Lonely Planet Japan

Average customer rating:

never received it!
Good book
Extensive Help Guide
Content
Stay Clear of Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet Japan
Chris Rowthorn , Ray Bartlett , and et al. Justin Ellis
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Japanese: Lonely Planet Phrasebook
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Tokyo City Atlas: A Bilingual Guide (3rd Ed.)
The Rough Guide to Japan, Third Edition

ASIN: 1740599241

Book Description

Let the bullet train whisk you from futuristic Tokyo to Kyoto's most exquisite temples. Join a sake-filled cherry blossom party or the drum beat of a local matsuri. Pick your own way through sophisticated mega-cities packed with world-class museums. Then meet the wild snow monkeys of Chûbu. How could one country offer so much? This bestselling guidebook explains it all.

o GET MORE FOR YOUR YEN - insider's budget tips and smart accommodation options mean you can do what you want, whatever your budget o KNOW THE ROUTE - packed with over 150 maps, more than any other guide to Japan o FEAST LIKE AN EMPEROR - our Food & Drink chapter and mouth-watering restaurant listings dish up the best sushi and sashimi on the archipelago o ESCAPE THE CROWDS - comprehensive coverage of Mt Fuji, Okinawa and the Southwest Islands, Kyûshû and Hokkaidô, written by the experts o POINT IT OUT - Japanese script throughout means you'll always find what you want

Customer Reviews:

never received it!.......2007-05-27

I have been very disapointed in receiving (or in most cases NOT receiving) items that I order through AMAZON!
Every time I place an order it won't let me send it to a "PO BOX!"
So I proceed to have it mailed to a bussiness address and 90% of the time it gets sent back to AMAZON!
I live in a small town, but I have never had a problem with any other online internet stores!

Good book.......2007-04-25

Good guidebook to have with you. Lots of hints and good places to eat.

Extensive Help Guide.......2007-04-12

This is extremely beneficial for what I will be doing around Japan. Thank you for the fast and great service.

Content.......2007-03-22

I used this book religiously while traveling in Japan for three weeks. It helped me plan the trip before I got there and assisted me daily while in Japan. Highly recommended.

Stay Clear of Lonely Planet.......2007-02-20

A hopeless mess of headlines and confusing comments, very little structure. No rankings of what you should see and do, no pictures, no useful restaurant and hotel recommendations. Endless yatter about nothing makes this a boring read with almost no real content. Absolutely worthless on our Japan trip to Tokyo and Kyoto. This is not the first time we have been disappointed by Lonely Planet. They cater to backpackers only, usually looking for the cheapest accomodation and meals, and with no value added for the traveller who is short on time but still wants to make the most out of his/her time. We ended up buying the Eyewitness Guoide which is fast and easy to use.

Average customer rating:

Excellent Resource
Excellent practical information, improved cultural suggestions

Lonely Planet Tokyo
Andrew Bender , and Wendy Yanagihara
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Japanese: Lonely Planet Phrasebook

ASIN: 1740598768

Book Description

A bowl of whisked green tea in the teahouse of Hama Rikyu Onshi-teien is about as Japanese as it gets. The garden was once a pleasure dome for the shogun, but now you too can pause and savour the moment, as ducks glide by in the pond at your feet and precision-plucked pines pose like puffed clouds. But cross the narrow wooden bridge over the pond and look backwards: framing the teahouse, the pond and the pines are the skyscapers of Shiodome, gleaming glass and granite and all built since the turn of the millennium. If that's not an only-in-Tokyo moment, then nothing is.

o SLEEP IN STYLE - informative reviews of the best luxury hotels, traditional ryokan and top-value budget options make the decisions easy o NAVIGATE WITH EASE - clear and detailed maps with Japanese script take you where you want to go o TREAT YOURSELF - our authors have hand-picked the best designer wares, specialist music stores, tucked-away shopping streets and more o FEAST LIKE A LOCAL - discerning reviews deliver the gems, from decadent kaiseki to mouth-watering sashimi o ESCAPE FOR A DAY - head for the traditional temples of Nikko and Kamakura, or soak your bones in an onsen; our Excursions chapter has all the best tips

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Resource.......2007-04-23

Tokyo can be really overwhelming because there are a million things to do! This book really helped with highlighting each area of Tokyo as well as providing hours and addresses of the places you want to visit. It also had fantastic suggestions for cheap eats. This author takes you into the back alleys (if you want to go - which you should!) or keeps you in the high class areas of Tokyo for a well rounded trip.

I coupled this book with the Tokyo City Atlas book, which made it possible to understand the crazy mapping system of Tokyo.

Have fun!

Excellent practical information, improved cultural suggestions.......2006-10-04

The Lonely Planet guides are very often the best when it comes to providing practical information such as maps, changing money, the best way to get from A to B, etc. This edition of the Tokyo guide is no exception. It has everything you need to plan your trip and to get around Tokyo.

This edition is also an improvement over the prior editions when it comes to cultural recommendations, such as restaurants, walking tours, interesting shops, museums, etc. The "Time Out" guide is probably still better is the cultural department, but it is weak when it comes to maps, etc., so it may be worth taking both guides.

Average customer rating:

Very good in the beginning, but after that, it's ok
I was able to communicate!!!
A must buy
Useful inspite of itself.
sloppy formatting and too many errors

Japanese: Lonely Planet Phrasebook
Yoshi Abe , and Lonely Planet Phrasebooks
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Lonely Planet Japan
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ASIN: 1740591631

Book Description

Order the freshest fugu, survive a karaoke session and know how deep to bow. Go beyond the shrines, sushi and subway and discover Japan through its language and people.

