No comments about Fodor's Tokyo, 2nd Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides).

5 comments about Behind the Wall: A Journey Through China.

1. The book is just wonderful, and it is written expetionally well. I've been to China and I can see that his descriptions are very true (I don't mean geography here).



2. This is a rather dated book about Thubron's journey through the Red China of the 1980s. The Wall he is referring to is the Great Wall and he visits both ends of it and meanders around this vast country. As a travel experience, Thubron treats his travel experiences by jumping around. First he tries to describe the countryside, with some flourishing descriptions and this tends to confuse the reader. Perhaps he is writing this for a British audience, but those of us on the other side of the Atlantic have a hard time digesting some of his wordings. He jumps from one experience to the next, so the flow of his writing is rather jolting. Some of his experiences make for good stories, but for the reader to mine this, he is in for an uneven read.
   This is an average read because of the flow of the book. For those interested in Red China, this may be of interest. For those interested in travel, there are better travel books out there.



3. this book uber awesome. there is absolutely nothing bad i can say about it. i think every one should have a copy of this book. I have one negative thing to say about it though. it sucked, thats why i gave it one star. I hate the world!!!!



4. Very informative adventure/travel book about what life in China was like in the mid 1980s. Rare in the sense that the author can actually speak Chinese (Mandarin), so he's not as limited as to who he can speak with as some other travel writers. We get a pretty good cross-section of Chinese people--farmers, businessmen, city dwellers, homemakers, university students. Also of interest is the author's exploration of the generation that came of age during the Cultural Revolution, and that missed out on the usual educational opportunities. I like the details, like how eating an owl, feathers and all, is supposed to cure epilepsy. This is a great read if you are interested in learning more about such an important place.



5. This book is a record of a long journey the author took through China in the mid-1980s. Before embarking, Thubron took an intensive course in Mandarin back in his native England. This enabled him to converse with the people he met he met on his trip without having to resort to translators or guesswork. Thubron met people from all walks of life--professors, students, doctors, bureaucrats, and peasants. His trip took him from one side of the country to the other.
   
   Thubron enjoys language, and seems to go out of his way to find specific descriptive terms for all he sees. Sometimes he goes a little too far out of his way, like when he describes some Beijing apartment blocks as "tundra-like", leaving the reader wondering what in the world he had in mind, or whether this was just a random choice of words. But for the most part, his use of vocabulary makes his descriptions come to life. Thubron was not greatly enamored with China; he is ready to find the bad along with the good, and his attitude at times can come across as a bit too negative. Nevertheless, the book provides an interesting glimpse of what a British traveler found in China some 10 years after Mao's passing.

No comments about China Unveiled: Living and Working Behind the Great Wall.

1 comments about Introduction to Japanese Culture.

1. I had to buy this book for my Japanese Culture class in college. It's not a typical textbook. I often found myself reading beyond what I was supposed to because there are so many interesting things about Japan.
   
   I'd recommend it to anyone who plans on visiting Japan or is just interested in their culture.

No comments about LUXE Rome (1st Edition) (LUXE City Guides).

No comments about LUXE Hanoi (LUXE City Guides).

4 comments about The Global Etiquette Guide to Asia.

1. I teach at a language school in Fort Lauderdale. We receive students from Asia and Europe who visit for 3 weeks to 6 months to improve their written and spoken English. What I often spend a lot of time doing, espeically with students from countries that are foreign to me, is deceiphering their customs and automatic responses to new situations. For example, a guy from Egypt walked with me to his apartment to give him a book. I was perspiring so when we reached his bedroom, he pulled out a red box and sprayed cologne on my shirt's armpits, in front of my shirt and on my left and right ear. "Now you will feel fresh." Well, I'm waiting for Dean Allen Foster's book on North Africa or the Middle East, because his book about customs in Asia is stellar. I highly recommend its ability to give near-instant insight into the mores and traditions of foreign cultures. To meet a guy from Japan or China without knowing the stuff in this book is like entering a supermarket without a map of the store and expecting to find toilet paper quickly. This book is like an aisle guide to the store and it might even point out that toilet paper is sold in a different container than you expect. the book helped me overcome some misconceptions (and fears) that I had developed about China and I am grateful for that. Write to me if you have other insights. stevemccrea@usa.com



2. There aren't many books to help one navigate social customs in the diverse cultures of Asia, and for that reason this book is extremely useful. The author admirably tries to give depth and context to the rules of etiquette in Asia by providing some historical, cultural and religious background, but, unfortunately, he gets a lot of that stuff wrong. For example, he says the Buddha was a "wealthy Brahmin priest". In fact, he was a Kshatriya (warrior caste) prince. This is a key factor in his renunciation of wordly things, and important to know if you want to understand the role of the Buddha and Buddhism in India.
   
