Books on Japan: Travel in Japan

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JapanVisitor has the largest collection of independent reviews of Japan-related books on the Internet: travel guides, Japanese fiction and fiction with a Japan setting, books on Japanese history, Japanese politics and society, Japanese food and cuisine, books on learning the Japanese language, books on Japanese art, design and photography, the nature and environment of Japan as well as books covering manga, anime and music. If you wish to have a title reviewed on JapanVisitor.com please see the contact details at the bottom of this page.

by James M. Vardaman Jr., & Michiko S. Vardaman

ISBN: 4-90073-741-0
128 pp

On a visit to Japan, you will notice many things and behaviors that appear odd, strange, perplexing, or just plain weird. What are the black trucks blasting out martial music? When meeting someone on business, how and when should you bow? Why is a cup of coffee so expensive in Japan? Why don't Japanese pour their own drinks? Why do Japanese trains stop around midnight? Asking such questions, you will invariably be answered either by a shrug of the shoulders, or with the non-answer: "It's the Japanese way".

Consequently, there are a plethora of small books available claiming to unlock the mysteries of Japan for you. Japan From A to Z is one of the better ones. In it you will find answers to almost 300 questions that first -time visitors and even residents ask about daily life in Japan. Even after having lived in Japan for several years I found a lot of answers that had so far eluded me. A fun read. Much of the information is based on surveys and statistics that are a few years old now, but that doesn't alter the validity of the answers.

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by Ramsey Zarifeh

Trailblazer

ISBN: 1-8737-5697-6
496 pp

The eagerly awaited, fully revised and expanded second edition of Japan By Rail was published in 2007 and is a definite alternative to challenge for space in your luggage along with the other "major" guides on Japan.
This handy book is geared to visitors arriving with the Japan Rail Pass and planning to see the country by train. With some of the world's quickest and most punctual rail services, seeing Japan by train can be a joy in itself.
Much of the first half of the book thus takes the reader through everything you need to know on the Japan Rail pass, possible routes and Japanese railways and train etiquette. The level of detail is impressive and the practical information for the visitor both on Japan in general and Japanese railways in particular makes this book pretty much a must for visitors who a) have bought the Japan Rail Pass and b) like traveling by train.
The book is also useful for residents of Japan looking to see more of the country by rail - a quick, greener alternative to the nation's packed and stressful highways and expensive domestic air network.
The heart of Japan By Rail are its guides to the country's two main gateways - Tokyo & Osaka - and detailed route guides to the cities and attractions of Japan's four major islands: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku.
A typical city guide contains a well-spaced map with place names in English and Japanese in the key, what to see and do in each place with opening times and prices plus information on the main station, local transport, where to stay and where to eat and drink.
Author Zarifeh rounds out the book with four appendices: a Japan rail route guide, glossary, useful Japanese phrases and train timetables.
There are some reasonable color photographs and a number of special boxed texts on various points of interest.

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by Ramsey Zarifeh

Trailblazer Publications

ISBN: 4-91568-223-4
416 ppsp

With most of the "major" guide books on Japan covering essentially the same ground equally well, it is sometimes interesting to see Japan from a different perspective and this is what Japan by Rail offers us. As the title suggests, this book gives you Japan as viewed from the country' s extensive and highly efficient railway network, arguably the best way to get around on a short stay.
Zarifeh strongly recommends the Japan Rail Pass, a ticket available to tourists entitling them to unlimited use of the national railways including bullet train services. One need not be intending specifically to purchase a JR Pass to make the book useful but a distinct love of train travel is quite essential. The author is obviously an enthusiast himself and the text is packed with facts about Japan's rail network, its history and transport related attractions. Those not sharing the same enthusiasm for specifics might not be so concerned about whether or not a certain service has a buffet car or vending machines or what style of toilet it is equipped with but the information is there all the same.
Rail routes also determine the structure of the guide itself. Information is presented in the format of stops on recommended routes with distances given in kilometers and stations given a write up according to how worthwhile stopping off would be. In the case of smaller towns, the information may not extend very far from the station itself. Major destinations are of course given more weight. One quirk of this system is that locations which are of little importance to the foreign tourist take up page space that may have been better used to give more detail about the big attractions. That said, the highly personal touch of a very knowledgeable writer makes this book unique where other guide books are almost facsimiles of each other. Where else can you read about the Shakespeare theme park on the Japan Sea Coast or the mysterious legend of Christ' s last years spent in Aomori Prefecture?
With regard to depth of information on the railways, Japan by Rail cannot be faulted, but with other, more general purpose guidebooks on the same shelf, most of them giving adequate information on rail services for practical purposes, this may not be the one guidebook that a non-rail enthusiast would want to pack for the trip east.

