Product Description

Updated by an experienced team of Japan-based authors, this guide contains a special arts section covering everything from kabuki to anime (animation). It details a huge range of affordable accommodation, shopping and eating options, and has an easy-to-follow language chapter.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #272110 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 784 pages

Ingram
Lonely Planet provides the perfect companion for exploring Japan with plenty of suggestions for things to see and do and good-value recommendations for all budgets. This new edition contains over 150 maps, essential advice on cultural and social mores, details on outdoor activities, and an indispensable language section.

Customer Reviews

Badly flawed, but the best option for budget travel
Initially frustrated with this guidebook's (I bought the "red kimono" edition in spring 2004) limp recommendations and surly tone, I also bought the new "Let's Go Japan" book. While more useful than the "Let's Go" book, the LP version has some very flawed contents. The directions to the top recommended ryokan / guesthouses in Hiroshima and Tokyo were poor or nonexistant. Landmarks and restaurants shown on the maps no longer existed in Ginza, Ikebukuro and Kyoto. The photos and history are nice, but in my opinion a wasteful padding. I'd much rather have a $20 book without the fluff, or at least a $27 book that's accurate. Cities change and mistakes are made, but when LP's writers place a ryokan at the top of the list (incidentally, the "best budget option" in Tokyo proved to be extremely overrated by this book), there should be a premium placed on the traveller being able to find the place. I gave LP 2 stars instead of 1 for the very valuable advice to purchase a 7-day rail pass before visiting Japan (but did not distinguish between a "green car" ride and an ordinary ride; in my experience, the ordinary non-smoking cars were spacious enough). If and when Fodor's/Frommer's comes out with a new edition, it will almost certainly be a better value than LP.

Reader beware.
While Lonely Planet produces many fine travel books, this one is disturbing and rather invidious. I get the distinct impression that the authors do not like or respect Japanese culture and some of the statements made are frankly, quite racist. For example- "Foreign travellers should be warned that medical services in Japan may not be on par with those of other developed nations." "Condoms are widely available in Japan, but generally only locally produced varieties, which tend to be on the small side." "Ainu traditions are re-enacted by sometimes listless performers and these tourist circuses can be pretty depressing- they are often combined with caged bears in a debased imitation of the Ainu's sacred Iyomante (Bear Festival)." While a few subtle implications are excusable, the entire book is rife with them. Despite these flaws, the book does give a good overview of places to stay and visit.

Comprehensiive, Well Balanced, Good Photographs and Maps
My preference is the Eyewitness Travel DK - Japan - which has excellent graphics but is just 400 pages long. But now I have to reconsider because of this new guide from Lonely Planet. This book is just a tremendous effort 800 pages long, very well balanced with photos, maps, history, etc. It is clearly a 5 star guide.

I would rate it (and DK Eyewitness Travel) head and shoulders ahead of Frommers, or Rough Guide or similar books that are less well balanced.

Japan is a place one does not visit every day and it is expensive. Also I like to go well armed with maps and books because unlike the USA or Canada some areas have no English signs so the more information the better. It is unnerving to be on trains and subways where there is just Japanese signs. I would recommend this book, and at least one book on Japan's society - see Amazon.com plus a good map book.

This book is well balanced and like the DK guide is that it pulls a lot of things together such as history and culture and urban areas. The book brings it all to life with just magnificent photos and maps.

Personally I would buy more than one guide and definitely a guide on just Tokyo, so I would buy this book or the lighter 400 page DK guide and one book on Tokyo.

Either case this is an excellent buy. 5 stars.

Jack in Toronto