Rating: 
Summary: The only one you need.
Review: I used this book when I lived in Japan in the early 1990's -- the Fodor's and Lonley Planet gathered dust on my bookshelf. I am returning for a year and have no desire to replace this timeless book. Stop searching for guidebooks and buy this one. You WILL NOT be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: The only one you need.
Review: I used this book when I lived in Japan in the early 1990's -- the Fodor's and Lonley Planet gathered dust on my bookshelf. I am returning for a year and have no desire to replace this timeless book. Stop searching for guidebooks and buy this one. You WILL NOT be sorry.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, even for the 1-week trip
Review: I went to Japan on business for 8 days, and found this book very helpful. Repeatedly gave good advice on sights to see (and traps to avoid), as well as good advice on traveling through different parts of Japan. I carried it with me around Tokyo for 2 days of sightseeing, and the days were packed with neat stuff. easy to plan expeditions made choices easy.Also much good advice on local customs, cash requirements etc. Needs to be updated for latest entry/exit requirements though.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, even for the 1-week trip
Review: It seems like every really, really good book about Japan has the name Kodansha on it. That has become the mark of quality that I look for. "Gateway to Japan (Kodansha Guide)" continues the trend. It is easily the best guidebook on Japan that I have seen. Each region is well outlined, with sites of interest highlighted and places to eat and places to stay ranked on a five star system. The maps are hard to read due to their size, and a larger map to accompany the guidebook is a "must have." Of special notice is the brief history of Japan included, as well as some pithy cultural notes and explanations. Several cities's histories are examined as well. I found all of the additional information very helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Look for "Kodansha"
Review: It seems like every really, really good book about Japan has the name Kodansha on it. That has become the mark of quality that I look for. "Gateway to Japan (Kodansha Guide)" continues the trend. It is easily the best guidebook on Japan that I have seen. Each region is well outlined, with sites of interest highlighted and places to eat and places to stay ranked on a five star system. The maps are hard to read due to their size, and a larger map to accompany the guidebook is a "must have." Of special notice is the brief history of Japan included, as well as some pithy cultural notes and explanations. Several cities's histories are examined as well. I found all of the additional information very helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Look for "Kodansha"
Review: It seems like every really, really good book about Japan has the name Kodansha on it. That has become the mark of quality that I look for. "Gateway to Japan (Kodansha Guide)" continues the trend. It is easily the best guidebook on Japan that I have seen. Each region is well outlined, with sites of interest highlighted and places to eat and places to stay ranked on a five star system. The maps are hard to read due to their size, and a larger map to accompany the guidebook is a "must have." Of special notice is the brief history of Japan included, as well as some pithy cultural notes and explanations. Several cities's histories are examined as well. I found all of the additional information very helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Forget lonely planet--pick this up instead!
Review: My friend and I bought this in a Tokyo bookstore during our trip. We had come equipped with a Lonely Planet guide, but found its perpetual bad attitude a huge drag. The locations described range from standard tourist attractions to out of the way treasures that give the traveller a comprehensive sense of Japan. We used this guide as we travelled all over Honshuu (the main island)to several famous large (i.e. Tokyo, Kyoto) and small lesser-known cities (i.e. Kakunodate, Dewasanzan). The book gave us indispensible insight into each city, and attracted us to incredible places we no doubt would never have seen if we stuck with Lonely Planet. The book includes housing accomodation and food recommendations, with valuable cultural information for each town. I highly recommend this book for its thoughtful and detailed representation of Japan. The information was accurate and helpful, both for basic survival purposes and for a greater historical and cultural context for each town.
Rating:
Summary: Giving you the best of Japan
Review: Of all The travel books I have owned on japan, this has to be the BEST. I have sold all my others! While travelling independently in Japan for 8 weeks i found this book had easy to follow information to take me anywhere I wished. Most innovative is the travel linkage diagrams at the beginning of each section showing time and routes taken from place to place. (An experience years ago of a trip I thought would take 3hrs actually took 13 hours.!)The detail of history and out of the way sights, was a boon to a traveller looking for off the beaten track.While it is rather large (the old format was long an narrow) it did away with any extra other guides.The only criticism is the sequence seemed strange at time.The maps did not necessarily follow section by section, but the index was enormous and listed almost all places I saw mentioned on my travels.
Rating:
Summary: The Best! Ichiban!
Review: Quite simply the best guidebook I have found on Japan. I bought my copy 10 years ago and I am still using it today. Most other 10 year old guidebooks would have been garbage by now but Gateway to Japan remains timeless because the historical and cultural information on Japan is so well written it can be used as a mini introductory text book on Japan. Besides, historical information doesn't change that much with time. I also found the decision to use photographs sparingly in the guide book an ingenious decision. I have seen too many people decide whether to visit a site based on a crummy photo in their crummy guidebook. In my experiences with other guidebooks, very often good pics make bad places look good and bad pics make good places look bad. Better to describe all the sites in words as accurately as possible and let the reader visualize his or her own preconceptions before the travel. This is what makes Gateway to Japan so good a guide.
Rating:
Summary: Don't leave home without it
Review: Simply the best guide book I've ever used. The first third of the book explains, in easy sections, the key issues that drive the country and civilization. Shinto, Buddhism, History and Social Structure are well presented. The top sites are detailed, but you'll understand why they are important to Japan and what you should look for when you visit. During several of my side trips, I found myself (and the book) serving as the primary guide to my expatriot hosts who had visited the same sites many times. You'd be well served to bring along another guide to Tokyo or any japanese city for restaurant and hotel listings, although there are some suggestions in the guide. Why can't other guide books be like this?
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