Will Yong

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by Scott Rutherford (Editor)

Insight Guides

ISBN: 9-81234-828-X
406 pp

A winning combination of superb photographs allied to knowledgeable and contentious essays by a stellar array of Japan specialists make the latest Insight Guide Japan a worthy addition to the Japan visitor's suitcase or coffee table. Among the notable contributors are Alex Kerr of Lost Japan fame, who explores Kyoto and Nara, film critic Jeanette Amano introduces Japanese cinema and The Japan Times' Wayne Graczyk provides the baseball insight.

Many of Japan-based Gorazd Vilhar's images complement the thought-provoking text. Well-researched though brief travel specifics on accommodation, transport and language with a definite nod to the more up-market traveller round out the book. Recommended for visitors and residents alike.

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Penguin Books

ISBN: 0-14101-352-4
320 pp

Based on the successful and easily-accessible listings format of London's original Time Out guide, the Tokyo edition is strong on off-beat attractions, where to eat and shop and the ever-changing nightlife scene in the nation's heaving metropolis.

Each entry listing in the various categories has the address, phone number, hours and a map reference - though the maps at the end of the book are a little optimistic for a city of Tokyo's size and urban complexity.

There are brief introductory sections on the city's history, geography and architecture, a resources A-Z and cool, funky photography. The guide makes for a must-read for first-time visitors to the capital as well as excellent additional reference for Tokyo residents looking for somewhere new. Recommended.

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by David Scott

AA Books

ISBN: 0-7495-3579-2
288 pp

Explorer Japan is a relatively hidden gem of the Japan travel guide genre. Packed with excellent photography and clear maps (as you would expect from an Automobile Association guide), the book is a well-organized, brief introduction to the main sights of the country.

Each place is rated from "Do not miss" to "Not essential viewing" with sections on contemporary and historical Japan, hotels and restaurants, travel facts and a practical A to Z section covering Japan broken down in to seven regional parts. There are also suggested walks, and running throughout the book, color-coded "focus" chapters on such quintessential Japanese things as Mt. Fuji, onsens, castles and Zen. Recommended.

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by Dave Barry

ISBN: 0-449-90810-0
212 pp

In the summer of 1991, American humorist Dave Barry and his family were sent on an all-expenses paid three week trip to Japan by his publishers. This extremely funny book is the result. If you already know Dave Barry's brand of humour, you won't need a recommendation to get this book. If you aren't familiar with him, but enjoy chuckling, and want some insights into what to expect on a visit to Japan, then I highly recommend this book. While much of the humor is based on the many differences between Japanese culture and behavior, it is in no way anti-Japanese, and pokes fun at American cultural assumptions just as much.

As he writes in the introduction "My most important finding, however, does not involve the differences between us and Japan; it involves the similarities. Because despite the gulf, physical and cultural, between the United States and Japan, both societies are, in the end, made up of people, and people everywhere - when you strip away their superficial differences - are crazy". During his 3 week trip he visited Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima, and during the course of the book takes aim at many aspects of modern and traditional Japanese culture including language, food ("The Japanese routinely eat things that have eyeballs or suckers or other flagrantly unacceptable organs still attached to them"), karaoke, Kabuki ("one hour of watching Kabuki is the equivalent of seventeen hours spent in a more enjoyable activity, such as eye-surgery"), Sento (public baths), and, being a humorist himself, he tackles the rarely reported Japanese comedy (Rakugo). There is only one small break in the non-stop humor of the book, and that comes when he writes of his trip to Hiroshima and his reaction to the Japanese sense of victim hood surrounding the atom bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Throughout the book he praises the high level of service he received everywhere in Japan, but, in closing, remarks "The Japanese always treated us politely; they rarely treated us warmly."

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by Kodansha International

ISBN: 4-7700-1536-4
128 pp

This small book should be in the bag or pocket of any visitor to Japan. Finding your way around any strange country or city can be difficult at the best of times, but if you can't read the local language, then it becomes terrifying, and while Japan has an efficient (but expensive) freeway/motorway system, the minor roads and city streets resemble a maze of spaghetti.