Customer Reviews:

Very good in the beginning, but after that, it's ok.......2007-02-14

Just like I said. The first part of this phrasebook helps you understand grammar, small phrases, and many words, but after that it just tells you a lot of the things like sentences and more questions and answers.

I recommend this if you are travelling, but if you are just trying to learn the language, I would not recommend it because it's hard to remember all of the questions, answers, and phrases it contains from about the 1/4 to the end of the book.

But it was really good in explaining grammar, pronouns, and many other things. So buy it if you want.

I was able to communicate!!!.......2006-11-10

I feel this book is not only usefull for comunication with other people during my travel but also very well prepare to be user friendly. It was exellent in my trip to Japan have it with me.

A must buy.......2005-10-06

I found this very easy to understand, as did my husband who had no prior knowledge of the Japanese language. I read it many times before our trip, in order to remember important basic words.
We referred to it many times during our trip, and it was very usefull. I would suggest everyone purchase it.
Its small size is also great, easy to put in a pocket, backpack or handbag.

Useful inspite of itself........2004-09-02

I bought this on my first flight back from Japan after taking my first semester in Japanese. I thought that it supplied a ton of useful auxillary vocabulary to run with at the level of grammar I was capable of using. The book also has many slight mistakes, even I, a first year student, was able to pick out. It's got a few cute but dumb, potentially racist but we'll say ignorant drawings included. But so few that it cues one in as to how cheaply produced this probably was. I give it three stars though because I learned it forward and backward and broke it out numerous times to meet my needs in bars and train stations (never in restaurants for some reasons). And, to get me comic leverage in many conversations where I was not privy to the Japanese side of the chatter.

sloppy formatting and too many errors.......2004-04-30

This book has the right idea: a pocket-sized book with a good variety of useful everyday phrases, organized by subject. However, there are enough flat-out mistakes to be pretty annoying. Also, the English and Japanese did not line up perfectly on the page which, in combination with the the print being quite small, made it difficult to figure out which defintion went where (perhaps this is not a problem with all these books but it was with mine). But most annoying are the errors and typos.

Lonely Planet Kyoto: City Guide (Lonely Planet Kyoto)

Average customer rating:

Avoid this guide
Oddly out of date
Other guides?
Waste of money - poor maps, poor info, poorly organized
Great for out of the way places, but poor crossreferencing

Lonely Planet Kyoto: City Guide (Lonely Planet Kyoto)
Chris Rowthorn
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Kyoto Travel Map: 2005/2006 Edition (Periplus Travel Maps)
Lonely Planet Japan
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Old Kyoto: The Updated Guide to Traditional Shops, Restaurants, and Inns
Japanese: Lonely Planet Phrasebook

ASIN: 174104085X

Book Description

Kyoto, imperial heart of Japan, is where arts and culture reign supreme. Escape the frenzy of Tokyo and Osaka for the flutter of cherry blossoms and the serenity of a zen garden. Let the insider knowledge in this bestselling guide transport you to another era.

• WALK IN WONDER through the famed Silver Pavillion, Tatsumi shrine and Arashiyama's magical bamboo forest on comprehensive walking tours

• DINE LIKE AN EMPEROR on steaming sukiyaki, soothing soba and the high cuisine of kaiseki - expert-written reviews show you the menu

• SELECT FROM THE BEST - Shopping chapter shows you Kyoto's finest wood-block prints, ceramics, kimono, and washi (Japanese paper)

• SLEEP LIKE AN ANGEL in a tatami-scented ryokan or serene temple lodgings - our Sleeping chapter has accommodation covered

• CONNECT WITH THE ARTS in Japan's cultural capital - local author Chris Rowthorn shows off kabuki, pottery, tea ceremonies and kimono textiles

Customer Reviews:

Avoid this guide.......2007-04-10

My wife and I just returned from Kyoto, and unfortunately we were relying on this book as our guide. The information was, for the most part, up-to-date.. but the maps were *horrible*. I dunno if they just used maps from the 1930s, or hand drew them from memory, or what.. but you are going to get seriously lost if you rely on these things. There are almost no street names included and the walking tours often rely solely on hard-to-find landmarks.

They also missed some major sights.. for example, Gion; I dunno about you, but I'm interested in seeing some of the tea houses where Geisha actually work. The guide talks about these and gives you one place to look for them. However, it totally skips one of the most beautiful tea house districts located in Maruyama Park! We stumbled on this place by complete accident, and found it to be the best place for Geisha-watching.

It also appears to be an exclusive area where the really well-off clients go, and so perhaps it wasn't covered to keep down the crowds.. but that's the kind of information I *want* in a guidebook.

In short we were extremely dissapointed in this guide. I don't know what would be a good substitute, but I can tell you to avoid this one.

Oddly out of date.......2006-06-08

No guide is perfect, but some are better than others. In the case of Lonely Planet, some are great, others leave a bit to be desired. For whatever reason, the Kyoto guide is missing some important pieces of information that I would have wanted to see. For example, the best vegetarian restaurant in the city, and one of the few places a veggie can eat some authentic Japanese "meat" dishes (made with fake meat) is the Peace Cafe -- which is not listed in Lonely Planet though it's been around for a few years. Another example: The "japanese-only guides" at the Shigakuin Imperial Residence still holds true.... except they have a full audio guide now, recorded in English, with lots of information at most stops made by the Japanese tour.

Other guides?.......2005-03-07

I borrowed this guide from a friend and have leafed through it. I haven't decided if I want to buy it yet when I go to Kyoto later this year.

