New Japan Solo

Rating:
Summary: Recommended
Review: I have purchased multiple Japan travel guides and this was the most specific and useful of the bunch. It is especially suited for those times when you venture out on your own. The maps are for the most part very accurate and quite helpful. It is low on pictures, etc., but the information it contained made it the book I turned to first.

Rating:
Summary: Recommended
Review: I have purchased multiple Japan travel guides and this was the most specific and useful of the bunch. It is especially suited for those times when you venture out on your own. The maps are for the most part very accurate and quite helpful. It is low on pictures, etc., but the information it contained made it the book I turned to first.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Japan Guidebook
Review: I spent three years in Japan and I had all of the major guidebooks, but none of them come close to this book. I just found that this book covers the material in an easy to follow manner. Also, the maps in this book are the best of any of the other books. You'll never get lost with this one. When I go back to Japan, this is the only guidebook I'll be taking with me.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Japan Travel Guide
Review: Japan Solo became my only Japan travel guide starting with the 2nd edition. I've made more than 40 trips to Japan and used Japan Solo on every one. Because it emphasizes rail travel, this book and a Japan Rail pass make it easy to get around in a country that can otherwise be quite complicated. It's best coverage is around the large cities, but still does an adequate job for outlying areas. There's so much to see and do in Japan it's impossible to cram it all into one book. Japan Solo does a good job of getting the traveler to the more popular areas with ease. I would highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Maps are good, some regions not well covered
Review: The best thing by far about this travel guide is the maps. It really helped me out a number of times in the labyrinth that is Tokyo. However, i recently went on a sojourn to Osaka and i found the coverage to be a little lacking. On the other hand, it's coverage of Nara and Kyoto (more popular tourist destinations) are strong. In short, I recommend this book, but you will probably need to pair it up with something else (Lonely Planet Japan is pretty good) for a complete picture.

Rating:
Summary: Maps are good, some regions not well covered
Review: The best thing by far about this travel guide is the maps. It really helped me out a number of times in the labyrinth that is Tokyo. However, i recently went on a sojourn to Osaka and i found the coverage to be a little lacking. On the other hand, it's coverage of Nara and Kyoto (more popular tourist destinations) are strong. In short, I recommend this book, but you will probably need to pair it up with something else (Lonely Planet Japan is pretty good) for a complete picture.

Rating:
Summary: Useful and now easier to carry!
Review: The old edition of this book was given to me by other Americans in Japan when I lived there. Now I just gave one to a young cousin who's going soon. I was glad to see that it's a bit smaller now, because the weight was the only drawback when I used it back then! I found a few small things that missed updating (like the team that left Nishinomiya stadium in the early 90's), but it otherwise seems to be a thoughtful update of the same valuable traveling companion it was back then. The descriptions of which train and bus lines to take, travel times, where to walk (helpful in a country with few street names) and landmarks to guide you were absolutely irreplaceable helps. It's perfect for visitors or foreign residents who want to be free of tour groups and find worthwhile places to explore on their own. I toured some places on the Inland Sea side where fewer foreigners venture and found the book just as useful there as in Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, and Tokyo.

Rating:
Summary: Valuable information from a unique perspective.
Review: This book differs from other English language guide books to Japan both in content and delivery. The book was useless for planning hotel and restaurant visits, but for maps and step-by-step instructions for visiting a site it was extremely valuable. Also, the writers often showed a sense of humor and honesty in playing down some popular sites, while not hesitating to recommend other less known sites. The book is small and light and definitely worth keeping with you on any trip to Japan.

Rating:
Summary: Valuable information from a unique perspective.
Review: This book differs from other English language guide books to Japan both in content and delivery. The book was useless for planning hotel and restaurant visits, but for maps and step-by-step instructions for visiting a site it was extremely valuable. Also, the writers often showed a sense of humor and honesty in playing down some popular sites, while not hesitating to recommend other less known sites. The book is small and light and definitely worth keeping with you on any trip to Japan.

Rating:
Summary: Useful and now easier to carry!
Review: This book had a poor coverage for places outside the the trendy tourist spots. Having toured Japan on three occasions, I found that its suggested accommodations seem to be for non-budget travellers and its itineraries were very limited. Of all the guides on Japan, I found this the easiest to put down.