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. |
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 Don't Leave for Japan Without This Guide |
| Review Date: November 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: C. Hsu, San Francisco, CA USA |
| I used this guide to plan our 2-week vacation in Japan. It provides useful historic information of locals that we were interested. What I found the most useful was the transportation guides to the locals. We never got lost. The hotel and dining info was a bit limited, but it was a good start. I highly recommend this book to people who are traveling to Japan. If you're doing a self-tour for more than a week, make sure that you get the JR Rail Pass before you head to Japan. I'll now get the rough guides for Australia and New Zealand. |
difficult to read
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| Review Date: November 1, 2009 |
| Reviewer: NH traveler, |
| The print in the book is faint and small which makes it difficult to read. Otherwise, the information in the book is helpful. |
Excellent, detailed guide for Japan
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| Review Date: July 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Lopez-Rosende, |
| I purchased the Rough Guide for Japan based on the reviews and was not disappointed. It offers detailed information on all aspects of travelling, including local transportation, air/train/sea/ground ticket purchase and travel, customs, rules and regulations, etc, as well as great information on sites and eating. We spent 9 days in Japan and used the Rough Guide's recommendations on restaurants for every meal and were only disappointed 1 time (and that was likely due to our speaking very little Japanese). The information provided on how to get around and sightseeing attractions is very good and very detailed. There are several pictures and overall, I found it to be the best travel guide I have ever used. So much so that I bought Rough Guides for my next two trips. I would say that for a complete guide that covers everything from the beginning of your trip and buying tickets and packing, to getting around, seeing the sights, eating and culture, books, movies and art in Japan, this is your book. |
Excellent guide overall, although with a few significant omissions
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| Review Date: April 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Nomad, Shanghai |
Just came back from a memorable 6-day stay in Kyoto, and also used the book for an earlier trip to Tokyo which is far less interesting. Like most Rough Guides (I own more than 30), this book is excellent overall, with detailed descriptions, background information, and clear maps (unlike Lonely Planet, whose maps are a pain to read). Thought it was almost perfect until I researched the excellent japan-guide.com and Kyoto's official web site and realized how many sites were missing from this book. Kyoto has 17 World Heritage Sites, but 6 of them are not mentioned at all. The most glaring omission is probably the beautiful Ninna-Ji, which can be easily visited after the famous Kinkaku-Ji and Ryoan-Ji, the latter only a 10-minute walk away. Ninna-Ji is historically the favorite temple of Japanese emperors and is famous for a dense grove of late-blossoming cherry trees, so it's a must see if you've just missed the peak sakura season. Also missing is Daigo-Ji, which is easily reached on the subway and can be combined with a visit to Uji. With over 1000 cherry trees, it's probably the best temple to view cherry blossoms in Kyoto and very popular with the Japanese. The four other World Heritage Sites missing are the two Kamo shrines, Kozan-Ji and Ujigami Shrine near the Byodo-in.
Also missing from the book is Kiyamachi Street in the heart of Kyoto, probably the most beautiful street in Kyoto, at least during the sakura season. It runs along a small canal which is lined with cherry trees and crossed with little bridges, prettier and less crowded than the famous Philosopher's Path, and it's only a 1-minute walk west of the Pontocho restaurant street. The book also neglects to mention that during the sakura season, many sites (including the Kiyomizu Temple and the Nijo Castle) are open at night, which is a great time to revisit the sites as the buildings and flowering trees are beautifully lit. The Maruyama Park and the neighboring Yasaka Jinja are also open at night during this time and together host a lively night market, with lots of Japanese having hanami parties under the blossoming cherry trees. The Hirano Jinja is yet another excellent flower-viewing location that's not mentioned.
Despite all these shortcomings, I still give this book 5 stars because it does provide excellent coverage overall and there's simply no better English guidebook available. I hope the authors will read my comments and make improvements in the next edition. For those who read Japanese or Chinese characters, there's a brilliant "Kyoto Walking Map & Note" which I found at a 7-11 and was indispensable during my trip. |
AN EXCELLENT SOURCE TO ACCOMPANY THE TRAVELER
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| Review Date: February 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Kay's Husband, Virginia, U.S.A. |
This very handy guide may be called 'rough' but at 1056 pages it is not exactly lacking pages or information. It provides 'invaluable' advice on A-Z for an enjoyable stay in Japan. And organization is one of this volume's strongest points. Anyone encountering Japan for the first time, if unorganized, will be in for not only a cultural shock but a practical time one as well. And time is money, but in Japan loss of time means you might not get to see all that you want to see. A guide such as this, with preplanning can and will make all the difference leading to an effective visit.
Living in Japan during the years 1962 through 1964, I have come to rely on the best guides to keep me up to day with contemporary Japan. This guide will be a boon and reward to any who use it. I also rely on the Insight Guide from Discovery but believe this volume, The Rough Guide to Japan, to be equally useful to the traveler. Offering information on sleeping, eating, and shopping it also helps with maps of major towns together with color maps of the Tokyo subway system. As anyone knows whose been there, help getting around Tokyo is always welcome.
That much used phrase "don't leave home without it" might be applied here to this very useful guide. Plus from my initial stay at Kamiseya, the best view you might ever have of Mount Fujiyama (Mt. Fuji) may be the cover photo on this travel guide!
Semper Fi. |
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