Japan Solo

I'm staying in Japan / Tokyo for almost 1 year and have several travel guides. When I go on a trip, this is the guide which I take with me, and it helps to make the best out of each trip. The other guides, I can leave them at home. I went to Hokkaido (Akan NP, Sounkyo), Tohuku (Bandai-Kogen, Matsushima, Hirosaki, Towadako), Hirsohima, Miyajima, Himejii, Nara, Kyoto, Amanohashidate, Osaka,Nagoya, Takayama, Matsumoto, Kamikochi, Mt. Tanigawadake, Kamakura, Mt. Fuji, Izu Peninsula, Nikko and others. Almost all places highlightes in the "Japan Solo" Guide. The Book includes the Maps I needed, recommended transportion to the locations, accomodation in walking distance to train / bus stations, recommended itinerary and how to get to the spots. No other travel book, I have, is so helpful in guidance. For train schedules, I used the web side http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi I'm glad about this book because it essential helped me to make the most out of my Japan Visit.

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.

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.

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.

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.