Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51252 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 284 pages

Customer Reviews

Not good for backbaggers
The guide does give you a nice overview of different areas of Tokyo, and of different things to do. The maps are fairly decent also. Where it does fall short however is information on accomodation and eating places. It focuses heavily on luxury (and other fairly expensive) accomodation places (Hint: just stay in the local ryokans, good value, very comfortable and very japanese). Also many of the restaurants it lists are for western style food like pizza, hamburgers, steaks, pasta etc.

Now Japan is famous for its food culture and rightly so. So why on earth would you go to Tokyo to eat pasta. If you're going to Tokyo and just want to eat western style food, fine. I just don't understand why you are going to Tokyo then.

For area descriptions, maps and information on sights it is a decent guide. For everything else it is not. Not good for backbaggers, like lonely planet guides were originally meant for. Now it is only good for someone who just wants to stay in the local Hilton and go eat a schnitzel in the near by restaurant and then complain to his friends back home how they can't even cook.

Alright, maybe that last bit was a bit harsh. The generic information on the book is good after all, but if you're backbagging, try something else.

And yes, go to Tokyo, it is the most amazing place ever. Oh and get phrase book for japanese language.

A good guidebook.
This book introduces Tokyo (and Japans) history and culture. It give good tourist information and tells of the festivals and celebrations throughout the year. It contains many maps, phrases, a dictionary and a menu reader. The only negative thing about it is the lack of pictures (considering how big Tokyo is).