Lonely Planet Japan

by Rebecca Milner, Ray Bartlett, Andrew Bender

Lonely Planet’s Japan is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Explore over a thousand temples in old imperial capital Kyoto, relax in one of the onsens scattered across the archipelago, and sample the breadth of Japan’s sublime cuisine; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Japan and begin your journey now!   Inside Lonely Planet’s Japan Travel

Up-to-date information - all businesses were rechecked before publication to ensure they are still open after 2020’s COVID-19 outbreak NEW top experiences feature - a visually inspiring collection of Japan’s best experiences and where to have them What's new feature taps into cultural trends and helps you find fresh ideas and cool new areas Pull-out, passport-size 'Just Landed' card with wi-fi, ATM and transport info - all you need for a smooth journey from airport to hotel Planning tools for family travellers - where to go, how to save money, plus fun stuff just for kids Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics Over 150 maps   Covers Tokyo, Mt Fuji, The Japan Alps, Honshu, Kyoto, Kansai, Hiroshima, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Shiko-ku, Kyushu and Okinawa    The Perfect Lonely Planet’s Japan , our most comprehensive guide to Japan, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled.    Looking for just the highlights? Check out Best of Japan , a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss sights for a quick trip.   About Lonely Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and phrasebooks for 120 languages, and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, videos, 14 languages, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more, enabling you to explore every day.    'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' – New York Times   'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' – Fairfax Media (Australia)

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

928 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Tetty Marlinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought the book before my arrival to Japan. Never gone to this country before, so I studied many things before travelling. It helped me much to understand where to go, how to and what to do.

[Ferio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voy a repetir lo que he dicho en otras guías, porque la reflexión es la misma y la estructura también:

Las guías de viaje de este estilo ya solo tienen sentido en el siglo XXI por la conveniencia de tener casi toda la información necesaria en un único sitio porque, por lo demás, carecen de la fluidez y la velocidad de actualización (particularmente en lo hostelero) que nos pueden ofrecer nuestro portal favorito de hoteles o TripAdvisor. Evidentemente, el modelo está cambiando y, por muy actualizada que esté una guía, los países son conjuntos que evolucionan cada día más y lo que ayer molaba puede que hoy no: la única forma de saberlo es a través de Internet.

Pero a mí me gustan mucho las guías Lonely Planet porque te dejan bien claro cuáles son las cosas que no debes perderte a nivel cultural en cada sitio y, siendo cosas que muchas veces tienen siglos, es difícil que su importancia cambie de un día para otro; también me gusta mucho que te dicen en qué atracciones compensa comprar la entrada previamente para evitar horas de cola, los trasfondos artístico-históricos de todas y cada una de ellas, sus precios... De otra manera, es muy complicado que todo estos datos se ofrezcan en una única página.

También hay que tener en cuenta que una guía de estas características no se lee de cabo a rabo como un libro cualquiera, sino que se usa para organizar un viaje pero no para aprenderlo y, llegado el momento de estar allí, leer con mucho más detenimiento las descripciones de cada lugar. Lo bueno que tienen estas es que también tienen un acercamiento histórico y artístico completo de cada región que sirve como introducción a todas las especificidades que se desarrollan. ¡Es material valioso!

Supongo que, con el paso del tiempo, este tipo de guías desaparecerán completamente en beneficio de páginas web que ofrecerán lo mismo a través de GPS, incluyendo audioguías y otra serie de cosas muy beneficiosas. El progreso es imparable pero, mientras tanto, cada vez que salgo de viaje me llevo mi Lonely Planet, que tampoco está de más.

Finalmente, he de destacar un problema de esta edición digital: la navegación es pésima, los enlaces solo funcionan a veces, y el índice es demasiado escueto para la complejidad taxonómica del contenido.

[Ana Bernardino · Rating 5 out of 5]

As of October 2023 there small details that need to be updated but other than that LP was the perfect travel guide for my first visit to Japan 👌🏼

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super helpful and great for planning!

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to travelling around Japan, with sections on all the geographical areas of the country. If you are going to Japan, or thinking of going there, you cannot go astray by picking this up. In classic LP fashion, there are sections on culture, history, et cetera, and it will tell you much of what you should know before setting out. I enjoyed browsing through it and reading up on places I knew I would not be visiting because it gave me a good idea of what many parts of the country are like. And the territory of Japan is diverse, stretching from northern forests in Hokkaido to tropical islands in the southwest, and mountainous areas scattered around the country.

Their recommendations on restaurants and accommodations in the bigger, more touristed areas however can be mostly discounted. One Japanese-American friend of mine certainly felt that way. Not that their advice is bad, but you will find many choices of places to eat and stay, a lot of them very good, and there is no way LP can cover them all.

