Lonely Planet Tokyo

Lonely Planet Tokyo (Condensed Edition), 2002. This condensed guide is a very convenient guide book: it fits into a back pocket nicely, and the covers (including fold-out maps) are very durable as they have a waterproof coating. I have carried this map around during two Tokyo visits, and it has held up nicely (including during rain). The subway and train map is very current, but it does not cover much outside the JR Yamanote line circle, and the writing is pretty small print (but you can supplement it by picking up a free subway map at a subway station). The reviews are very good, but at least one restaurant seems to be out of business less than 6 months after the printing. The addresses are accurate, and usually a subway exit is specified; however, it can still be a challenge to find places in Tokyo, but this book gives you a very good start. I also like the color photos throughout the book. Overall this is a very good, condensed guide to Tokyo, great for carrying around town while a more detailed guide can be left in the hotel room if desired.

If you don't speak Japanese and you're visiting Japan for the first time, this book is an absolute must! The maps are very good - this is very important since roads are not very well marked in Japan. You have to get by using landmarks and Lonely Planet does a great job of listing them & locating them on their maps. The subway map needs to be relocated to the end of the book - its tucked in between & hard to find. The top ten list was great - I thoroughly enjoyed my visits to the shrines & the palace. I also found Kabuki very interesting. Further, we are vegetarians and were terrified at the prospect of eating in Tokyo ( & no, fish are not vegetables). Lonely Planet had a decent list of vegetarian restaurants and also suggestions on how we might locate other veggie restaurants. If you want more jazz, I recommend that you supplement this book with an eyewitness guide.

Tokyo is not an 'easy' Asian city like Bangkok, Jakarta or Singapore. In Tokyo you can be truly lost, unless you are with locals. Despite my experience as a continuous traveller, I have been literally lost in Tokyo many times - entering pharmacies which I thought were restaurants, looking for inexisting cash machines, wandering around the underground without realizing how many networks there are... This book may not be great, in fact it does have some lacks. Yet, by all means, it is a great tool to feel more comfortable in this Asian capitaly, and also to enjoy it.

I just returned from three months in Japan. I found this book to be extremely informative and helpfull in getting around. The books descriptions of Tokyo's different districts were accurate and detailed. The book helped me become confortable with the Tokyo subway system. The maps are not great, and the difficulty in reading the maps caused me to rate this book a four instead of a five, but it is a must have for anyone travelling to the Tokyo Metropolitan area.

This book is an excellent guide on what to do and see in Tokyo as well as providing insight into Japanese culture and language. It gives a list of the must-see items (don't miss Tsukiji fish market) with clear maps and directions. It provides practical tips on how to get around (especially important in a city that uses a non-roman alphabet!). I found the book extremely useful on my recent (first) trip to Japan.