Cool Japan Guide: Fun in the Land of Manga, Lucky Cats and Ramen

On my recent visit to Vietnam, this was one of the three picks at an airport bookstore Not that I was particularly interested in Japan but given my fascination for comic books and a country which having never visited but heard a lot about, I picked up this one. Who knows it may spur a visit in the future. A lot of useful and interesting stuff about Japan is covered so even if you are not planning a visit you can read about it. The author's visit to a hot spring, the different Japanese snacks and how the Japanese the original inventors of karaoke actually enjoy it and the Manga craze all of it is fascinating. The author an American comic artist visits Japan regularly so its based on her real life experiences. The drawings are okay and mostly flat so it was a bit of a letdown. Still an interesting different kind of book. And more fun than the usual run of the mill guides.

Cuando compré esta guía creí que iba a profundizar de una manera mucho más teórica en el concepto de "cool japan", sin embargo se limita a desplegar en sus viñetas una serie de situaciones estereotipicas propias de un "típico viaje a Japón". Los dibujos, bueno, son tal y como se ven en la portada, no hay ningún tipo de narrativa más allá de las viñetas.

Surprisingly such a short yet hugely awesome, practical, readable, absorbable guidebook to the culture and overall experience of Japan. My 9 yr old daughter and I read this as our evening reading a few pages at a time in the weeks before our trip to Japan. While in Japan we kept experiencing things that the book prepared us for like sweet bean rice cakes, bath rituals, and capsule toys. Knowing what to expect when we had these encounters let us experience the culture more deeply, with a little prior knowledge. Instead of staring in disbelief at the first Japanese bath we entered, we understood about the gender segregation and that we should bathe ourselves thoroughly BEFORE entering the communal bath. So, once in Japan, we plunged into all kinds of things and knew what to do (at least a little :). While in Japan we kept saying to each other, "Remember how we learned about this in the book?" And it's a short, illustrated book! How did the author fit in all of at useful knowledge? Plus, we both appreciated that the author's love of Japanese culture really came through in the book. As a result, my dusghter and I caught the love of Japan and Japanese people from this book and then we experienced it on our own when we visited. We look forward to returning and venturing further outside of our comfort zone in a place we now love :). Thank you Abby Denson for writing this excellent intro to Japanese culture. And thank you for sharing your experiences that truly enriched ours. We also felt sad to leave Japan and again we thought, "Remember that Abby felt like this too?" Lol. But seriously, this is a great guide book and a little taste of Japan before you get there... If you go w kids they will enjoy reading it too!

A cheerful read for someone wanting it visit Japan. Perhaps needs an updated version for 2026, but full of ideas, tips and things to be aware of before booking a trip. Noted you can't wear clothes in an onsen and the Tokyo subway closes around midnight

Libro interesante, aunque le puede faltar especificaciones.

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