What do you guys recommend as the best travel guide for Kyoto? While skimming this one, I've noticed a few of the things mentioned here like the unorganized maps and such. But are there betters one there to buy?

Waste of money - poor maps, poor info, poorly organized.......2003-07-07

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.

Great for out of the way places, but poor crossreferencing.......2003-06-11

A few years ago we discovered Lonely Planet travel guides. They have been a staple of every trip ever since. The Kyoto book was no exception.

The major highlights of this book include:
- Great walking tours
- Fun listings of out of the way places
- Interesting history and background
- Good tips and recommendations for everything from getting around on the subway (complete with a handy map), to reliable restaurant recommendations.
- Restaurant & place names written in Japanese in the book. Even if you don't read Japanese, this was very handy for doing symbol comparison to make sure you were in the right place.

Lonely Planet guides are really excellent for helping you see the sights that not everyone else is seeing, and to help you get more out of the culture you are visiting. The authors have a good sense of humor and seem to aim towards a slightly more liberal and adventurous audience.

On their own, I found both the guide and the maps very helpful (although I do agree with the other reviewers that the varied orientation and scaling of the maps could occasionally be disorienting). However, when attempting to cross reference these I often got frustrated. Many of the references to maps in the guide were just wrong (wrong map listed), and many things just weren't on the maps. Similarly, many things on the maps were difficult or impossible to locate in the guide. Example: "We need to find a restaurant near were we are right now. Oh look, here's one a block away. I wonder what type of food they have?....<begin leafing through the guide to find the restaurant listed>... Hmmm...I can't find it...." I know Lonely Planet knows how to do this effectively (see the Condensed guide to Tokyo as an example), it was just frustrating that they did not apply that knowledge to this book.

Lonely Planet Japan
Average customer rating:

A great purchase

Errors in this book

A good guide for traveling on-your-own.

good for finding Japan's worst restaurants

What happens when writers hate their subjects

Lonely Planet Japan
Chris Rowthorn , Andrew Bender , John Ashburne , Sara Benson , David Atkinson , and Craig McLachlan
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1740591623

Amazon.com

From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there, chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years and as a result, has the experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach. While still giving insights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.

This thorough guide is the perfect companion for discovering the classical and contemporary delights of Japan. The more than 170 maps have keys in both English and Japanese script and there's a 30-page arts section covering everything from calligraphy to rock music and an enticingly descriptive guide to the joys of Japanese cuisine. Whether your interests lean toward culture and history or the great outdoors, this book will get you there. --Kathryn True

Book Description

The electric chaos of Tokyo or the tranquil wilderness of Hokkaido? Osaka's street culture or Kyoto's shrines and Zen gardens? From Ginza's bright lights to the 88 Temples of Shikoku, with this guide and a bullet train you can see it all.

• Japanese script throughout • extensive menu glossary covering all styles of Japanese cuisine • wide range of sleeping options from opulent ryokan to capsule hotels • over 150 maps, most with Japanese script to aid navigation • illustrated special section on art and architecture • language chapter to help you tell your setto from your sento

Customer Reviews:

A great purchase.......2005-10-06

I found this guide very helpful. I travelled to Japan 10 years ago but this was a fully guided trip, and i was a school student.
This time around, my husband and I did all the planning ourselves. Lots of information, would be perfect for someone who has never travelled to Japan before.

Errors in this book.......2005-06-30

I always buy LP series whenever I travel to Asia and Europe. I bought a previous edition and the current edition of Lonely Planet Japan over the past 4 years. It helped me get around Japan without a problem. But for those who can't speak Japanese or can't recognize kanji, this book has serious errors that might send you to a different place. An example is that in both editions they messed up the kanji vs the English for Asakusa (historical district) and Akasaka (business district). These are completely different areas of Tokyo, you're in trouble if you're showing this to a taxi driver or someone on the street. Another example is the kanji symbol for bathroom is wrong. For someone who wants to go right away, it might take you a while to find someone who can guess what you mean if you point those kanji characters at them.

Those are just a few things that I spotted so far (i only read about tokyo, nikko, and kyoto). I also don't like the restaurant recommendations in this book. First of all, if a restaurant is in this review then most likely everyone will go there. The best about japan is that you can stroll around little alleys next to skyscrapers and will run into a neighborhood restaurant that's good and cheap. the price they listed for the so-called cheap restaurants are almost doubled the price of what I can get in a big city like Tokyo. Makes me wonder if those writers actually lived there after all.

I would still use this book in Japan to get around, it's still quite informative and entertaining to read. but for those who can't speak japanese or recognize their written characters, I suggest you bring another book with you.

A good guide for traveling on-your-own........2004-10-04

The 8th edition is 150 pages less than the 7th. What did they cut out? Hokkaido, Tohoku, and hotels seem to be trimmed in a lot of areas. For example, Kushiro got cut to a bare mention and Onuma National Park north of Hakodate no longer made the list. If you want to see the Ainu Museum in Shiraoi, it's still in there but you're going to have to stumble across it in a box listed under "Ainu Rennaisance." I suppose Tokyo-Kyoto is what sells so if you cut, then do it far away from these two areas.

The budget hotel listing has gotten thin, and this was the main content I liked to use. Many times, the only budget accomodation listing is the Youth Hostel. Many times there are only 1 or 2 listings after the YH, but the price is high. I know there are lots more budget options, but I also know the best lists for budget lodgings are obtained at the information center in town. Why couldn't they check out some on that list and put them in the book? You're now better off checking the web before you go or waiting until you get to the info booth near the train station to get a complete list and find something that meets your budget.

