Japan

Eyewitness Travel Guides

by John Hart Benson (Editor)

The DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Japan is your indispensable guide to this beautiful part of the world. The fully updated guide includes unique cutaways, floor plans and reconstructions of the must-see sites, plus street-by-street maps of all the fascinating cities and towns. The new-look guide is also packed with photographs and illustrations leading you straight to the best attractions on offer.

This uniquely visual DK Eyewitness Travel Guide will help you to discover everything region-by-region, from local festivals and markets to day trips around the countryside. Detailed listings will guide you to the best hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops for all budgets, whilst detailed practical information will help you to get around, whether by train, bus, or car. Plus, DK's excellent insider tips and essential local information will help you explore every corner of Japan effortlessly.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Japan, Reference, Japanese Literature, Asia, Cultural

408 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1985

Reviews

[Creative Choices · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buy this book for the beauty and cultural facts NOT as a travel guide.

I lived in Japan for four years this book would get you lost...lol.

This book is visually pleasing and has some wonderful information about the culture itself (just a note here however, the Japan of Tokyo is NOT the same as the Japan of Amouri or the Japan of Okanowa).

I would recommend this book for those just wanting to have some nice visual references along with a few cultural tidbits then recommend some other Travel Guides for any REAL time travel.

A few personal tips for True Japan Travelers:
If you have a hand-held nav system that can download Japanese roads TAKE IT especially if you plan to drive yourself anywhere (which I don't recommend with the Toll fees). Taxis are outrageous

If you plan to use the Train system - LEARN IT along with some important phrases before you go. Even living there we found the stops are often difficult to make out and it isn't uncommon to find yourself missing your stop.

Be forewarned the trains are ALWAYS on time - they spend a TON of money to make sure the bullet trains are never delayed more than a few seconds. IF by chance there is a breakdown be aware of the surroundings - they will send in a replacement train (maybe not a bullet but another train to get you to your destination).

The trains Also only give you about 15 seconds for loading & unloading NO JOKE. So don't dawdle, and get in the short line. If you travel with kids HOLD them or at least their hand.

TRAVEL LIGHT - there are two reasons for this the first being that the Japanese airline does not waver on their bag weight policy and it can cost a fortune if you are over weight (I was over and the fee was over $900 US). The second reason is if you are traveling by train it is a lot easier to get on & off with smaller bags.

Hotels -
This can be a REAL issue there, their hotels are really expensive. Complied with the travel issues. Be sure to stay 'close' to your destinations (or at least the train station) as possible but do serious research on hotels. It was actually cheaper for us to fly to California and go to Disneyland FROM Japan than it was to stay in the hotels close to Tokyo Disney.

I hope that helps some.

[Carlye Krul · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't terribly helpful for my NaNoWriMo research.

[Cami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful. I love the color photos and maps but it’s not detailed enough with the practicalities. It makes me wish Rick Steves wrote Asia guidebooks.

[Louise Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clear maps and useful!

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witness Japan

Eyewitness Japan is an excellent guide to finding all the great places to go when visiting Japan.

I thought it was a great book and helped get an exciting inineary.

Check it out if you are looking to travel to Japan!

3.8/5

[Julianna Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic new edition on travel in Japan! Up to date and fun!

[Ann Keller]

Filled with stunning photographs and packed with useful information about the major cities of Japan, travel arrangements, customs procedures, currency, sightseeing, rail and car travel, dining and general customs of the Japanese people, this guide is jam packed with essential information for any traveler. Fortunately, the book's small size and light weight make it a perfect addition to your luggage. It's a fantastic resource when navigating the myriad streets of Tokyo or for preparing to go out to dinner.

Excellent for the amateur traveler, with tips to assist those with intermediate travel experience as well.

[GONZA · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tourist guide geographically divided that indicates, in addition to the places to see, also the best and most typical hotels, restaurants and stores. In addition, the photos are beautiful.

Una guida turistica geograficamente suddivisa che indica, oltre ai posti da vedere, anche i migliori e piú tipici alberghi, ristoranti e negozi. Inoltre le foto sono bellissime.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this book. A right combi of exposition, pictures and maps

[Ritchie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a quite a few travel books, but rarely do I thoroughly finish them, I read nearly every section, on every town, every Shrine, Temple, castle you name it. I guess that speaks to the quality of this book, you can really find something interesting wherever you go!

I'd consider this book somewhat older, it's from 2015, and it's always a little risky using outdated travel books, but wow... are they so far superior to any modern travel books I've simply looked through. Unlike them, this book has thick stain-resistant pages, glossy informative guides to all things Japan and it isn't bloated with useless step by step tours that take up dozens of pages in more modern guidebooks and leave little room to do chart ones own journey.

Overall this is a great travel book, and as with any its best supplemented with the internet, you shouldn't solely rely on it as any, it's important to get your information from a myriad of sources, Arigato gozaimasu.

[Julie Shuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I'm learning with my multitude of trips, it really depends what you are looking for in a travel guide. I am going with my school, so our accommodation and activities are already planned for the most part. However, this book offered beautiful photos and cultural tips and recommendations, which helped me to get excited and understand more of the background context.

Compared to the Lonely Planet Guide for Japan that I also got, this one has less recommendations for restaurants, hotels, logistics, etc. That being said, it was also more manageable and organized more intuitively than the LP guide, which I found difficult to search/use, despite the index. The DK guide has more glossy photos, and I think will serve as a better souvenir/coffee table book. (Which let's be real, is definitely part of it, since we can likely find most of what we need practically in online forums).

