Fodor's Essential Japan

by Fodor's Travel Publications Inc.

Whether you want to have sushi in a top Tokyo restaurant , visit the shrines of historic Kyoto , or head to the beaches of Okinawa , the local Fodor’s travel experts in Japan are here to help! Fodor’s Essential Japan guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time. This new edition has been fully redesigned with an easy-to-read layout, fresh information, and beautiful color photos. Fodor’s “Essential” guides have been named by Booklist as the Best Travel Guide Series of 2020! Fodor’s Essential Japan travel guide Planning on visiting other destinations in Asia? Check out Fodor’s Essential Vietnam, Fodor's Essential Thailand, and Fodor's Seoul . *Important note for digital The digital edition of this guide does not contain all the images or text included in the physical edition. ABOUT FODOR'S AUTHORS : Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor’s has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. For more travel inspiration, you can sign up for our travel newsletter at fodors.com/newsletter/signup , or follow us @FodorsTravel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We invite you to join our friendly community of travel experts at fodors.com/community to ask any other questions and share your experience with us!

Genres: Travel, Japan, Reference, Nonfiction, Guidebook

800 pages, Paperback

Published July 22, 2025

About the author

Fodor's Travel Publications is a United States-based producer of English-language travel guides and online tourism information. It was founded by Hungarian Eugene Fodor in 1936.
Fodor’s was acquired by Random House in 1986 and sold to Internet Brands in 2016.

Reviews

[Lale D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read for anyone thinking about visiting Japan

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essentially A Great Guidebook

This was a great big book of Japan travel!

I highly recommend it.

I was able to get a lot of insight into the best places and the best things to do.

Give it a try if you are planning a Japan trip!

4.5/5

[Paraphrodite · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars.

Only read the Tokyo section and found it not as up-to-date as the Lonely Planet Tokyo guide.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I paused my planning on a vacation to Japan that I had hoped to do this next spring because I realized that I just didn't know enough about the country and what it offered, and where I should think about going. I also am vacillating between doing what we often do with an unknown country (this is true for me and not true for my spouse, who has been twice but both times for business and both times I was unable to go), which is to do the "starter trip", see the things that everyone who goes to Japan sees, and then if we like it, plan for a more eclectic trip next time around or if I should try to tailor it a bit.
I started with this book because while I have four books out on Japan, this is the one that I cannot renew, so I had to pick it first. It turns out that that was a good choice, because this is packed with information about planning a trip, where to go, and why you might want to do that. I have been ignoring Fodor of late, and at least in this case, that is a mistake.
This helped me to focus my thoughts some and I am aiming for a a 2025 or 2026 trip now--giving me enough time to get my plans up and running, decide on whether March or September is when I would like to go (probably March) and the route to take.

[Kim Novak (The Reading Rx) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re headed to Japan for the first time, this is a great guide to orient you. Sure, you could Google things for free, but there’s something about being able to peruse a guide book on a plane or train when you can’t get the wifi to connect. Plus all your little tabs and bookmarks remind you where you went when things inevitably get a little fuzzy.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impressively nuanced and detailed. Just skimmed for my own purposes. Will return to this again and again as I make more trips to Japan. Practical and educational without feeling too excessive in either regard

[Mallika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really big so obviously didn’t read the entire thing but found it to be nice

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful descriptions of places to help me plan my first adventure in Japan.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very well developed travel guide to Japan. The book contained lots of nice information about traveling there, customs as well as sights to see. It's a difficult book to read cover to cover but I enjoyed what I did read and will use some of the information.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essentially Japan

This was a splendid book on Japan travel.

I really enjoyed it, and thought the book did a great job at covering the big must-dos and must-sees from all the various areas and regions.

I placed a lot of items on my must-go list!

Would recommend!

4.6/5

[Dan Ream · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am taking a group tour to Japan in a few months, so focused my reading on the general information about Japanese culture, eating, etiquette, etc., rather than reading the specific reviews of sites, hotels and restaurants. That said, this was a very good guide.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid travel guide. I'll be looking over it again when I actually go to Japan.