I suppose some people use the restaurant listings but I can't comment. However, I usually eat at a place that's near to wherever I am at meal time. I also like the listing of the few 'gaijin' hangouts; most of the clientele are Japanese anyway.

There are complaints on the lack of information on the banking system. It's all in this edition. My guess is a reviewer got caught out after hours and got ticked off. Banks are open until 3, M-F; you're better off checking out the Post Offices which are open until 5/6 PM. ATMs close with the bank or post office. All this is in this edition, you just have to read it. I cash enough money at one time for 3-5 days worth of hotels and expenses. Credit cards won't pull you through in this country.

The maps are either small scale or generalized. They're good for getting you to a place if not around it. I've found most of the maps in both the RG and LP very similar. The Let's Go maps are a bit better due to being bilingual, but they're the same scale. It's best if you pick up a local map upon arrival. Even some of these aren't too good either, and can leave off many smaller roads and streets. If you want a good map, I've found that I have to buy the atlas-type book for the area of interest in a bookstore or a highway rest area. There are several brands, such as "Mapple," and they are arranged by 'ken' or prefecture. Some come with both romaji (western European characters) and Japanese. You just have to page through them to see what you can read. The best are only in Japanese but they are detailed down to the traffic signals.

All in all, this guide is for the individual traveler who is traveling mostly by a JR Rail Pass. It covers more places than any other guide, and in doing such doesn't have space to give a long history, photos (Eye Witness Guides), or a long history or stories about each stop. If you need the history included in the guide, look to one of the others. The Rough Guide covers fewer places but has more of the background on each place, and is popular for this reason. If the places you're going are all covered in the RG, then use that one. If you're going to Tokyo and Kyoto, you can look to the Frommers, Fodor, or Eye Witness guides which is almost all history, culture, and pictures, or just get the LP-Tokyo guide.

This guide is for practical information: finding a hotel, getting around, and getting to the places you want to see. It's not for the "drive-only" or "tour-group" individual traveller, as the former will be everywhere that not listed in any travel book, and the information for a tour type trip is thin. It's pretty good at fulfilling it's niche except for the diminished hotel listings in the budget range. Because of the thinned hotel listings, I drop a star.

Also look at: Rough Guides Japan; Let's Go Japan; Moon Guides Japan. These are all for "on-your-own" traveling.

good for finding Japan's worst restaurants.......2004-08-17

I rented a car at Narita (Tokyo) and headed north on a 3-week road trip. This book has some reasonable hotel recommendations, even at the higher end of the price scale, but it is hard to understand how the authors of the book picked restaurants. At one Lonely Planet favorite I was served a soggy tuna sandwich that might have been found in England circa 1950. A place in Sapporo billed as serving "authentic Indian food" had nothing on the menu that I recognized from Indian restaurants in the U.S., England, or India. Finally the only restaurant in Japan where I managed to get food poisoning was a Lonely Planet suggestion.

Good on hotels, however, and the maps are helpful once you get into a city or region.

What happens when writers hate their subjects.......2004-08-10

As some other reviewers here have noted, this book seems to have been written by people who don't actually like Japan, Japanese people, Japanese culture, or pretty much anything Japanese at all. As such, they spend too much of the book showing how they are so superior to everything Japan has to offer. If you follow this book, you will end up missing so much of what this fabulous (albeit, at times difficult) country has to offer. Well, OK, this book does have some useful information. But, you will be best off with just about any other guide book.

Average customer rating:

Flawed half haerted attempt
Take everyone's advice guys, this book leaves you hanging.
If I could give ZERO stars!
Not bad, but be aware of its shortcomings...
Adequate

Lonely Planet Tokyo
Kara Knafelc
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

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Time Out Guide to Tokyo, 5th Edition

ASIN: 1740594509

Book Description

They don't come any cooler than Tokyo. By turns hi-tech, lo-fi, conventional and outrageous, Tokyo is a city that shouldn't work but does. Promenade with the goths of Harajuku, feast your eyes on the blazing lights of Ginza, and unwind in an intimate izakaya. For a city as stylish as Tokyo, you need a smart and streetwise guide. This is it.

• INDULGE YOUR APPETITE in the finest local restaurants with our Japanese food chapter

• CATCH THE BULLET TRAIN with confidence, with 11 detailed color maps, and routes and prices from Akihabara to Ueno Zoo

• DO THE SHINTO SHUFFLE with walking tours to temples and shrines, gardens and palaces

• PICK UP THE PULSE of the city with our entertainment listings and City Life chapter

• REFRESH YOUR SENSES with easy day-trips to onsen, temple towns and the famed Mt Fuji

Customer Reviews:

Flawed half haerted attempt.......2006-08-18

I just returned from Tokyo, where I used this book. I really think it is better to get information from your hotel's front desk or a tourist center.
I was fortunate to be visiting a friend who is from Tokyo, had I relied on the book I would have been totally frustrated. The most glaring problems with the book are:
1) It does not know any interesting things about Tokyo, no deep insights, what the book knows are the things like "Tokyo is a modern city" "the subway is full" "life is fast paced" "It is noisy in Akhirabara". In other words the book feels like anyone could have written it, not an insider that knows Tokyo.

2) Worse, it has many factual errors, especially about the hotel. I stayed in 4 different hotels and vested a total of 9, so I did my research. Some hotels it describes as nice, new and clean are tiny dirty dumps. At least one hotel is several streets away from where the book says, and its next to a lake, so you'd think they'd get that right. Another is smack in the middle of a lively red light district with, complete with dolled up women loudly chasing drunken businessmen. Not something most American tourists would like to find, I believe.