   There are similarly significant errors in his descriptions of other Indian cultural matters (I don't know enough about the other Asian countries he talks about to comment, but I'm a bit skeptical of their accuracy in spots, too). Why even give that kind of background if it's not right?
   
   I noticed that a few reviewers of the Global Etiquette: Europe book complain about like errors in those books -- mostly to do with language and usage. All in all, it seems like Mr. Foster could greatly improve this series if he'd get some knowledgeable native fact-checkers and proofreaders on the job for upcoming editions.



3. I agree completely with other reviwers who bemoan the lack of fact-checking. There are portions of this book that are off enough, and potentially problematic enough, that it should not be used as a stand-alone resource.



4. A great reference guide for anyone traveling to asia for the first time. The book is broken up by countries which helps in understand a little bit of the history, culture, do's and don'ts.

No comments about India Chic (Chic Destination).

5 comments about The Rough Guide to China 4 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. This book is the cream of the crop in China travel guides. Its is large and thorough and indispensible.
   
   All information in this guide is thoughtfully organized and easy to follow and read. I also had the LP guide and did not find it as useful when navigating my way around the country.
   
   As with any travel guide, it will not serve as your only travel resource, but will no doubt start you in the right direction when you are looking for something not covered in this book.
   
   Well recommended, don't leave home without it.



2. In short, there are two good guidebooks to China - 'rough guide' and 'Lonely Planet'. You can't go wrong with either of them, however 'Lonely Planet' is slightly more comprehensive.



3. After faithfully using Lonely Planet for my trips to Western Europe and Southeast Asia, I can honestly say that I am a Rough Guide convert and will be using Rough Guide books from now on after using this book on my recent trip to China. Aside from the good maps, one thing I love about this book is the depth it takes to explain the historical and cultural significance of the places being described. The logistics isn't bad either since it contains information how to get from one place to the other. This has been a good read while on long-distance train rides and have been with me throughout my trip to China.



4. Having consulted the Rough Guide, Lonely Planet, and the Eyewitness guides to China on my last trip to the country, I can definitely vouch that Rough Guide is the way to go, with Eyewitness taking second and Lonely Planet a distant third. For my money, the Rough Guides have the edge on Lonely Planet in their critical-but-not-jaded tone, detailed practical information (more detailed than Lonely Planet), superior maps, informative and comprehensive background essays, and general elan (subjective, I know, but there you have it). That said, Lonely Planet does seem to have a slight edge in restaurants, but every place we ate at out of the Rough Guide was delicious. In the end, of course, which guidebook you buy depends on the kind of travel you'll be doing; I would recommend the Eyewitness guides without reserve for armchair and group travelers, or for those map-obsessed travlers who compulsively want to find their way around on their own. That said, the Rough Guide maps are more than sufficient, especially when supplemented with local tourist maps, which will inevitably be more up-to-date.
   
   That really is my only caveat about the book; things in China (especially Shanghai and Beijing, cities most travelers pass through) are changing so rapidly that a new edition can't come soon enough. I marked an additional 20 subway stations on the Shanghai map in January 2007; this book was published in October 2005. In the meantime, I'll just say that the Suzhou Museum is now a must-see.



5. Overall this book is very detailed with a lot of background information and interesting reading. However, as a practical guide, the book is way too dated for fast-changing China. For example, five new subway lines have started operation in Shanghai since the book was written. Although this edition was published only 2 years ago, it glaringly omits one of Shanghai's hottest new destinations for the past decade: Xintiandi, a must see for any visitor to the city. It also has no mention of Qiandao Hu (Lake of a Thousand Islands), a major scenic area in Zhejiang Province.
   
   The author's attitude is sometimes bewildering. In the paragraph for Wulingyuan National Park (Zhangjiajie), the author complains in the same sentence about overcrowding and the admission price (160 yuan, or about $25), which it calls "exorbitant". I personally think 160 yuan is a bargain for a major national park like this. Besides, what do you think would happen to the crowding issue if the price were lowered? Also in the Hong Kong chapter, it calls the Discovery Bay "nightmarish". True, the Discovery Bay is mainly a waterfront residential development popular with expat families, and is of relatively low interest to the tourist. But calling it nightmarish is way overboard.

1 comments about Days Like Floating Water, A Story of Modern China.

1. This book would inspire anyone to get out of their comfort zone and embark on a transforming journey. The McKees leave family, friends and a comfortable retirement to teach English to Chinese university students. Along the way, they find what fun they can have in getting to know and teach young people who understand very little of the world outside of China. As they embrace this new life, they have encounters in restaurants, food markets and on rickity buses that are more than amusing. Eating strange and unknown creatures makes dining out an adventure to rival any "reality show." Overcoming the everyday challenges, the McKees teach their students more than English and welcome the memories they gain.