[Michael Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

TODO full review:
! Reviewed with pink reminiscing glasses - it's the book I carried to my first trip to Japan, back in 2008
+ Excellent travel guide for wide-eyed tourists, aka me in 2008
+ Was good enough to see some of the most well-known and some of the unusual sites in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima
+ Was still good enough a decade later
+ You can't go wrong with the fantastic isometric footpath drawings

[Josefine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does exactly what it promises: lots of illustrations and pictures. For me it functioned like a map with short summaries about places to give you a first idea of what might be interesting, but no details or much specific history. Broad and superficial, but handy and smart.

[Sarah Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

These travel guides are always well worth a look when you are planning a holiday. Short, sharp and full of useful maps, hints and travel recommendations. A great place to start. They are also an "easy pack" size.

[Claire Beresford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful and informative book. Lots of information regarding Japan and its culture. Due to the book covering all of Japan there is not much detail for places you would expect. That might require separate books for your chosen locations. A great start to help you plan your trip.

[Mskychick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the right information for this book.
For isbn 9781465425713
The book is actually DK Eyewitness Travel
With a different cover

[JoJo · Rating 4 out of 5]

As informative as you would expect from an Eyewitness travel guide. I like the layout and picture guides that set the scene, and the page spreads on different topics and cultural aspects.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent guide with lots of pictures to help you decide where to visit. After your visit it serves as an interesting reminder.

[Cori]

Very helpful. Great pictures and maps. Borrowed from Mom.

[Sleepover137 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reference, although the information density is not evenly distributed. A lot on Tokyo and Kyoto but very little on some other major cities like Sendai.

[Dan Ream · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is beautifully illustrated as most DK books are, but I docked one star from my rating because of the faint, tiny typeface that made reading uncomfortable.

[Mani Dawattgaran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Das Buch gibt einen guten Überblick für die nach Japan Reisenden und hat tolle Fotos. Man hätte bei den Texten etwas an Quantität sparen und dafür informativer formulieren können.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great comprehensive guide if you are traveling to Japan. Pretty Honshu centric, but with good information on surrounding areas! A great staring point for figuring out travel plans!

[Aihua · Rating 5 out of 5]

2023 edition

[cọng rơm · Rating 5 out of 5]

nhờ cuốn này mới biết thần cung ise cứ 20 năm lại dỡ ra xây cái mới y chang cái cũ
xong cảm thí mí bạng nhậc bịnh thậc ._. hên là mình không phải người nhật cũng không sống ở nhật, con tym em quá íu đúi không chiẹu nõi xự xãng phái đến bín thái như vại

[Amanda Setasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is packed insanely full with a lot of information and cool details. I definitely enjoyed it.

[Hikari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really lovely guidebook and would suit both those planning on visiting as well as those who'd just like to read about Japan..

It's full of lovely photographs of Japan that makes choosing what to see really difficult. To help you as a traveller, DK have provided overviews of the regions with suggested itineraries based on your length of stay as well as preferences, e.g. 2 weeks in Japan, 5 days in Central Honshu, Japan on Page and Screen, Gardens, Japan for Families.

Instead of providing a detailed overview of all of Japan, DK have focussed on some key tourist sites and cities. Of the guides to places, around 30% is devoted to Tokyo including walking itineraries in the different districts. Kyoto is the only other city to receive such a detailed treatment with the other cities and sites featuring as part of their respective chapters. There are cut-aways to show how castles and temples are built as well as many walking/driving tours of different regions.

The one thing this guidebook doesn't have is a large section on places to stay although there are suggestions throughout so to find places to stay, you'll need to look elsewhere.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Strangerealms · Rating 5 out of 5]

This particular serie of touristic books is called "Voir" or in English "See". And indeed in this book there are tons of photos, plans and it's a very visual book. It talks about every aspects of the country from history, culture, food, customs, geography, etc. It contains as well a few maps of cities and addresses like for restaurants. The book is fully in color with glazed paper, the book is a bit too heavy but at the same time it's not too big, obviously it's the glazed paper that is making it heavy. I think it should fit in a medium/big handbag. I've seen books that were more complete in term of having more addresses and full maps of cities, but this serie is the only one that has so many pictures and makes it a visual pleasure, you're always like "Wow! Wow! Wow!" the whole time you read it and it gives you even more the taste to visit the country.

[Wayward Child · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed, very thorough and very interesting. Japan is in my top 5 to visit countries and I really hope I get a chance to go there somewhere in the next three years. Though I wouldn`t go without learning Japanese first. I`ve put learning Japanese on hold for now, but I will definitely go back to studying it in the autumn. The history at the beginning of the guide was a bit too much for me and I think they could have omitted that. But, then again, I did study Japanese at college, so the history and culture and religion may have been too much for me, since I`ve read about them sooooo many times, so - some other reader probably found it interesting. I liked the photos, but I think they could have included even more. All in all, an almost perfect way to get yourself acquainted with Japan before actually going there.

[♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Travel Guide

One of the first tour guides I have read was from DK Eyewitness collection about Japan. But that was many many years ago leaving me with such a desire to explore Japan at some point in my life. Therefore I was very thrilled to read an updated version of the guide.

DK Eyewitness Japan includes
- stunning bright photographs of Japanese people, culture, cities, nature
- maps for easier orientation and easier planning of the trip
- tips ‘Must See’ & ‘Must Do’

This guide made it for me all over again, leaving me with a feel of wanting to travel to Japan one day. Visiting temples, finding a peace in Japanese gardens & Japanese countryside, and to absorb Japanese culture as much as I possibly can.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to DK, DK Eyewitness Travel for an electronic ARC in return for an honest review.