[Cell]

我手頭上有的是第15版(2017)以及第17版(2022)
作者群大致雷同，內容差異也不大
找時間看看其他作者群差很多的是不是也採滾動式修正

--
在決定要跟家人的沖繩自助旅遊後，突然要肩負一部分出主意以及規劃的責任（當然不是靠這本）
在多方意見的加總下，看起來與旅行社行程有7成像
但如果提議看起來酷酷的行程，例如搭餐廳船於夕陽下用餐，大概會收到很多「蛤!?」的回應吧
原來旅行社行程是年齡跨一甲子up的可接受之集合

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Perfect book with more than enough information to get you organised for your holiday.

[Bianca Mogos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very useful.

[Louise Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really handy whilst travelling and also planning before you leave. some space in the back to collect the stamps which are available most places you visit.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would go again

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rusutsu > Niseko,
Kyoto > Tokyo,
Land > by

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Japan Planning 101

This is an excellent guide for all Japan planning.

I found it very detailed and helpful for planning all the different areas and must-see sights.

Definitely give this one a go!

4.4/5

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, helpful. I used it a lot—I got a lot of great ideas for what to see and a lot of background information. My one problem/suggestion is that they should give you addresses and maps with the addresses/names on them in the local language as well as in English. I got lost doing one of the Tokyo walks and being able to point to where I wanted to go and have the address in Japanese would have been immensely helpful.

[Chris Craddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snow Country

I have always wanted to visit Japan, and it doesn't look like I will make it there anytime soon. Nevertheless, with the help of the lonely planet guidebook to Japan, and Google Earth, I am on my way. Let's say you want to check out Hokusai, one of Japan's best known Artists. Bam! The lonely planet guidebook to Japan got your back. There is a Hokusai Museum in Obuse, a lovely little town northeast of Nagano. Hokusai did a lot of his work there, and over 30 of his works are on display. His most famous work, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, might not be there, as it was last seen in 2012 at The British Museum, but with the help of the guidebook, you can find the prefecture of Kanagawa, along with the other 35 views of Mt Fuji, the series from whence it came.

Maybe you are more concerned with more recent Art, such as Anime, or Japanese Animation. You might want to check out the Ghibli (pronounced "Jiburi") Museum, home to Ghibli Studios and designed by master animator Hayao Miyazaki himself. Even if you are unfamiliar with Spirited Away or their other films, you will love the fairy tale atmosphere and the climbable Cat Bus.

One of my favorite books from the Japanese is 1968 Noble Prize in Literature Winner Yasunari Kawabata's Snow Country. If I were to indulge my whim of visiting Northern Japan, and other sights important to Japanese Authors such as Yukio Mishima, Junichiro Tanizaki, Soseki Natsume, and Ryunosuke Atkutagawa, this guidebook would be indispensable. The same could be said of my long cherished dream of exploring sites from the films of Akira Kurosawa or Nagisa Oshima.

For those of a spiritual bent, there are ancient Buddhist and Shinto Temples, and the old capitol, Kyoto; or for the die hard live-for-the-momentsters, sake bars, discos, the sprawling metropolis Tokyo, and the Sapporo Beer Festival.

More than just a list of sights and locations to visit, there is also lots of helpful information for the traveler. There is a Survival Guide, and help navigating the complex waters of Japanese Etiquette. There is a primer of basic spoken Japanese, and even tips on what sorts of electric sockets you might encounter. There is a lot of invaluable information to the traveler packed into its 880 pages, as well as a pull out map and links to further online resources. Chris Rowthorn was the Coordinating Author, and his team of Andrew Bender, Laura Crawford, and Trent Holden do an excellent job of holding down the fort.

[Julie Shuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reviewing before my trip, this book was a bit overwhelming. It's heavy as well, though I did carry it around with me. Overall, I think it's a great reference as long as you have a larger context of where things are in relation to each other, but not great for split decision making on the ground.

Pros: I artificially seemed like an expert on Japan, even though I only knew like four phrases. This book is chock full with information, and it got to the point where the Taiwanese professor leading the trip was asking me for advice and other classmates expected me to know where I was going (an awkward, high pressure situation, lol). The history and background research is also high-quality, in addition to the sights, restaurants, hotels, etc.

Cons: The tear out map is not as helpful as the tourist maps you can get on the ground, except for the subway map on the back. The information isn't organized by neighborhood (except for the smaller maps and top sights) so you have to flip through to the massive Tokyo Eats or Sleeps section if you want to find information about a specific restaurant or hotel. So it's a detailed reference but not necessarily when you need a snap decision. One pet peeve was when I wanted to go to Kikunoi for dinner, they had the lunch rather than the dinner prices specified, so I ended up not going because it was so much more expensive than what was cited in the book.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's Go To Japan

This is an excellent tome of travel knowledge.

Lonely Planet is my favorite major travel guide publisher, and this was a great book.

I got lots of itineraries and must-dos from all of the various regions.

Definitely check this book out if you are planning a trip to Japan soon!

4.7/5


Merged review:

Big Book of Japan

This was a big and comprehensive book of Japan.

I enjoyed it a lot, and got a lot of great recommendations and travel tips from it.

Would very much recommend getting this one!