In the end it is clear what this book is: a half hearted effort quickly thrown together by the LonelyPlanet machine, using an author that, as the book admits (!) has not lived in Japan for over 10 years, and has no clear qualifications for writing a guidebook.
But Lonely Planet's marketing clout is huge, many small bookstores carry only LP books and then a large section of them. They have expertise in marketing not in guiding.

I also have the LP book on Kyoto, where I visited after Tokyo, and it is not as bad, though still bad enough to have several travelers I know through it out while still in Kyoto.

There are travel agencies at the airports and at the (amazing) train station in Kyoto that do have English speakers and frankly you're better off using them.

However, I must point out that I had no other guidebook to compare it to, so the others maybe just as bad. My personal advice, if you have a fully stocked bookstore, go there and pick a book from each publisher about a city that you do know. This way you can tell at least the quality of some of their writing.

Since some readers of this review will be thinking of going to Tokyo, here are my two cents, a mini travel advice, if you will: hotels can be surprisingly reasonable for the legend that is Tokyo, 100 bucks a night gets a room you'd pay at least 250 for in NYC. Travel agencies can get you better prices if your lucky, if you walk in off the street you will likely have to pay the walk in rate, the highest rate.

My Citibank card did NOT work even at ATMS that tell you on the screen that they accept Citibank cards. Ah the joys of modern banking...However, a real Citibank branch with atms that do work can be found. Citibank cheated its customers so bad that the Japanese government forced them to close many branches, so they are not that easy to find, ask your hotel. The branch in Ginza is, apparently, open 7 days a week.

Get a telephone card for public phones, they can be bought next to any row of public phones. Tokyo still has some public phones around, which is great because Japan's cell phone system is totally non-compatible with anything else. So even if you have a quad band gsm phone, you can not buy sim cards for it in Japan. You can however rent cell phones at the airport. For the business traveler with appointments here and there, it might be very helpful. You have to rent them at the airport, though, can't find em in the city.

Another thing: bring money. Tokyo is still very expensive in the year 2006. Taxi's are insane, the meter starting at 6 dollars and climbing rapidly from there. Subways system in Tokyo is everywhere, but for those that can't do allot of walking it can be tough. Most of Tokyo is bicycle friendly, bicycles astonishingly being accepted on any sidewalk (that can get real annoying, but remember we are guests there), so for those with them walking blues I suggesting renting a bike to explore around your hotel.

Everyone travels differently, for different reasons, I personally suggest: Explore the little things that seem normal to Japanese, so are not pointed out as special. Like the stuff in the 7-11 (sports drinks frozen solid, ice "cubes" in the shape of perfect round softballs etc.), which are everywhere, or the tiny unassuming store that a little old lady runs, who will gladly show you a kimono belt ("obi") if you ask, only to find out that the one belt costs 10 000 us dollars (I am glad I keep my hands clean!).

One side-note for the few who are Leica fans, Japan is indeed Leica country. If you, like me, keep a sticker over the red dot of your M or R take it off in Japan, I know it is showing off in a way, but it actually changes the way people treat you.

One final note on getting around in that culture: if you go to, say, Germany and speak English, they will understand you, and if they do not understand something, they will say that they don't understand (they will also think you are an uneducated fool, looking for oil and places to bomb, ah to be an American in the Bush era...). In Japan most people do not speak English. And those that do will always nod and pretend they understand everything you say, they do this convincingly and with amazing patience. You can go on for 10 minutes before realizing the person has no idea what you are saying. Do not be afraid to stop and ask "do you know what I mean when I say ....". They are very, very helpful and if you ask direction will actually walk you several blocks to show you, which makes it even more important to make sure they really know what you meant.

Take everyone's advice guys, this book leaves you hanging........2006-07-23

I read most of the reviews for this book. I don't usually post reviews. But I just had to for this one because every time I read it, it leaves me wondering and asking more questions. It seems so superficial since it gives you a gist of what's going on (like stuff that's happening 5 years ago) and we are in 2006. I look for Park Hotel Tokyo. Not there. They opened in 2003, shouldn't they be in that guidebook? That revision was done later than that. So I took a trip to my local Borders store, and took a look at TimeOut Tokyo's guide book. That book was so much more informative, I really wished I could get a refund. Trust me, this book, sucks.

If I could give ZERO stars!.......2006-06-05

The worst guide book I've ever purchased. I'm not that big a fan of guidebooks in general, but have had good experiences with several from Hong Kong and one of Shanghai. So, I thought I'd give it a try and get one, since I was unexpectedly thrown in Tokyo for a night...

This guidebook is awful. It left me steaming mad and lost in the middle of tokyo for an entire evening, finally i gave up, threw the book back into my backpack and just walked around, glancing at my FREE hotel guide every couple of hours. I mean seriously, the info is all out of date, and i thought the map was horrible, it didn't even have a map that showed the entire city! Only broken up chunks of the neighborhoods... Seriously the biggest waste of money I've ever spent... I am so mad that I wish I could get a refund.

PS: Here's a tip for those of you on a budget that may want to hang out late night in the Shibuya district and not pay atrocious taxi or hotel charges. On the 7th floor of the HMV building in Shibuya (just look around for the pink neon sign, you can't miss it) there is an "internet cafe". it's really comfortable and really clean, and for the equivilant of $16,you can buy a overnight 8 hour package which entitles you to unlimited movies, computer, magazines, and most importantly a private leather cover cubicle where you can just sleep! The place is segregated into mens and ladies...so no worries about safety. Plus there's tons of staff...and the price even includes free (non-alchoholic) drinks! ALso, they'll ask you if you want a "flat" (which is basically a tatami-style leather cushion )or "reclining" which is a comfy leather reclining chair. I prefer the flat, but for those of you taller than 5'5, the reclining chair may be the way to go. Well, there, that information is a lot more than you'll get from this book! don't buy it, and you'll thank me for saving you 12 bucks.

