No comments about Passport Hong Kong: Your Pocket Guide to Hong Kong Business, Customs & Etiquette (Passport to the World) (Passport to the World).

2 comments about National Geographic Traveler: China, 2d Ed. (National Geographic Traveler).

1. I haven't had time to read and use the whole book. What I have read and used is very good. I haven't checked out the hotel & restaurant information because I didn't need it. Some of the photos were good for a basis understanding.



2. "China" tries to cover too much (including Tibet and Inner Mongolia) to be useful as a tour book (imagine trying to cover the U.S. in < 400 pages), and lacks enough photos (none the size or quality associated with "National Geographic") to qualify as a treat for the senses. In addition, it totally fails to address the enormous changes in China via its new construction and industrialization.
   
   "China" does offer good tips on bargaining (in some situations), smoking, avoiding frank political discussions, renting rooms near a Karaoke ounge, jostling (vs. lines), and general lack of credit card acceptance. However, travelers also likely wonder whether eg. street signs are in English the costs of touring China, and good sources for tours. They will continue to wonder after reading "China."
   
   Suggest other sources and the Internet.

No comments about Maldives Travel Pack (Globetrotter Travel Packs).

1 comments about Art Space Tokyo: An Intimate Guide to the Tokyo Art World.

1. This gorgeously illustrated little book takes the reader on a stroll through Tokyo's neighborhoods. Its twenty interviews and half dozen essays successfully mix the voices of artists, gallery owners, journalists, art producers and art lovers.
   
   (Disclaimer: I took part in one of the interviews. By far not my favorite part of the book, but... I am very fond of the rest.)
   
   What really seduced me, however, is how the guide introduces each area with a wealth of tips on where to eat, shop, or what to see on the way to the art spaces. It succeeds not just as valuable insight on how the art world works, but as one of the best guides to date on my favorite city.
   
   Who would I recommend this to? Perhaps not novices to the art world, but to any art professional or lover of Tokyo looking for a different way to roam the city, definitely.

1 comments about China: A Traveler's Literary Companion (Traveler's Literary Companions).

1. This is a wonderful collection of stories. The wise selections cover a lot of ground, both stylistically and geographically. "The Floating City" is a sharply written and translated allegory of the recent history of Hong Kong. Mo Yan's "The Old Gun" is a beautifully and sensuously rendered tale that takes place during the floods of the early sixties when many children in Shandong were starving. The boy protagonist's surprising and violent past leads to his violent end. There's so much inevitability in the dramatic events of this story that it's poignant. A classic.

No comments about Cool Restaurants Hong Kong (Cool Restaurants).

5 comments about Clueless In Tokyo: Explorer's Sketchbook Of Weird And Wonderful Things In Japan.

1. Yes, it says so in the reviews, but somehow I missed it. I thought it was a travel guide for the "clueless." I can see how it might be amusing to some Westerners though. Now I need to get a real guide book for our trip to Tokyo.... Got any recommendations?



2. Cute illustrations and some useful Japanese words make this an enjoyable book to read but I finished it in 10 minutes so don't expect anything more than an amusing introduction to some of the unusual things a visitor would encounter. When I go to Tokyo I will bring this with me for some light reading on the plane.
   It is a clever idea though and a good supplememt to some of the drier guidebooks out there.



3. Clueless in Tokyo is a delightful way to learn about a wide variety of common things found in Japanese Culture. Keeps you laughing while you learn.



4. When I was in Japan with my family, looking at relocation 6 or 7 years ago, one of my dad's co-workers suggested this book for all of the fun things around Tokyo. This book is the reason I have a garden-size Tanuki that I lugged from Japan to Ohio to New York. It's not going to teach you what to say to find the restroom, but it'll explain what you're seeing when you get there in a way that's...well...funny. I have a friend moving to Japan and this will be the first thing he gets from me!



5. I loved this book... It brought back so many memories of my time in Japan.

No comments about Adventures in Ancient China (Good Times Travel Agency).

1 comments about Fodor's See It Vietnam, 2nd Edition (Fodor's See It).

1. Found this guide extremely useful for planning and enjoying a week's trip to Saigon and the surrounding area.
   
   There is a rich array of Vietnamese history and experiences awaiting visitors, so this book can be helpful in arranging for the best use of your time and most rewarding experiences, according to your interests.

No comments about Laos, 5th: Tread Your Own Path (Footprint - Travel Guides).