Check it out.

4.2/5

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only focused on the places that we'll be visiting in our upcoming trip to Japan. There is a lot of information on many smaller places in Japan. The format for 2024 & 25 has changed a bit and I'm not sure I like it... They only give names of eating and places to stay and you have to look them up on the internet. I think their reasoning is that things change so much and the reviews and info add a lot of pages to the publication. It's just a shift in their content presentation.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine overview of a complex, culturally sophisticated country. Great background, general history, and informative sidebars. I'll note the Kindle edition was less than ideal—lots of odd characters here and there, poor formatting, and impossible to read maps. It's fine for last minute reference or confirming details on the plane, but worked poorly as a primary reference.

[Mirona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to use when planning your trip to Japan, but also as a tool for dreaming about a trip. Or to bring with you on your trip. Basically, if you like Japan, this is great.

[Patience · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything sounded equally interesting. It provided useful information about how to see things, but wasn't very helpful in helping me determine what I wanted to see

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the country. Feel bad it’s so crowded with tourists right now.

[Brona's Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lonely Planets are always useful for the planning stages of any holiday, although when I first picked up this new edition Japan, I felt overwhelmed by how much choice there was and didn't know where to start.

I found that the highlights at the beginning of each section helped to narrow down the choices, as did the beautiful photograph montages in the middle of most of the sections.

When we're actually on the ground, the LP helps with things like train stations, connections and useful tips about taxi's, money etc.

In previous books we've also enjoyed the walking trails, and look forward to trying out some of the Japan ones next year.

However, I don't find the LP at all useful for booking accommodation. We don't want expensive and we don't want budget, which is what the LP seems to do best. We prefer to trawl the internet for good deals and interesting places to stay.

The Japan guide has been a useful place to get us started, but we supplement their practical information with internet searches, word of mouth and other guides (like the DK ones that give a good sense of the history and culture of the place).

Love the cover on this edition in particular as we're planning a blossom time visit to Japan.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good adjunct for trip planning,
but for me, does not have the information I need to decide where to go. Admittedly, I have struggled with planning this trip, and so may be more of a me issue than a travel guide problem. The thing I like about Lonely Planet guides is that they usually open with the top things you do not want to miss, and this one does not have that.
Instead it has a first chapter that goes over the myriad of reasons you might be traveling to Japan, and then some routes to consider by region. The other thing that is different is that there are a lot of pictures, which is a nice addition.
Once I decided where to go, this was helpful.

[Alan Bach]

I have not gone to even 5% of the places listed in this guide so can't say for sure how good the recommendations are. Of places I have visited, it hypes up some places I thought were nothing special alongside places I thought were spectacular, but it did give me recommendations of new places that I haven't heard elsewhere before.

The guide paints some stereotypes of Japan as if they are commonplace (constant earthquake rumbles in Tokyo, "cash is king", etc.). And even with my very rudimentary knowledge of Japanese phrases some of the ones they list seem odd. Definitely feels like an outsider looking in.

[John Dolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Lonely Planet Japan’ is a rather large tome with nice pictures/maps, and on that basis alone I would have expected it to be of significant benefit during my recent first holiday to The Land of the Rising Sun. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and I must say I found talking to folks along the way, using phone apps, and browsing the Internet much more useful in terms of identifying where to go, what to do, and how to do it. Maybe this sort of guide book has had its day. A shame. Lonely Planet used to be my go-to reference source for vacations.

[Raghav Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this book before my travel to Japan. This book was a massive help in making my itinerary, understand more about the places I am about to visit, how to plan my travel within Japan and what all things I should be aware of. Thanks to this book, I was able to truly enjoy my trip and we were able to make the most of the places we had planned. A must-read before your trip to Japan! Will be reading this book again before my 2nd visit.

[Nia Nymue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't read the whole book, just the sections on the places I'm going to. It's very well-organised and caters to many different "learning styles". The descriptions are current and accurate. Will definitely use it again when going to other places. Might even reread for some states just to compare descriptions with my own personal experience.

[Bre · Rating 3 out of 5]

We buy Lonely Planet books before travelling to another country because it helps us get an idea of what exists. This book did that, but not much else. The "budget" recommendations were expensive, the "off the beaten path" options were still highly touristed, and they didnt eben mention some of the best neighborhoods we found. Good to get your bearings, but afterwards, I'd lean on TokyoCheapo ;-)

[Sarah Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Handy and comprehensive guide to travelling around Japan. Excellent information on transport options, tourist hot spots and seasonal information. Comes with a pull out map and Narita airport card . My only criticisms - the print is very small and the book if very chunky (not the best option for the luggage. Great pre-holiday reading.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite spanning over 900 pages, Lonely Planet's guide hardly even begins to capture the magic of Japan. The authors are far too focused on the big cities and major tourist attractions, there is little to mention of things to do in further off the beaten track places. Even within the big cities like Tokyo and Osaka, it misses some of the more secret, but far more enjoyable things to do.