2 comments about The Rough Guide to Tokyo - 4th Edition.

1. If you are going to Tokyo-do not buy this book! Do not buy the Rough Guides to Japan either-it's written by the same writers. The writers supposedly lived in Japan for several years. Didn't seem like it with all the circles they led us in and the bad directions! They did not even explain the subway system well enough. Book doesn't have a real map of the Tokyo metro (like the other books do). I was very disappointed with the book, having been a fan of Rough Guides for years. I will be switching to Lonely Planet.



2. This book has very good written content (e.g., clearly written, up-to-date, lively, contains web addresses for further reference), but the neighborhood maps that appear throughout the book are mostly monochrome, and are not very easy to negotiate with the eye. This is a big problem if you're trying to use this book partly to learn the topography of Tokyo. I use this book in conjunction with the well-crafted "Streetwise Tokyo" laminated color map. This would work, but until Rough Guide adds better-designed (and colored) maps, it might be more efficient and cost-effective to look at some of the competing books.

3 comments about You Know You've Been in Japan too Long....

1. I glanced through this book being rather skeptic. Not that many books made by Gaijins can even be considered decent. However, this book actually made me laugh quite a bit, especially the part with "Yoisho..." I am an American, and have been living in Japan for almost 12 years now. I love it here, and this book really does hit the nail on the head. It's good for a few laughs, nothing serious... Read it, enjoy it...



2. Not sure what others meant by "Not that many books made by Gaijins can even be considered decent." Gaijin meaning "Not Japanese". I think a good author "Gaijin" would be "Lauren Weisberger" just for starters!
   
   Bill, I laughed all the way through! Good reading even if you not in Japan!



3. A very humorous, and I think, accurate book about how westerners feel about some of japan's quirks. While in Japan, my friends and I would gather around this book and laugh at it. Now back home, it serves as a fond reminder of the quirkiness I encountered through daily living. And if truth and accuracy isn't a good reason, the bunny in the corner makes up for it. This book makes a wonderful gift for anyone who's ever lived in Japan.

1 comments about Say It in Japanese.

1. This provides a nice introduction to the Japanese language and provides some information on the culture. It covers basic conversation divided into appropriate categories - introductions, greetings, apologizing, asking for something, questions, taking a bus, sightseeing and others.

   There is a section that covers Japanese expressions - show his eyes something (discipline someone), to have one's eyes stolen (to be captivated by beauty), he broke his mouth (he confessed), you can't touch it (impossible to deal with). It's a long list. Another section discusses words that can have vague or multiple meanings. Language and Culture are also here.

   You may think it's dumb to have a section called Language in a book that teaches a language, but here it covers tongue-twisters, word play, word games, dialects, and polite language.

   The book might be somewhat basic, but it's a great starting place.

5 comments about What's What in Japanese Restaurants: A Guide to Ordering, Eating, and Enjoying (Origami Classroom).

1. If you are going on a trip to Japan, take "What's What in Japanese Restaurants" with you. It is a handy, pocket-sized reference book that will save you many a stomach-ache and hopefully let you discover many a good taste. Not all strange Japanese food is to be feared!

   The guide outlines many of the main Japanese foods, a few ways to eat them and some simple restaurant etiquette. The food are named in both English and Japanese, with the Japanese written in Katakana and Hiragana. This is important, as most Japanese menus will not contain an English translation.

   The books small size is most convenient, as luggage space can be at a premium. In the end, you will be glad you brought this book along.




2. This book is more suited to those on a culinary tour of Japan, or those looking to taste the entire culture. I went on a short business trip, and ordinary guidebooks seemed to have enough information for survivial (for me at least).

   If you're the sort of person who likes to try everything, this book may be for you. For a one week trip, I did not have time to take advantage of all of the information.




3. I found the content of this book very interesting. It's a complete guide to the different restaurants and other eating spots you might find in Japan. The familiar sushi, tempura and teppanyaki are just a few of them. Also there is information on the big regional differences and on ethnic cuisine (Korean minority).
   But, unlike Japanese dishes, the visual aspect of this book is poor. Either out of cost effectiveness or to scale it down to pocket size. Type is small and any Japanese character with more than 5 strokes is absolutely illegable.
   The different kinds of counting are not explained, but phrases as 'please, turn up/down the flame' and 'please turn off the burner' are translated at the end of almost every chapter.
   Worst of all, the text refers often to a chart of the Japanese syllables inside front and back cover. But it simply is not there!
   It looks like a inexpencive reprint, that makes me wanting the original version. Less content and bigger type would work wonders for this unique book.



4. This book seemed like an excellent book when I read it before going to Japan. However, once I was there, all of the food sections were pretty much useless. None of the listings were detailed enough and almost all of the restaurants had menus completely unique and different from the one's listed in the book.
   
   However, the book's main redeeming value is page 32/33 and 42/43 that gives very useful phrases to use in restaurants. Otherwise you can pretty much do without the book. If you don't read kanji, you're pretty much on your own and will probably end up pointing to pictures and saying "I want that." If you read kanji, you'll be able to guess over 50% of what's on the menu.



