Japan (Lonely Planet Country Guides) [Paperback]

I travel to 2-3 new destinations per year, always relying in the Lonely Planet travel guides. When I decided to go to Japan this spring, we ordered the newest country guide from Amazon. I am sorry to say: this guide was disappointing. It lacks basic information that usually the Lonely Planet guides have. Probably Japan is not an easy country for writing a travel guide about (and given the astonishing choices of places to visit, to eat, etc., it is not straightforward to write such a book), but some of the recommended places were not, by far, the best choices. Don't get me wrong, this guide has also very good suggestions and information, but compared to other Lonely Planets... it just did not live up with my expectations.

Just returned from 2 weeks in Japan with 2 teens, using only this book. Visited Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. The Tokyo section we found quite good and we only got lost using its maps twice in 6 days (in Asakusa and Akihabara areas). Oddly the subway map doesn't seem to show all the stops on the Yurikamome Line (which you take to see ASIMO and other robots at Miraikan Museum). Fortunately took Tokyo City atlas with us as well.

Our main criticism is that the Kyoto section we felt underinformed us as to the most important sights in the city and we ended up missing some wonders. The orientation section at the beginning doesn't list key sights, just says it is difficult to recommend and to visit east, northwest and southwest areas! Quite a cop-out really and this left us struggling to know what to choose to visit from the vast array of temples and gardens in the limited time we had. We needed some guidance! i.e. of the type 'if you have 3 days in Kyoto do not miss'. Also there are apparently some good things for teens to do in Kyoto - the Geisha make-over studio, the Manga Museum - but we didn't hear about these from the guidebook. There is an emphasis on travelling by bus in the Kyoto section with scanty info on the tube - but we found the tube far easier to use and less confusing than the bus.

The mobile phone section buried in the back of the guide tells you how to hire a mobile but doesn't make clear that apparently UK mobiles don't work in Japan at all - unless they are 3G. So it was impossible for us all to split up and do different things during the day. We would have hired local mobiles at the airport on arrival, had we known this was essential.

Buried in the back of the book it tells you to buy your JR Pass before you go to Japan. The subsequent info given is slightly incorrect in that it tells you that the clock starts ticking on the pass as soon as you validate it in Japan. In fact you can validate it on arrival at the airport with a travel start date several days in the future.

Overall this book was fairly helpful but with incomplete info on some essential basics (mobiles, JR Pass) for a newcomer to Japan. The Kyoto section needs clear guidance on what not to miss. Sections on what to do with teenagers in the cities we visited would also be a helpful addition.

We take both this Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide on our Japanese road trips, allowing us to compare them side by side. And two ARE better than one, since the authors make different choices about what to cover.

During our latest four-week visit, however, we concluded that this Lonely Planet just can't compete with its rival.

Too often, its decisions about what to emphasise and what to exclude are downright eccentric. Moreover, there is an annoying style in some regional chapters - humorous or sarcastic parenthetical comments that add no information and feel like padding.

The Rough Guide, by comparison, is more straightforward. If you can afford and have room for both, that's probably still the best option. If not, though, Lonely Planet would not be the first choice.