Best Guidebook on Japan
 

Hello everyone,

I am in the early stages of planning a trip to Japan in 2011 for my 10 year Anniversary with my husband. We would like a recommendation on the best book (or 2) that will help us decide on where we will go. We'd like a good book that has recently updated information, great descriptions, and pictures.

Thanks!

Sorry I don't know of a book like that - the ones I use don't have any pictures - just maps and stuff like that.

But I recommend japan-guide.com to get info about the country and different places to visit - there are many photos.....it's a start - then when you narrow it down, maybe someone could recommend a suitable book.

I've pretty much given up on guide books for hotels and restaurants.

I went to Japan in 2008 and 2009. I used the Lonely Planet (2007 ed), the Rough Guide (2008 ed), Time Out Tokyo, and Japan by Rail (2008 ed). All were somewhat useful but I would not rely on the LP for Hokkaido.

Thank you both.

I suppose pictures aren't necessary - I can always go on the internet and look at them.

I have seen japan-guide.com - it looks good, but I am feeling overwhelmed by the different websites! Thought sitting down with a good book would help.

Basically we want to understand the different regions better. And how to get from place to place. We really want to see more natural beauty - more rural settings.

You could try the Eyewitness guide. I don't find them to be the best in terms of planning logistics but for the early
stages of planning, i.e. deciding where to go, they are nice. A lot of color photos.

Okay, then these are the books I would recommend - Gateway to Japan by Kinoshita and Palevsky and Japan Solo by Kanno and O'Keefe....they give details about the different areas as well as culture....
The first is the best imo but I certainly wouldn't carry it with me - it has almost 800 pages but I do remove sections from it that I need for a specific area to use on a trip...

Well, this is the Fodor's website, so you might start with their Exploring guide (not to be confused with the Gold guide) - www.fodors.com/guidebooks/9781400018345/ . I also like the Insight series. I usually borrow the illustrated guides from the library, or read them in my local Barnes and Noble, as I don't travel with them, although sometimes I buy one as a souvenir.

I really like the Fodor's Gold guide to Japan.

I also reccomend "Gateway to Japan" (Kinoshita). It is a fabulous book. Their sections on history, religion, architecture, and lists of festivals is the best anywhere. Unfortunately, it is rather old now, so prices are not up to date and there aren't websites.

Japan Solo is also one of my favorites.

Lonely Planet has the most detail and information particularly for the less travelled places. I found Fodors to be the best written and generally a "good read" and covered the major areas of interest very well. Frommers puts much of its info on its website http://www.frommers.com/destinations/japan/ so I see little point in buying the book! - The suggest itineraries are a good basis for planning

I believe "Gateway to Japan" is now out of print, but regarded as The best guidebook for Japan.

Why not check out your local library for a selection of books? I agree with looking at books like Eyewitness for ideas for where to go but I wouldn't lug them with me. For up-to-date information, you can't beat the internet and sites like this.

Agree completely with previous comments about <i>Gateway to Japan</i>, although it is fairly dry and the illustrations few.

I've mentioned this one elsewhere, but one book that perfectly matches your description is Diane Durstons's <i>Kyoto - Seven Paths to the Heart of the City</i>. It's chock full of information about the essence of old Kyoto and about some of the surrounding countryside, and it's equally chock full of beautiful color photos.

Your best bet is Fodor's JAPAN, the 19th edition (2009). Very good suggested highlights and itineraries. Useful maps. No photos, though.
Many of the reader-contributors are posters to this site. If you want something that covers Hokkaido to Okinawa, and doesn't stint on Shikoku or Kyushu, this is the best bet. It will give you an overview and should it turn out that you have less than 2 weeks' time for your travels, then you can revert to a book that gives 80% of its coverage to Tokyo and Kyoto, the destinations of most first-time visitors to Japan.
If you have a month or more to spend, then comprehensive regional guides are warranted.

Thank you everyone. I will try to get my hands on all the books that have been suggested.

We are only in the early stages of planning, so no real dates yet, other than it will probably be in the Fall. Most likely we will have 2-3 weeks. My husband wants to see Osaka (after watching the No Reservations episode), but other than a couple days there, and maybe a couple days in Tokyo (maybe 2 nights when we fly in and 1 night before we fly out), we really want to see more natural beauty and rural settings in Japan. We just don't know the best regions for this and thought a book or two would help narrow it down before we start asking for help and posting itineraries on here.

I also am planning a trip to Japan in late October, early n ovember for 3 weeks.

Some great sites on there, i'd appreciate if you post any interseting land marks or beautiful locations you come across.

Ghaz x

When we're in early stages of planning a trip, we go to the local library and eventually check out everything they have on the country or region. It saves tons of money and allows us to narrow down the choices and finally buy one (or maybe two) to take along with us. We really like Fodor's guides, but for our Japan trip that starts on May 11, we ended up with Lonely Planet Japan (Oct. 2009) and Insight Guides Tokyo. We also visited lots of websites and printed the pages that seemed most helpful, including the Japan National Tourist Organization destination-specific pages.