrating because the address system, house numbers, are not assigned according to grid location or position on a specific street. The buildings are grouped in blocks and are numbered according to the time in which they were built! Requesting a specific residential home, in other words, is an exasperating exercise and most of the time the driver will not be able to find it. (The lesson learned here is to purchase a map and use public transport.) This text also provides the basics in language - Hellos and Goodbyes and some basic rules on politeness and rudeness. These basic phrases and suggested approach to social situations are invaluable, even if you're only planning a short visit.

If you're planning to travel to Japan sometime in the future, I highly recommend this invaluable book, because it literally covers just about everything you will need to know to ensure your stay is fulfilling, memorable and problem free.

Editorial Review:

For All Students Ideal for a variety of courses, this valuable handbook helps students understand how people of today's Japan think, do business, and act in their daily lives.

Kyoto (City Guide)

Chris Rowthorn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Waste of money - poor maps, poor info, poorly organized 1 out of 5 stars.
21 of 33 people found this review helpful.

Where do I start? Poor maps, chaotic organization or boring writing? Or perhaps ugly, poor quality photographs (except cover which is really nice - this is the trademark feature of this honest publisher, which is only [inexpensive] as far as publishing costs are concerned, without bothering to reduce the price of the book itself).

There are countries where Lonely Planet does a very good job (in West Africa, I would be lost without them), but oh my God how they can mess up things elsewhere! Kyoto is one of them.

With so many good guides to Japan available (Eyewitness, Frommer, Fodor, even Rough Guide, for goodness sake), why bother with Lonely Planet? Well, probably because many readers feel that they have a spiritual affiliation with this seemingly hippy-ish, seemingly anti-Capitalist, seemingly slightly rebellious serious of guides. I can only imagine how they are laughing - this lean and mean publishing house, an efficient money-making machine, being funded by mostly a naive bunch of tree-huggers.

If you feel good because you identify their sandal-wearing image, go and buy this book, by all means. This is only an image, a marketing tool - clever publishing people are laughing all the way to the bank. However, do not expect to have the best available travel advice. Usually LP guides are praised by those who have not read anything else.

Editorial Review:

Discover Kyoto

Celebrate the seasons at an elaborate geisha dance
Rid yourself of bad karma at Jingo-ji - just try not to get addicted
Sift through reams of vintage kimono fabric at the local flea markets
Make a night of it in the baths at Funaoka Onsen

In This Guide:

The only full city guide to Kyoto
Personally researched by a long-term resident author
New coverage of traditional crafts, with the best places to buy handmade paper, fans and pottery
Content updated daily - visit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews, updates and traveler insights.

Michelin Guide 2009 Tokyo (Michelin Guides)

Amazon Price: $11.55 List Price: $16.99 Not yet published By: Michelin Travel Publications

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Five Great Days in Tokyo: An insider's walking guide to Tokyo

Brandia Tanaka

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

This is a jewel! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is a jewel. If you have ever wished you had a friend living in a city who could help you find your way around, suggest the "must sees" and the hidden secrets of the city, and do so in a friendly, humorous, heartfelt way, this book does just that for the challenging city of Tokyo. I found it to be the "Cliffs Notes" equivalent of all the typical 400-800 pages travel books which are so essential to understand a country and its culture before you travel. Buy the Lonely Planet, DK, etc., and then pack this concise, entertaining summary into your purse or back pack to pull it all together and start walking!
I did four out of the five-day guide, with a few detours of my own. (If you are a sushi lover, definitely take the challenge to find the stand-up sushi bar described on page 18. It is one of the best buys in all of Tokyo!) It is obvious the author appreciates the art, architecture, food, and people of Tokyo. You will too if you have time to experience one or all of the "five great days."
Linda, Simi Valley, California

Editorial Review:

Five Great Days in Tokyo is designed for the traveler or business visitor who wants a "pick up and go" travel book that creates a fascinating narrative that gets you beyond the confusion of the pavement and takes you to the pulse and beauty of the city immediately. It provides five individually planned days in an easy to follow, coffee-table quality picture format that can also serve as a reminder of where you've been and what you've seen. Most travel books are like mini-encyclopedias that require cross-referencing and map-checking like a game of three dimensional chess, turning a vacation into a frustrating, logistical battle. Five Great Days leads you along a fascinating way by piecing the sights, food and transportation together for you. It is designed to maximize the time and enjoyment of anyone who has one or more days to spend in one of the world's most fascinating, truly unique metropolitan kingdoms.