There is a national rail network, but also a multitude of private railways. Getting from A to B can sometimes mean not just changing trains, but changing railways. As well as a country map, there are maps of regions, 20 city maps, maps of the major sightseeing areas, Rail, Road, Subway, and Air route maps, and a series of thematic maps ranging from National Parks to Hot Springs to Bird Watching areas.

This may not be the only map/atlas that you need on a trip to Japan, but it should be the first.

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Kodansha International

ISBN: 4-7700-2503-3
128 pp

The foolhardy traveller who decides to venture beyond the usual tourist spots in Tokyo must first brave the tangled serpents of the subway system, and then solve the riddle of the Signless Streets and Anonymous Alleyways.
Addresses in Japan are based on ever-smaller nested squares of land, like a Russian doll set, rather than something as intelligible as street numbers. Thus when you' re on foot it can be nigh-on impossible to find a building just from the address. However, the latest edition of the Tokyo City Atlas almost miraculously solves the problem. Despite its handy B5 size, it manages to squeeze in all the Cho and Banchi block numbers on its fully bilingual maps, making finding a building almost a breeze.
The full-colour maps come in three scales - handy large-scale overviews of central and metropolitan Tokyo at either end of the book; medium-scale plans of central Tokyo; and detailed maps of the main tourist areas, showing names of most hotels, shopping centres, parks and other amenities. Not every building is labelled, but the major ones are, and this combined with the block numbers will orientate you in a flash, no matter how many jackhammers are at your back or schools of sailor suits are streaming around you.
As an added bonus, there are 7 additional maps of the Yokohama and Kawasaki city centres and U.S. military bases, and extremely useful indexes that will enable you to look up hotels, embassies, and thousands of other places of interest. And the rail and subway maps conveniently located inside the front cover will have you taming those Tokyo serpents in no time.

Richard Donovan

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by Jan Dodd, Simon Richmond et al

Rough Guides

ISBN: 1843539195
1079 pp

I recently took a vacation on Shikoku, and it being my first visit there I took along the latest edition of the Rough Guide to Japan to give it a test-drive, and I must say it performed very well indeed in all regards.
I was satisfied with the books recommendations on which sites to visit, and perhaps more importantly which places that are not worth visiting. The inclusion of interesting sites not usually included in mainstream tourist literature indicates the depth of local knowledge that is the heart of the book.
Particularly useful were the many area and city maps that are clear, simple, to scale, and accurate, attributes that I find scarce on Japanese maps.
The detailed accommodation information covers the full range of prices, with an emphasis on the budget end of the spectrum, and includes some interesting options as well as information on which establishments speak English. Having all the telephone numbers in one handy place is also very useful.
The guide concentrates on places that can be accessed by public transport, particularly trains, and as most tourists in Japan don't rent cars, that is OK, but maybe a little more information on places off the beaten track would not go amiss.
As you would expect with any guide there is plenty of information on Japan, how to get there, travel within the country, traveling with kids, etc etc. There is also a useful guide to the language. Interspersed throughout the book are segments called Context which cover subjects such as religion, history, the Arts, movies etc.
Of course there are always more things that could be included into any guide such as this, but at more than 1,000 pages and using a small typeface, including more would make the book too large to be conveniently carried.
Useful not just for visitors, but for those who live in Japan too.

Jake Davies

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by Jan Dodd, Simon Richmond et al

Rough Guide

ISBN: 1-85828-699-9
938 pp

With a wide range of guide books now catering for an increasing number of tourists, the Rough Guide stands out as one of the best informed and practically useful of the bunch. Certainly amongst the most comprehensive on offer, it covers a wealth of less well known attractions as well as all the major destinations. On the usefulness stakes, it is certainly not going to let you down. All the basic information that you require and expect in a guide book is present and up-to-date. But the great thing about the Rough Guide is not so much its practical value as how enjoyably it reads. The writing style is provocative enough to get a reaction, yet honest and balanced. The continuous flow of one description to another makes planning a trip with the Rough Guide a little like a walk in the author's own footsteps. On the whole, the Rough Guide recommends a larger number of hotels than the Lonely Planet and offers more encouragement to splash out than its rival. You get the feeling that a wider range of budgets are being catered for compared with the travel on a shoestring ethic of the Lonely Planet and that the Rough Guide leans slightly towards travellers on a shorter stay. The layout and design of the book is marred only by the choice of a very dense single block of text rather than an easier on the eye two column format, but overall, this is a very worthy reference.