Not bad, but be aware of its shortcomings..........2006-04-19

I frequent Japan, but I pretended to not know a single thing about Japan, and tried using this guide to satisfy all of my questions about culture, tradition, transportation, events, history, food, lodging, etc... And for most things, the guide was helpful, but in almost every case, the answers were a bit short/shallow, and didn't go into enough detail to truly answer the question.

Specifically, I was somewhat disappointed by the half page or so dedicated to all of the various major cities of Tokyo. One would think that you would need more than 5 pages *total* to cover Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, Roppongi, Asakusa, Tokyo, Ueno, Ginza, etc... Quite frankly, I think each city deserved its own 5+ page section, and a detailed map of each city.

Speaking of maps, while the guidebook maps contained both English and Japanese (which is vital when asking for directions, as the Japanese aren't confident of their English despite 8+ years of mandated English education), they were not detailed enough to be useful. I didn't particularly care for all the landmarks to be marked with numbers, which meant a constant cross-referencing between the map and the not-so-conveniently located legend on the next page. At the hotel, I picked up a free map (available in various languages) from the *official* Japan travel bureau (japanwelcomesyou.com), and found the maps to be far superior. Far more detail, a sidebar full of suggested activities, and major store names and eateries actually listed on the map so I don't have to turn pages 20 times to get an idea of what is where. Did I mention that the map is free?

The subway map in the guide was useful, and better than the one handed out at your typical subway station, but I was shocked at the complete absence of the JR (Japan Railway) map. Sure, the subway system is useful to get to the inner areas of the "Tokyo Circle" (circle of major cities) but if I want to go from those major cities to major cities, 90% of my travel is all about the JR Yamanote Green Line and the JR Central Orange Line. If I want to get anywhere outside of Tokyo, you won't get far without the JR Railway System. Imagine someone including a map of all the side streets of Los Angeles, but leaving out the major expressways... Considering the author encourages you to get a JR Rail Pass (~$200 for unlimited rides on the JR system for a week; great deal if you want to go cross-country), it makes no sense that JR map was not included. As you can tell, I was quite floored by this decision.

Another pet-peeve I had with this book was that it seemed as though the majority of the food recommendations were not Japanese cuisine. While I understand that good eats are good eats, I don't see why I needed to be introduced to so many average French, Italian, Chinese, Southeast Asian, and American eateries. If I'm going to live in Japan, that's one thing, but if I'm visiting for 5 days, I'd like to stick to Japanese cuisine. I do give it major kudos for listing Izu-Ei in Ueno -- an excellent Unagi shop that's been around since the 1700's, the Emperor and big names favor it, but the common man can eat for as little as $20! I love the fact that this store goes completely against the misconception that good Japanese food costs a fortune.

Anyhow, this is a decent guidebook, but I don't see how it can be 100+ pages *shorter* than a guide to Hong Kong (which costs the same, by the way) -- it ought to be 100+ pages *longer*. While it's still better than most of the guidebooks out there, it could've been a lot better.

Good overall guide, but it only skims the surface of Tokyo. I'd rather have the guidebook go a bit more in-depth, and leave the decision of skimming the surface or going in-depth to me, the traveler.

I would still give this guide a strong purchase consideration for its overview information, but would strongly encourage you to purchase a food guide and a (major) city guide that provides you more detail for each of the cities within Tokyo.

If I need 2 more books to supplement a supposed one-stop-shop travel guide, I just can't find it in my heart to give it any more than 3 stars.

Adequate.......2006-03-07

I found this guidebook adequate. The maps were interesting, but small. I did enjoy the Walking Tours section. I am not sure how many hotels they review, because the hotel I earlier booked is not mentioned. I was not interested in the cheap eats and cheap sleeps information; I felt it caused the book to be more suitable for backpackers rather than middle aged, middle class travelers. Having street names spelled in romanji (roman letters) was somewhat helpful; using the actual Japanese script would have been top notch though.

Lonely Planet World Food: Japan (Lonely Planet World Food Guides)

Average customer rating:

Japan's Culinary Delights Chronicled Nicely in Stylish, Concise Guidebook
Good Travel Food Book "Not Cook Book"
If you are really into Nihon cooking don't get this book!!
Japanvisitor.com

Lonely Planet World Food: Japan (Lonely Planet World Food Guides)
John Ashburne , and Yoshi Abe
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1740590104

Book Description

From the traditional dishes served at rural hot-spring ryokan inns, to Buddhist temple tea ceremonies, to the restaurant-filled high-rise madness of Tokyo, Japan expresses itself through its food. This guide takes you on a journey through all of Japan's culinary life. We go beyond the familiar sake and sushi, covering the essentials dashi (stock), bento boxes and soba noodles, and the exotic fermented soy beans, matsutake mushrooms, and fish that still wriggle as they slide down your throat, Itadakimasho! Let's eat! <ul>

the essential guide to the culture of food and drink in Japan </li>

celebrating the seasons with Japan's calendar of festivals </li>

an exploration of the regional influences that make up Japanese cuisine </li>

shopping and eating out in Japan as well as understanding the menu </li>

the definitive culinary dictionary, a quick reference glossary and useful phrases for every food and drink occasion </li>

tantalising photography and recipes </li></ul>

Customer Reviews:

Japan's Culinary Delights Chronicled Nicely in Stylish, Concise Guidebook.......2006-07-14

Even if the focus has been mainly on sushi and teriyaki dishes, Japanese cuisine has made more of an impact stateside than many other food types, which makes this pocket-sized guidebook all the more valuable when planning a visit to the source of such epicurean delights. As part of Lonely Planet's great World Food series, the entry on Japan is full of useful information about the complex food culture there, whether it's providing a historical perspective, recommending select restaurants for their specialties or discerning the nuances of a sweet shop. Author John Ashburne, a Kyoto-based Englishman, has an obvious passion for Japanese delicacies and an irreverent eye toward unlocking their mysteries. Granted the book is not as comprehensive as I would have liked given the inherent conflict between its size and the richness of the subject, he covers most of the high points.

