DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Japan Paperback – February 21, 2017

Another 5 star hit for DK with this guide. I've come to rely TOTALLY on DK travel guides as my initial planning tool prior to all international travel. Obviously the internet is required to drill down a bit and Trip Advisor or other site when deciding on hotels and a few other things, but for getting oriented and planning, you can't beat this and other DK Guides. For me, if I didn't use this guide prior to "searching the net", I would be spinning my wheels and spending MANY more hours in research time.As is the case with all DK Travel Guides, it is very well organized by region of the country, after providing you with an overview of Japan along with some history and cultural topics. But the meat of the book is in the color coded regional sections that are color coded to a map of Japan. That really helps me fully understand and visualize where in the country they are talking about. Then when you go to each regional section, the guide has numbered points of interest or suggested places to visit that are thoroughly explained and that are keyed to a corresponding number on a road map so once again you know where you are in Japan. And the huge bonus and what sets DK apart from any other travel guide I've used in the past, is the generous use of pictures throughout the guide. When they say "DK shows you what other travel guides only tell you", they are not exaggerating on bit.There are also sections on Where to Eat, and Where to Stay, and while useful, I don't find them a replacement for Trip Advisor or other internet searches for these topics. Frankly, with the thousands of options in a country like Japan, no guide could possibly provide this level of detail. But the places they list give you a few economy to luxury suggestions, which is the best one can expect.Finally, they provide a fairly detailed section of Travel Essentials and thoroughly cover topics such as safety, how to get around on public or private transportation, currency, health and a host of other vital topics one must consider prior to any international trip.I highly recommend this guide.

This is a wonderful, practical and easy to use book. It gives you a good introduction about Japanese history, cultural tips, what is good "etiquette", etc. It contains detailed descriptions by region and their areas, a great section on traveler's needs (where to stay, where to eat & drink, shopping, Onsen, Theme Parks, Sports & Activities, Special interests, and a great survival guide with practical information, travel info, a life saving phrase book and a great index, the book provides a "further reading" list for you if you want to read more but honestly, with this much information it should be more than enough for my 3 week trip to Japan. The local maps are well done, they are detailed enough to take you where you need to go, they are not the best but they get the job done. The book also provides you with suggested travel itineraries and what to do/see based on your time availability. The book comes with a detailed map of Tokyo's Subway.Cons? some people complain about the book being "heavy", this book is 1.4 pounds to me that is not a problem and it is clearly described at Amazon's website. So now you know, safe travels!

A lot of wonderful photos and a lot of in dept information. Goes into more detail about Japan and the places to visit. This guide goes into much more detail than most other guides. Think of it as less broad and more focused, the topics it does cover it goes into greater detail. If you want a very visual guide that also teaches you more about Japan, this is the perfect guide for you. If you need more coverage try Lonely Planet Japan. If you plan to go to a lot or rail serviced cites try Japan by Rail.The only thing I didn't like about the DK Eyewitness guide was that it has very few lodging recommendations.

Superb book! Excellent blend of cultural and geographic information. Also helpful for the user in planning which sites to visit. 875 photographs, 85 detailed maps, 55 illustrations! Very visual, but balances nicely with text. Maps are better than in other travel guides. Topics such as personal security and health, theme parks, onsen and much more are covered. I wanted to choose one of the travel guides available for my reference shelf and having borrowed this one from the local library as well as Lonely Planet's and Fodor's, I selected this one because of its superior treatment of this island nation. Binding, photo reproduction and paper quality are all wonderful. My favorite of all the "travel guides" available!

Great photos and description of sites to see, places to stay and restaurants to eat. Excellent maps, vocabulary help, and advice on culture.

I'm the type of traveler that plans almost everything about my trip before I leave my house. DK books are great to get ideas about deciding where I'd like to go as well as getting general information about the country I'm going to visit. The pictures are great and the diagrams and maps are helpful. I figure out what I'd like to see and supplement my planning with more specific books and the internet. DK books are heavy and I've never traveled with one, but I've never needed to.General Japan tips! Stay in a ryokan, get a Japan rail pass, rent portable Wi-Fi, and don't worry too much if you can't speak Japanese because people are incredibly kind and helpful- even when they don't speak English.

I love all the Eyewitness Travel series. While they don't offer the same restaurant/hotel/accommodation details as others (e.g. Lonely Planet), I find Eyewitness gives me a much better tool to plan a trip. Tons of pictures, regional information, insights into travel. I've got a slowly growing collection on the shelf. With the advent of Yelp, Google reviews, AirBnB, Trip Advisor, etc. I find having a more visual overview of the actual attractions in a place to be more useful than a step-by-step guide to travel.