Gateway to Japan (Kodansha Guide)

Rating:
Summary: useful despite age
Review: The cultural and sightseeing information in this guide is vastly better than in any other book. You might think that the hotel and restaurant recommendations wouldn't be so useful considering the years that have elapsed since its publication. Japan isn't like the US, however. A restaurant does not rise and fall as employees are hired and leave. In the smaller towns the better restaurants have often been run by the same family for several generations. Ditto for the Japanese-style inns (ryokans). Where you might wish for a more recent guide is when looking for a business hotel with in-room Internet. Here the newest hotels are often the most comfortable.

If you're traveling by train this is the only guidebook that you'll need. If you're renting a car you might want to add the Lonely Planet book just for the maps.

Rating:
Summary: The ONE book you must have for Japan travel
Review: This book has everything...history of the country, essays on architectural styles, religion, festivals, Inn and bath ettiquete, language, and very extensive hotel, transportation,shopping and dining information. The maps and directions are always correct, and their ratings always match the product. I'm on my third edition, and wouldn't dream of heading to Japan without it!

Rating:
Summary: Read this book at home - and don't bring it to Japan
Review: This book is rich of historic material of each part of Japan, if you want to know who lived in a palace, for example, and what he did, before you visit there.

But, this book is the worst on transportation information provided among all travel books I have used.

First, it is short of useful maps. You cannot find Asakusa, the No.1 tourist attraction in Tokyo, in any region map of Tokyo in this book.

Second, its maps are hard to read: not abstract enough, not colored, and not bilingual. It does not have the color coded Tokyo subway system map. (BTW, you get ask for a free one from any subway station exit.) Its different grey colored subway map is hard to follow. And all maps are all in Romanji (like English) instead of bilingal: both Romanji and Kanji (like Japanese and Chinese).

Also, it's not quite updated: in Kyoto, there are two subway lines, laid out like a cross. But this book says that it has only one line. (the version I read was the third version, printed in Feb. 2004.)

In summary, this book is good during preparation, but not very useful during the trip, unless you want to take taxi all the time.

Rating:
Summary: Just about the best guide to Japan available.
Review: This is my favourite guidebook to Japan. It's pretty chunky, and the shape is a little odd (Why so tall and thin?) but the information in here is just about the best you'll find. These two really love their subject and really love telling stories, too. Every time they describe a temple or shrine they try to give some interesting historical information about it. They also devote over a hundred pages at the beginning of the book to the history and culture of Japan. If that sounds like overkill, don't worry, it's all broken down into reader-friendly chunks, a page or two at a time. In the second part of the book, a region by region guide, they give plenty of suggestions for possible walks/half-day/full-day tours, etc. These are good for helping you plan out your trip in advance - no point in arriving and finding out that the place is three times the size you thought it was! Furthermore, the info. and maps are excellent. None of the scr! ibbled-out-on-napkin stuff here, we are talking graphic shading, altitude-showing, super-imposed-lay-out-displaying map-a-rama - OH BABY! LET'S KIOSK! Er...yes...well, the only possible bad things I can think of to say about this guide book is that the section on the whole of Japan north of Tokyo is a bit skinny, and it doesn't categorize the accomodation sections quite as clearly as, say, the Lonely Planet (see below). But that is a very minor point - overall, their accomodation info. is still just as extensive as any other guide.

Rating:
Summary: Gateway to Japan
Review: This is the best guidebook I've ever seen for any country. I used the last edition on two trips to Japan and am buying the latest one for my next trip this year. If you are serious about wanting to understand the country, its history, and its culture - and you want to carry only one book - this is it.