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by Theodore Manning

Kodansha International

ISBN: 4-7700-2902-0
175 pp

Manning has crafted a detailed pocket guide that catalogs all of Japan's major and minor flea markets. It has strong sections on both Tokyo and Kyoto. All told, 115 flea markets are listed. Each listing has directions, Japanese and English titles, a description of the items for sale, and a telephone number. Equally helpful are the Introduction, the sections Before Going Shopping and Shopping Guidelines, Things to Buy, and the annual Flea Market Calendar. Along with a section on basic Japanese, the book prepares the uninitiated on how to bargain, how much of a discount to expect, and what you might find.

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by Chris Rowthorn, Ray Bartlett, Justin Ellis

Lonely Planet

ISBN: 1-7410-4667-X
784 pp

Lonely Planet's experience at the forefront of guide book publication really shows in this 9th edition of their superb Japan offering. This is a guide that will particularly suit those aiming to stay in Japan for longer than the usual two week hop between the major cities as further flung treasures are given much more coverage than in lesser publications.
That said, Lonely Planet - Japan is about as tightly edited as it is bound. For each attraction you get just enough information to work out whether it's worth going given the time you've got and not much more. Even the most famous of sights will get no more than a dense half page. However, what it lacks in flowery language, it more than makes up for in sheer usefulness. Pitfalls are dealt with in a frank and direct manner and the overall feeling you get is that the guide has been written from hard won experience.
Like any Japan guide worth its salt, Lonely Planet - Japan draws your attention to the language and its associated difficulties and helps you out with a brief section on useful phrases with entries both in roman characters and Japanese symbols. But for anyone serious about being understood the Lonely Planet Japanese Phrasebook wouldn't go amiss. In addition, a good supplement for gourmet thrill-seekers would be Lonely Planet's equally excellent World Food - Japan, as dining out can be a particular obstacle for non-Japanese speakers.
Well-organised and easily navigated, Lonely Planet - Japan combines wide-angle overview with nitty-gritty specifics. In addition it's packed with functional maps, lots of evocative photographs and enlightening digressions on Japanese culture. What more could you ask for?

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by Andrew Bender

Previous editions by Chris Rowthorn, John Ashburne, Kara Knafelc

Lonely Planet

ISBN: 1-740-59059-7
274 pp

Lonely Planet's main Japan guide runs to nearly 800 pages so if your visit is confined to the capital and its environs Lonely Planet Tokyo makes for a lighter alternative for the rucksack. The maps (including color versions) and the photographs are a marked upgrade from previous editions and the Japanese place-names and language section are a boon for linguistically-challenged visitors and residents alike.
As well as the now familar LP sections on Accommodation, Things to See & Do and Getting There and Away - the guide includes useful Food and Drink, Entertainment and Shopping listings, in this updated edition.

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by American Chamber of Commerce Japan

ISBN: 4-91568-223-4
466 pp

Finding out the long and hard way is one of those character-building experiences that goes hand in hand with living in a foreign country. However, the countless little (and not so little) details that can help you along are definitely best known about beforehand at least so that facing the reality is not such a shock. This is where the 14th edition of "Living in Japan" can help. Anyone for whom a medium to long-term stay in Japan is on the cards would not go far wrong picking up a copy of this comprehensive and very professional publication.
One would expect nothing less from the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, an organisation that has been promoting the business interests of the foreign community for over 50 years. Establishing oneself in the world of work therefore forms an important part of this chunky volume and the ins and outs of visas, getting a job, studying in Japan, finances and even starting your own business are covered. But it is not all about work and lifestyle issues are given just as much weight. As an introduction to all the most important aspects of life in Japan this book must surely be unique. Sections on immigration, family issues and medical treatment answer many important questions on practical matters that you may not even have thought of asking. The lighter side of life is also dealt with sections on entertainment, travel, food and sports.
With such a broad range of topics (and it hard to think of anything that this book does not cover), the information offered is necessarily concise. Though certainly not lacking in any area, it also does not presume to give you everything you need to deal with your specific situation. The emphasis is more on covering the essential points that will set you on the right direction to making an informed decision, giving you plenty of suggested avenues for further research while dispelling a few illusions on the way.
"Living in Japan" should be considered as an essential reference not just for those preparing to make the move but for anyone at all who wants food for thought on the matter. For those who have already spent some time in Japan, there will be plenty that is already familiar (especially the sections on culture, food and entertainment) but this book will still fill many important gaps - as well as give you countless opportunities to kick yourself for not having bought a copy earlier.
Out of print

Will Yong

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