Rating: 
Summary: This is the one !
Review: This book has so many information about Kyoto.
Especially accommodation sect is wonderful. My friend stayed at the Tour Club and he could enjoy his stay in Kyoto very much (Tour Club is recommended by this book as by far the best guesthouse.)
Also information and comment about sites are useful.
Rating:
Summary: This is the one !
Review: Well I just used this book and it is not a bad book but it is not great either. It was handy however, in identifying me as a tourist and therefore approachable to help.It was called the book of lies by my friend due to the fact that much of the information seemed to be outdated and not overly informative. An example being that the admission prices were a few hundred off for the museums and also the fact that it did not inform people that major portions of museums would be closed for renovation. Another incident was the wasted time in trying to apply for a tour of the Imperial Palace and then finding that the office of the Agency involved were closed in other words, the hours were not listed correctly in the guide. Also, the information that there are at least three seperate tours for various parts of the Imperial Palace compound which you also need to schedule. These and other things makes one cautious about using the guide for exact information. Though there are many maps they were not done very well and there is no pullout map of the transit system of Kyoto you have to rely on the mappings of the transit system on area maps or simply snag a much more easy to understand map from a hotel such as, the Miyako near Keage station. On the positive side it has a decent food section on how to behave and what the food will be on your trip. The book also at least mentioned things to look at or do so that a rough idea is given regarding things in the broader sense. Another piece of advice that I would give is that the small town like Himeji are given very little space or description but have much more available than listed in the guide. I would not rely on this guide exclusively and would suggest another guide in supplement to this book
Rating: 
Summary: Not quite the book of lies....
Review: Well I just used this book and it is not a bad book but it is not great either. It was handy however, in identifying me as a tourist and therefore approachable to help. It was called the book of lies by my friend due to the fact that much of the information seemed to be outdated and not overly informative. An example being that the admission prices were a few hundred off for the museums and also the fact that it did not inform people that major portions of museums would be closed for renovation. Another incident was the wasted time in trying to apply for a tour of the Imperial Palace and then finding that the office of the Agency involved were closed in other words, the hours were not listed correctly in the guide. Also, the information that there are at least three seperate tours for various parts of the Imperial Palace compound which you also need to schedule. These and other things makes one cautious about using the guide for exact information. Though there are many maps they were not done very well and there is no pullout map of the transit system of Kyoto you have to rely on the mappings of the transit system on area maps or simply snag a much more easy to understand map from a hotel such as, the Miyako near Keage station. On the positive side it has a decent food section on how to behave and what the food will be on your trip. The book also at least mentioned things to look at or do so that a rough idea is given regarding things in the broader sense. Another piece of advice that I would give is that the small town like Himeji are given very little space or description but have much more available than listed in the guide. I would not rely on this guide exclusively and would suggest another guide in supplement to this book
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of money - poor maps, poor info, poorly organized
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of money - poor maps, poor info, poorly organized
Review: 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.
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