5. This is the book to give to someone who is going to visit Japan for the first time.

No comments about They Came to Japan: An Anthology of European Reports on Japan, 1543-1640 (Michigan Classics in Japanese Studies).

No comments about A Flower Lover's Guide to Tokyo: 40 Walks for All Seasons.

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.

2 comments about Kyoto: A Cultural History (Cityscapes).

1. When you write a book in praise of Kyoto, it's hard to go wrong by me. This fine and refined metropolis--formerly Japan's political capital and (sorry Tokyo) always and ever its cultural capital--is in all honesty one of my favorite places on earth, and back when I lived in Japan nary a month would go by that I wouldn't visit it at least once. Back here in the States that's not really possible, unfortunately, and so it's quite a delight to at least be able to revisit Kyoto through the pages of this brief but heartfelt cultural history.
   
   The author has lived and worked in Kyoto for a long time as a professor of British Studies at Ryukoku University, and so has a deft first-hand familiarity with the city along with an obvious deep affection and enthusiasm for the place, all of which he unselfishly shares with the reader. On the other hand, since this is not his primary scholarly field, he has taken a vast store of variously scattered expert studies and translated primary sources and weaved these together with his own anecdotal accounts, memories, and impressions; some might dismiss this as "unoriginal" but to read so widely and then handpick the relevant portions and craft them into a coherent narrative that's personal, personable, entertaining, and informative all in one is no mean feat and is nothing to sneeze at. That said, the parts where he digressed to discuss his own experiences of Kyoto were often the parts that really shone for me as a reader, as these were often perceptive and thought-provoking as well as sometimes funny--and speaking of funny, the author has a wonderful penchant for lame puns and silly jokes that add a certain fatherly charm to the prose.
   
   As a whole the book is well-organized, moving along chronologically from the city's founding in 794 to modern times, discussing the characteristic cultural contributions of Kyoto distinctive to each era of Japanese history often with one as the primary focus ("The Tale of Genji", the schools of Buddhism, court verse, Zen, Noh drama, decorative art, the way of Tea, haiku, geisha, cinema, and the modern novel (those by Tanizaki, Mishima, and Kawabata)). The sociopolitical history of the city is also addressed properly, mostly as it is relevant to changes and shifts in cultural history, of course. He has a surefire respect for tradition but can also take the city's modern developments in stride--this is a living, breathing city after all and not a large sprawling museum. The only drawback is that there are a few inaccuracies in the chapter on Buddhism, some glaring (Dainichi is most certainly NOT the Buddha "who created all things"--there is no creator Buddha in Buddhism, nor any creation per se) and some merely nitpicky or just semantically misleading. Nothing a little further reading won't straighten up, though, and the ins and outs of Buddhism are not the main topic at hand, so these inaccuracies are not a mortal sin really, just a minor annoyance if you happen to know better.
   
   The book is written in a very accessible, straightforwardly casual prose style that is ideal for someone unfamiliar with Japan and its cultural capital and still enjoyable for a frequent visitor or resident--also perfect for reading during one's long commute by train or bus. A word of warning though to prospective buyers: the book's cover somehow makes it look like a guidebook, and this is misleading. It makes no attempt to outline key places, hours of operation, and transportation. It's not even organized by site as other similar titles are (such as Mosher's great contemplative guide: Kyoto: A Contemplative Guide) though reading it might give you a few hints of places you might want to check out. On the other hand, if you plan on visiting Kyoto as a tourist this book would be a great and user-friendly way to place all of the detailed data from your guidebook(s) into an overall context and framework and you'd doubtlessly get a whole lot more out of your trip thereby. And if you're stuck somewhere else wishing you were in Kyoto like me, this book is a reliable way to take a little trip there in spirit.



2. I read this book on a stay in Kyoto and found it helpful in looking at Kyoto from a deeper point of view. It had an interesting angle in presenting Kyoto and it's different aspects. Conceptually it's well put together, but the author throws in personal comments that aren't needed, such as how his knee is damaged so he can't participate in the Tea Ceremony, even though he loves it. Also Japanese spelling of the same thing will change in the book. If this book was peer-reviewed a few more times then published I think it would be much better; maybe on the second publishing...

1 comments about Japan: Soul of a Nation.

1. I like the book very much.
   I love the photographer.

1 comments about Unbeaten Tracks in Japan: The Firsthand Experiences of a British Woman in Outback Japan in 1878.

1. Isabella Bird's firsthand account of the Japanese countryside and its inhabitants is fascinating for its detailed description of nature and is full of interesting observations of the customs and characteristics of both the Japanese and Ainu people. Isabella Bird deliberately chose to avoid the main routes as she traveled northward, and for the villagers she meets along the way, she is the first foreigner that they have ever laid their eyes upon. The reaction that she provokes is enough to make you laugh as Isabella does a good job of describing the scene before her eyes. Last but not least, I especially enjoyed reading the insightful Forward which gave me some food for thought as I read through the book.