A Look Into Japan

Japan in Your Pocket #1

by Japan Travel Bureau

Pocket book.

Genres: Nonfiction, Japan, Travel, Cultural, Japanese Literature, Language, History

191 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Thanawat · Rating 4 out of 5]

รวบรวมทั้งข้อมูลสถานที่สำคัญ และวัฒนธรรมประเพณีต่างๆ ในโตเกียวไว้ได้กระทัดรัดดี
ที่ทำให้ชื่นชอบเป็นพิเศษคือรูปวาดประกอบ ที่สื่อได้ดี เห็นแล้วใช่เลย สมกับเป็นหนังสือที่ออกโดยญี่ปุ่นโดยแท้
ขนาดหนังสือเล็กระดับที่สามารถพกใส่กระเป๋าหลังกางเกงยีนส์ได้เลย
แนะนำสำหรับผู้ที่อยากได้ความแปลกใหม่จากหนังสือท่องเที่ยวโตเกียว (เพราะหนังสือไทยดีๆ ก็มีเยอะมาก)

[Tosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

In one sense this book series is nothing, but somehow I am really attracted to them. Most bookstores in Japan carries these line of books that are illustrated and they explained various aspects of Japaense culture. They're well-written and correctly researched, but more important they're incredibly charming.

Tokyo is not a city to me. It is part of my psyche and there are various areas of this great metropolis that almost brings me to tear... Even it's uglyness is another version of aesthetic pleasure. Well, that is what I think about when I look at this cheap tourist book of Tokyo.

[Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! Mel found it at a local DI and surprised me with it one day. I immediately started in on it, but have kind of been treating it as a filler book: I’d read it between books, when I randomly needed a tiny cultural lesson, and on days when I just didn’t have enough time to read a whole chapter of long narrative. Its one-to-three page chapters on pocket-sized pages are perfect this sort of reading. There is so much cultural info packed in here—from food to travel to puppet theater to so many other interesting topics—I also think it would work great as a travel companion were I to actually travel to Japan someday! (It’ll happen, right? Someday? Right…?)

I kind of want to pick up the rest of the books in the series. 🧐

[Joe Hay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book abounds in unexpected charm, helpful information, and baffling awkwardness. I love it.

I have a personal history with this book. My grandfather bought the first edition in anticipation for a trip to Japan he was never able to take, and it sat on my family's bookshelves for several years after he died. When I was 10, the night before my first day of 5th grade, I found the book and began reading it furiously. When I was finished, I wasn't the same person. I had received a glimpse of a world outside the one I had known - everything seemed bigger and more interesting all of a sudden. I realized I had a hunger to learn about all the cultures of the world. And I was enamored with Japan, particularly. I demanded my public elementary school offer me Japanese classes, and they did what they could. I dragged my dad to my family's first meal of sushi (it wasn't quite so popular in the American Midwest at that point). This obsession hasn't ended.

There's a lot that other people can enjoy here, too. The book introduces all of Japanese culture (yes all of it) in a couple hundred pages using simple language and a parade of cute and often weird hand-drawn illustrations and diagrams. This is true for the entire 17-book series (most of which I own as well). It has this charm that is very close to kitsch but the quality is too genuinely high for kitsch. I enjoy it with a Wes Anderson-esque alienated delight.

I can't call this book or the series a must-read - but, if any of this makes sense to you, or if you are about to head out to Japan or simply curious about the place, I'd highly recommend this book.

[Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't underestimate the power of this pocket-sized series from Japan Travel Bureau! Japan, after all, is best-known for making small things packed with quality. This small guidebook series is another prove that they can do it! This book is, like it sisters in the same series, packed with information, basic maps and indexes and history of major areas of Tokyo, as well as giving you tips of what you can do all year round. Read it even if you are a curious history buff or simply because you want to enrich yourself on some aspects of Japanese culture and history or because you want to pass your time efficiently on that packed train ride in the morning! This is because the book's size is designed in such a way that you can read it standing, one-haded, with the other hand holding your briefcase, umbrella, lunchbox, or whatever your morning commute requires! I myself got a tip on how to spend an otherwise cold and and boring New Year Holiday mornings in Tokyo from this book - - by dropping by the Imperial Palace on January 2 to wish the Emperor a Happy New Year! :-) Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!

[Alessandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Look Into Tokyo is one of a series of pocket guidebooks aimed at English-speaking travelers to Japan. A little stiff, a little awkward, they nevertheless give a lot of useful information in a small package.

This is a charming little introduction to the history, sights, foods, and transportation of Tokyo. Everything, as always, is hand-drawn in the same flat, simple, slightly cartoony style, including some very useful street maps (given the chaos of Tokyo's street layout). It's small, idiosyncratic, and rather endearing.

[Pacyfa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not really sure what to call this "guide". It is a pocket size and full of nicely drawn picks with a bit of explanation. You're not going to learn a whole deal but on another hand you will find the major points on Japanese culture. Nice to look at and somewhat appealing... if it wasn't the price then I would have picked up the whole series on the airport. An interesting item rather than a book/guide.

[Alessandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Look Into Japan is one of a series of pocket guidebooks aimed at English-speaking travelers to Japan. A little stiff, a little awkward, they nevertheless give a lot of useful information in a small package.

This is an excellent introduction to Japanese culture for travelers, authors, students, and just the curious.

[Desni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tiny, but really informative and useful. Makes me miss Japan a little bit. Hope I can revisit one day.