DK Eyewitness Japan

There is so much bite sized information in this book - it's the best one to start planning your trip.There are a few itineraries you could use or just note some of the ideas. Little insider tips on transport, shops, restaurants. Good amount of detail to give you a flavour of the areas you plan to visit.It's a definite must have in your travel bag.

After a cancelled trip over there due to Covid 19 - this is good reminder of what we missed - the trip is back on the bucket list - there we would go when we possibly can!!!

I have bought previous versions of this book for 20 years and this is definitely the worst edition.1. The organisation of the content is confusing and I cannot see why the authors derived from the well-tested organization they had established.2. The content is broken down to a degree that might be appropriate for a mobile phone but not for the format of the book.3. Previous versions of the book were bounded and sufficiently stable to survive my frequent travel to Japan. Again no reason to derive from that binding other than saving money.BTW: I would pay any reasonable amount for a useful version of that book, but not for this one. So I will think three times before I buy it again.The only positive observation is related to the Amazon delivery, which was excellent and on time.

Before the Pandemic we were avid travellers, mainly via Cruise ship, which provided us a limited view of a lot of far flung places. I have previously used (and reviewed) Eyewitness guides for India and South Africa and was surprised to see a single limited one star review for this Eyewitness Japan which failed to justify its summary review comments of “poor - not very informative”We have been to Japan twice before – once via a cruise to Osaka/Kyoto and once a cruise round the main four islands, our tour starting in Tokyo.All guide books suffer from the limitations that they may be out of date with respect to the latest entertainment venues and accommodation and pricing. (Check the internet!) but they often give excellent cultural and historical backgrounds and sites / sights worthy of visiting. Having said that how well do I think this book scores and are the pictures appropriate / of reasonable quality?This is a 352 page flexi cover / hardback book price £12.39, down from £16.99 on Amazon (Kindle version available at £6.49). In a standard Eyewitness style it starts with maps of the islands then an introductory background to and histories of Japan and suggests several itineraries of various lengths then picking out reasons for visiting, architecture, food, the outdoors, the general culture (from pop to the Samurai), wellbeing, things for families, winter sports and so on. There are detailed sections of things to do and see in various areas of Tokyo before sections on the highlights of the main four islands, Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kyushu. There are detailed maps and illustrative pictures .When the world opens up again for easier travel, I look forward to taking this as our guide back to this fascinating series of islands to fill in the many places we failed to visit on our first encounters.. NOTE if you are just visiting Tokyo there is also an individual book covering just this city but getting a flavour of all of the islands is a distinct bonus.

This is a wonderful guide to an incredible country that I hope to visit one day. It is well written and lavishly illustrated with up-to-date photographs and maps. Great size, easy to carry to checkHowever I don't understand why the chapters are in the wrong geographical order.The back pages are not printed very well and the ink has faded a bit.

If I go to a country I have not been to before, I tend to buy one of these guidebooks. They are not the most comprehensive, there is no page after page of written detail and history of everything. What these guides excel at is their brevity, whilst making it interesting and colourful. Each chapter deals with a separate area of the country. Each page examines the most important things within that area. It gives you great colour pictures and artist impressions. It describes in succinct detail the history of what you are looking at. The format makes it easily accessible and perfect for use whilst on the move. It fits into a backpack or handbag, is not heavy and you can read each page very quickly so you are not bogged down.I really adore these books, as the descriptions and intricate detail of the illustrations makes sightseeing so much easier. On the back, there is a fold-out map, which is can be very clearly seen. The final chapters deal with life in the country, currencies, banking, transport, life in general and how not to fall into the tourist traps etc. They are very informative if you have never visited before.Overall these books bring the country to life. They are colourful and succinct and are very easy to use as you travel around. I highly recommend them, if you are new to a city and don't want to get a guidebook that will bog you down with too much detail.

This eyewitness travel guide to Japan is enjoyable to read and rich with information. It contains maps and popular places to visit, which is a great inspiration for travelling. I would never expect print travel guides to be 100% up to date so I always double-check the information on the internet or look for more details online. However, this travel guide is great to inspire what places I would love to see and should be looking up online.The guide also has visual material, pictures which are of good quality to my understanding. The information is presented in an attractive way which makes it easy to read, even if not travelling to Japan but seeking general knowledge about the country. I found it very interesting and appealing.Overall, this is a lovely guide that gives interesting and rich information about the country and many tips on what places are worth visiting