Japan Atlas: A Bilingual Guide

Kodansha International

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Somewhat useful 3 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

It's great to have maps with both Kanji and Roman alphabets. That is very useful for navigating in Japan when one doesn't read Japanese. But the maps are small and not detailed enough to be used by cyclists, which was my hope when I purchased this atlas. It does have some subway maps at the back, which are practical. I think this atlas has to be used with a more detailed Japanese-language atlas to be really useful to anyone (cyclists or drivers) interested in using roads smaller than the major highways.

Editorial Review:

The only atlas of its kind to feature place-names in both English and Japanese, Kodansha's perennial favorite has been newly revised to reflect the many changes that have resulted from the government's policy of consolidating Japanese cities, towns and villages. The volume includes:
-- 21 large-scale maps of the regions of Japan, including Greater Tokyo and the Kanto area, the Greater Osaka area, and almost all of the officially registered Japanese municipalities;
-- 10 maps of the major metropolitan areas, from Naha in Okinawa to Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nagoya, Tsukuba, Sapporo and many others;
-- 7 maps featuring notable tourist and resort areas, including Fuji-Hakone, Nara, Kamakura, Nikko, etc.;
-- 9 transportation maps, including road and intercity railway maps, Tokyo and Osaka subway and rail maps, and major domestic airline routes;
-- 12 thematic maps indicating national parks, historic spots, ceramic kiln areas and more.

The Roads to Sata: A 2000-Mile Walk Through Japan (Origami Classroom)

Alan Booth

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

ALAN BOOTH'S CLASSIC OF MODERN TRAVEL WRITING
Traveling only along small back roads, Alan Booth traversed Japan's entire length on foot, from Soya at the country's northernmost tip, to Cape Sata in the extreme south, across three islands and some 2,000 miles of rural Japan. The Roads to Sata is his wry, witty, inimitable account of that prodigious trek.
Although he was a city person-he was brought up in London and spent most of his adult life in Tokyo - Booth had an extraordinary ability to capture the feel of rural Japan in his writing. Throughout his long and arduous trek, he encountered a variety of people who inhabit the Japanese countryside-from fishermen and soldiers, to bar hostesses and school teachers, to hermits, drunks, and tramps. His wonderful and often hilarious descriptions of these encounters are the highlights of these pages, painting a multifaceted picture of Japan from the perspective of an outsider, but with the knowledge of an insider.
The Roads to Sata is travel writing at its best, illuminating and disarming, poignant yet hilarious, critical but respectful. Traveling across Japan with Alan Booth, readers will enjoy the wit and insight of a uniquely perceptive guide, and more importantly, they will discover a new face of an often misunderstood nation.

Hiking in Japan (Lonely Planet Walking Guides)

Mason Florence, Craig McLachlan, Chris Rowthorn, Richard Ryall, Anthony Weersin

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

I only missed one thing 4 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

And that is descriptions of longer treks.
There are a few described as 4-8 days long in this book, but when walking I found that that would have been at a snail's pace and the times given had to be halved. Even a quick look at the regional maps will confirm that all hikes described only cover relatively small areas.
So those planning a longer trek through the backcountry of Japan might be disappointed (I was, anyway), but I understand we are just the minority...
On the other hand, those looking for advice on a variety of short hikes in national parks or near the major cities will find lots of good ideas, and practical details that tend to be amazingly correct by guidebook standards!
Don't worry too much about the book being a few years old - Japan is such a stable country that much of the information remains as valid as ever.

Editorial Review:

Sunrise atop Fuji-san, steaming volcanoes, natural hot springs, ancient temples and pilgrim trails, wild subtropical jungles, spectacular gorges, unique wildlife and nature's seasonal shows - explore the wonders of Japan with this meticulously researched guide.

• detailed trail notes with kanji for more than 70 day and multi-day hikes
• 70 detailed, custom-drawn contour maps with kanji
• accommodation options from gateway cities to remote camp sites
• tips on transport to and from the trailheads
• practical advice on local culture, responsible hiking and pre-hike preparation
• quick reference language section, glossary and gazetteer with kanji