Although I am Japanese-American, my knowledge of the food culture was fairly limited when I visited the land of my birth three years ago. This book allowed me to seek out the more traditional dishes I heard about in my childhood. There are terrific sections focused on home cooking traditions, the components of a standard Japanese banquet, and a detailed rundown of regional variations and foreign influences, in particular, from China and Korea. Like other books in the series, this one ends with a definitive culinary dictionary, a quick-reference glossary and useful phrases when you order food and drink there. Ashburne also includes recipes, city and regional maps highlighting his favorite eateries, and entertaining essays, such as the social history of curry rice and the schedule of activities at the legendary Tsukiji Fish Market. Even though Ashburne makes the food come alive through his prose, the colorful photographs really make this one indispensable when planning a trip there.

Good Travel Food Book "Not Cook Book".......2006-01-26

Very concise book on Japanese food and great descriptive traditions and cultural significance. For those look to find recipes or how-to-cook japanese, then its not what its meant to be. Its for travellers to Japan willing to try local food and try different things. It has very good nation-wide representation from staple foods, alcohol, history and cultural depth. I would recommend it those who love Japanese food and travels to parts of country other than Tokyo.

If you are really into Nihon cooking don't get this book!!.......2005-09-24

If you have any knowledge of Japanese cooking then you are already beyond this book.
It is extremely basic.
But the pictures are nicer than your usual japanese cook book and there are one or two good recipes, but this almost seems like a coffee table book in a travel guide form factor.
I don't think I will get any other lonely planet world food books

Japanvisitor.com.......2003-06-14

Essential reading for anyone even remotely interested in Japan's incredibly sophisticated food culture. This pocket-sized book is crammed with useful information both practical and historical, not merely chronicling recommended restaurants (it does that too), but seeking to explain the culture through the cuisine. Its chapters cover staples and specialities; drinks and drinking; home cooking and traditions; foreign infusion; celebrating with food; regional variations; shopping & markets; where to eat and drink; understanding the menu; a Japanese banquet; fit & healthy; and the culture of Japanese cuisine. The concluding bilingual glossary is particularly useful, for first-time visitor and Old Japan hand alike. Ashburne's writing is fun, almost irreverent, and the research (as one might expect with an LP title) is highly detailed; the definition of the origin of Tempura is the most complete that this reviewer has ever encountered. It made me laugh too. Highly recommended.

Hiking in Japan (Lonely Planet Walking Guides)

Average customer rating:

It's okay.
Packed with ideas and advice
Hiking in Japan
I only missed one thing
A wise man climbs Fuji once; a fool climbs it twice.

Hiking in Japan (Lonely Planet Walking Guides)
Mason Florence , Craig McLachlan , Richard Ryall , Anthony Weersing , and Chris Roethorn
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1864500395

Book Description

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. <ul>

detailed trail notes with kanji for more than 70 day and multi-day hikes </li>

70 detailed, custom-drawn contour maps with kanji </li>

accommodation options from gateway cities to remote camp sites </li>

tips on transport to and from the trailheads </li>

practical advice on local culture, responsible hiking and pre-hike preparation </li>

quick reference language section, glossary and gazetteer with kanji </li></ul>

Customer Reviews:

It's okay........2005-09-07

Only a few pictures, and the maps are very basic. You're really going to need to buy hiking maps at any book store once you arrive in Japan (maps aren't carried in most outdoors stores). I could wish for a few more stories or ratings on which mountains are the best and must be hiked, but the book is useful.

Packed with ideas and advice.......2004-04-07

This is a really good guide to the mountains of Japan, both informative and inspirational. All too often, walking guides focus on the easiest routes to tick off an artificial list of peaks (just about every Japanese-language guide fits this description), but instead the authors have produced a wide range of easy to fairly challenging walks in the most attractive settings around the country which should suit just about everyone. Ok, the suggested itineraries will not stretch the fittest (especially for hut-dwellers who are not carrying tents) but there is plenty of info to enable you to modify the plans to suit yourselves. For the routes that we have followed precisely, we have found the information to be very accurate and up-to-date, and they have all been memorable walks.

This book has significantly enhanced our time in Japan and I highly recommend it to anyone who is itching to get out of the cities but doesn't quite know where to go.

Hiking in Japan.......2003-11-24

Another specialized book from the Lonely Planet team, this one catering to those who like to take exercise with their nature. Japan is heavily populated, and the megalopolis called Tokyo is easily the world's biggest, but nearly all the people live on the coastal plain of the Pacific coast, leaving the rest of this mountainous country open for the adventurous hiker.
The book follows the usual Lonely Planet formula with the first pages devoted to the geography, history, climate, flora and fauna as well as social and religious areas of Japanese life.
The second section deals with specific information for the hiker, including suggested itineraries, weather information, safety while hiking and, usefully, pre-departure planning. This last section tells us to have health insurance and know something about First Aid; good advice for those who haven't thought of such things.
The hikes suggested in the book, and there are over a hundred, cover the length and breadth of Japan, are classified into five levels from easy to hard, and are divided up into day-long walks.
The maps in the book show a marked improvement over earlier Lonely Planet publications, early editions of which often had no scale or compass point! "Hiking in Japan" on the other hand contains maps that are very difficult to obtain even in Japan itself.
For those who speak no Japanese, there is the glossary of everyday language at the back of the book, and, perhaps even more essential, a transliteration of the Japanese character place-names into the roman alphabet.
Recommended.

