Travel to Japan

Time Out Tokyo (Time Out Guides)

Format: Paperback
Author: Cathy Phillips
ReleaseDate: 10 June, 2005
Publisher: Time Out Publishing
Rating:

Very Useful, But Could be Much Better!
I read much of it on the plane ride over, which is when began to see some of its weaknesses. I did a fair amount of research before deciding to purchase this particular guidebook for my week-long trip to Tokyo. The book could have stood better editing, for one thing. On p. 11, for instance, a passage reads, "Emperors became largely figureheads, manipulated by a series of powerful regents from the dominant Fujiwara family. The invention of the kana syllabary, " etc. , and then immediately following "The emperors were largely figureheads, manipulated. . . "!

The writing, in general, though, is engaging, even if it very much underplays the intrinsic interest of so many sites in Tokyo. As an example, at the Meiji Shrine, "the treasure house. . . isn't that interesting. " About the Meiji Jingu Gyoen garden at the same shrine, "It's neither large nor especially beautiful. . . . " Now that might be just the frank information that a tourist wants, except that it seems to be the general attitude the book holds towards so many sites that I thought were more interesting than my "guide" suggested. I felt that I was traveling with a cranky aunt.

Also, as another reviewer suggested, directions to attractions from subway stops are not always very helpful. Try, for instance, to find the Godzilla statue on the sole basis of the directions the guidebook gives. At least in that case, its lack of clarity gave me an opportunity for an amusing interaction with a shop clerk.

For my part, I didn't like having to flip back and forth from the sections on sightseeing to the separate sections addressing food and lodging. When I am touring around, I like to be able to relate the locations of the good restaurants to the places I am visiting. This isn't easily done with this guidebook.

My criticisms aside, I took this relatively slim volume everywhere with me. The maps aren't terrific, but they they were helpful. The schematics for the rail and subway system were indispensable. The historical context the book provides is concise and illuminating. The resources section at the back could stand some expansion on topics such as buying international phone cards.

This is a good resource for a short trip. It's just that it could have been a better resource.

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My Favorite Tokyo Resource
I researched a great deal before I took the trip using this book and others but this is ultimately the travel guide that came with me. My week trip to Tokyo was made much easier with this guide.

The book has a good layout by separating the areas of Tokyo into their distinct areas. I do wish there had been a larger overall map to get a better picture of how close together the actual areas were.

The most used portion of the book for me was the train and subway maps at the back of the guide. They are invaluable! The actual directions given to sights from the subway exits, however, is not accurate. You are really on your own for that.

I personally did not use the referrals for resturants but I definitely used the shopping and site guides. We had a fantastic trip and this book fit great into a small bag. Highly recommend. I can't wait to go back!.

Mandatory for a trip to Tokyo
The maps were excellent - especially since the streets in Tokyo are not always labeled. I've just returned from my first 10 day trip to Tokyo and had to write about how fantastic this guide book was. They enabled my group and I to find the excellent clubs, shrines, temples and restuarants with ease. All the places we checked out in the guide were fantastic and the paragraph descriptions were insightful and helpful. I will always take a Time Out Guide when traveling going forward!.

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