I only missed one thing.......2002-12-15

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.

A wise man climbs Fuji once; a fool climbs it twice........2001-12-10

I found that you really don't have much of a choice if you are going to Japan and are interested in recent comprehensive English hiking guides. There is a lot of information once you get to Japan on day hikes available from the tourist information places in each town. I found that for a survey trip, this book was just extra weight in my pack. (I ended up using this book thrice for 1-2 days trips on a 3 week trip to Japan, and that was pushing it.)

I did read it and looked at the pretty pictures to get an idea of where to go during my Japan trip planning phase. It is useful to the person focused on hiking around Japan. This may seem obvious, but it's basically a trail guide. It gives great information (including translations of hiking signs) that isn't found in other more general guide books. It tells you how to get to a trailhead, and where to go once you get there, and has some sections on floura, etc. native to Japan.

Although they are great (just because they exist), I found the trail maps lacking at times, especially (and surprisingly) for the everybody-does-it Mt Fuji trek.

Product Description

Lonely Planets new "Diving & Snorkeling Thailand" is the most up-to-date underwater guide, covering Thailand from the Andaman Sea in the west, to the Gulf of Thailand in the southeast. This book documents and maps more than 75 of the best, and not so well known, dive sites accessed from Thailand. Filled with brilliant photographs, it offers information about the climate, language and culture, as well as how to dive responsibly. There is also a special marine life section which includes commonly seen creatures from the delicate sea whip (Junceella fragilis) to the fried egg nudibranch (Chromodoris annulata).

Customer Reviews:

Lonely Planet Diving Thailand.......2007-01-23

As always Lonely Planet Snorkeling and Diving guides are the best.
Only reason I didn't give it a 5 was the fact it was a little outdated.
I think they will be making a new one soon, since this one is no longer in print.

Lonely Planet Diving & Snorkeling Thailand (Diving & Snorkeling).......2005-10-11

Good book,

clear info as needed.

info corresponds to reality

just the facts.......2005-08-28

I was hoping that this book would be like the travel books that lonely planet puts out with opinions on dive operators, places to stay etc.....but the book is a run down of dive sites more than anything else....It helps with dive site selection but it just isn't what a lonely planet book is for me.

The best dive site book for Thailand.......2004-06-29

This book is the only one we recommend to all our customers. The authors live and work here and the information is accurate. Great photos of the marine life.

Even though we work here, we still use the book as a reference and it's always close at hand in our office.

Useful diving guide.......2001-11-24

Used this diving guide when I was in Koh Samui in July this year, very informative and all the info was up to date

Customer Reviews:

Some problems with this one.......2005-10-12

I have been using Lonely Planet books for years and am surprised that it would turn out a guide as skimpy and shoddily written as this. The maps are useful, but the text's author, Wendy Yanagihara, seems to be unfamiliar with (or unable to get a sense of) Tokyo's character and its people. Yanagihara seems more bemused than informed, and one can only wonder why she was hired to write about a complex metropolis that she does not seem to understand. I agree with the reader above about the Lonely Planet Japan and Lonely Planet Tokyo guides -- both are good. I'd add another to the list: Time Out Tokyo, which surpasses anything Lonely Planet has yet produced as a guide to Tokyo.

Nice maps, but not much else........2005-09-29

This is a super-condensed version of the Tokyo chapter from Lonely Planet Japan with some extra info added by author Wendy Yanagihara.

I honestly cannot find any reason to recommend this book beyond its small size and fold-out color maps, although if you are going to Tokyo for a short business trip it might help. Although I like Lonely Planet's guides, this one is rather inadequate in that it spends too much time discussing Japanese culture and history and wastes too much space on big pictures instead of cramming that space with more useful information such as phone numbers, websites, and travel information (which is confined to a very small space in the back of the book). Culture and history are important things in Japan, but the amount of space given to them in this book defeats the purpose of this guide.

In other words, buy the most recent issue of the Lonely Planet Japan Guide if you're planning a trip to or employment in Japan. If you really love Tokyo above all else you can substitute the Lonely Planet Tokyo guide. Either one has plenty of information about everyone's favorite megalopolis. As for the maps, you can do without them simply by asking your hotel or the average large information desk (especially at Narita Airport) for maps of the Tokyo Metro and JR lines.

Author Yanagihara, while of Japanese ancestry, has a gee-whiz-wow attitude about everything. At times she seems to have less experience in Tokyo than the average English-language school employee. She certainly means well, but the result is a less than stellar guide - however, I get the impression her editors may be most at fault. Perhaps most unfortunate is the guide's invitation for inexperienced visitors to Japan to get lost - that is, to visit places like Kamakura, Nikko, and Fuji without providing any maps of the areas or decent advice on how to get there. There are other errors such as listing the Tokyo Monorail as the only way to access Haneda Airport, but Keikyu and Keisei Railways provide faster service to a more convenient station (Shinagawa). This should not be the case in a guide like this.

If you want a easy-to-carry guide to Tokyo, this will do. For any info beyond that, look for Lonely Planet Japan and Lonely Planet Tokyo.

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