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Travel Guides Books, Maps, History and More
on
Japan
Books
on this
page may be ordered from IMC
(imcbook). We are in Tokyo. Books
also link to
Amazon (via ISBN) or other sources. Click on cover picture to see
larger picture and more detail. Prices
are quoted in Japanese Yen or US$ unless otherwise indicated.
Additional tax and
shipping charges may apply. All book are paperback unless otherwise
indicated. Also see books in Nonfiction,
Business &
Communications and our other lists. If a book description is
followed by " note", see the numbered note
at
the bottom of
this page.
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Being
A Broad in Japan: Everything
the Western Woman Needs to Survive and Thrive - Caroline
Pover Out of
Print. Out of Stock. You may find a used
copy at Blue Parrot or on Amazon.
Yen 3,500, 2001 (4th printing 2006), 515pp, paperback, 149x210mm, 4990079108
currently hard to find
Includes
everything a woman needs to make the most out of life: case
studies of Western women working in almost 50 different type of jobs;
anecdotes from many of the 200 Western women interviewed; profiles of
23
women's organizations; essential Japanese words and phrases; and
indispensable resource sections listing telephone numbers and Websites
for English-speaking housing agencies, banks, doctors, dentists,
gynecologists, therapists, lawyers, maternity classes, day care
centres, employment agencies, labour unions, graduate schools, and
more. (This publisher has recently restarted a magazine of the same
name.)
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Best of Tokyo
2nd ed by Wendy Yanagihara
Yen 2,500, 2005, 128pp, paperback, 106x197mm, 1741041767
If
you are coming to Tokyo and will be moving around the city for business
or pleasure, then this is a fine pocketable book for you. Durable
laminated covers and fold-out maps. A huge amount of concise
information in a few pages. Weak point is small type especially when
trying to fit all of Tokyo's subway and train system into a small page.
also see
the larger Tokyo books below
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Chronicles
of My Life - An American in the Heart of Japan by
Donald Keene
Yen 4,193, 2008, 196pp, hardcover, 140x209mm, 9780231144407
NEW 2008
"As arguably the most important person in the creation and
establishment of Japan studies in the West, Donald Keene -- as well as
the work he has produced and the work he has inspired -- is certainly
deserving of a book-length autobiography. Chronicles of My Life presents a
clear view of the arc of an important scholar's life, his involvement
with Japan, and the situations that led him to and the events that led
him through its study. - Stephen Miller, Assistant Professor of
Japanese, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
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Cosplay
by Guy Vinciguerra
Yen 2,500, 2003, 60pp, paperback, 231x229mm, 0957909411
Photographs of Japanese girls
who dress in outlandish self-created styles and hang out in places like
the Harajuku and Shibuya districts of Tokyo. Rebels in a non-rebellious
society. Slaves to their own trends. An Australian engineer and avid
photographer visits Tokyo
with his camera and a sense for dramatic photos with sharp colors. The
result becomes an exhibition at the Perth Institute of Contemporary
Arts and this fine and disquieting book. One or two photos on most
pages. This is not the
Japan of modern industry or of sun-blackened farmers raising rice. But
this is at least as real.
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The
Couch Potato's Guide to Japan: Inside
the World of
Japanese TV by
Wm. Penn, illustration by Julie Morikawa
$20.00, 2003, 202pp, paperback, 148x210mm, 4902422018
Couch Potato is about watching TV. It contains nothing about
technological innovations and no insider secrets, but it is packed with
information. Here is an informative and fun book that will help anyone
to enjoy Japanese TV, and that adds up to enjoying life in Japan. The
major sections of the book are: The TV Archipelago; Japanese TV
Sociology 101; Small Screen Drama; TV Language and Linguistics 102;
Gotta Laugh, Gotta Cry; TV News File; A Vast Variety of Variety;
Favorite Japanese TV Pastimes; TV Tourism; Televiews Moments; The TV
Directory. |
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Four
Pairs of Boots: A 3,200 Kilometer Hike the Length of Japan
by Craig McLachlan
Yen 1,340++, 277pp, paperback, 110x178mm, 4-89684-253-7,
252g
Pilgrims, or henro as they are known in Japanese, have been
walking clockwise around Shikoku, Japan's fourth largest island, for
well over one thousand years. They follow in the footsteps of the great
Buddhist saint Kobodaishi, searching for the ever elusive enlightenment
that he found there. They visit the 88 sacred temples, and in
overcoming the hardships of the journey they become better for it, or
so the theory goes! Nowadays nearly all henro travel in cars,
taxis or buses, and physical hardship |
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Hiking
in Japan by Mason Florence, et al Yen 2,990 ++,
2001, 440pp, paperback, 128x184mm, 368g, 1864500395
Sunrise atop Fuji-san, steaming volcanoes, natural hot springs, ancient
temples and pilgrim trails, wild subtropical jungles, spectacular
gorges, unique wildlife and nature's seasonal shows -- explore the
wonders of Japan with this meticulously researched guide. .... So says
the back cover of this extremely good and popular Lonely Planet book.
Japan has hundreds of mountains from the very north to the very south,
but you don't have to be a professional climber to hike and most of the
mountains can be negotiated by anyone in good condition.
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Hyakumeizan:
Japan's 100 Mountain Challenge by Craig McLachlan
Yen 1,300+, 1998, 249pp, paperback, 110x177mm, 4896842626
(this title is out of stock, perhaps
permanently)
Japan's 100 Famous Mountains. 100 peaks that can be summitted by anyone
willing to make the effort. Some easy, some hard. An average height of
2,200 metres, with 13 over 3,000 metres. Who on earth would try to
conquer the whole lot in 100 days? Two crazy Kiwis, that's who! In May
1997, Craig McLachlan and Travis Taiaros set out on the ultimate
adventure. As Craig said before they started out, "Overplanning kills
adventure". They didn't overplan. This is the story of their 78-day
journey to the summit of all 100 Famous Mountains, and the fascinating
experiences they had along the way. |
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Islam Shines in Japan -
perspective and prospects: by Muhammad Abdur Rahman
Siddiqi
Yen 1,500, 2008, 176, paperback, 127x188mm, 9789830652689
NEW 2008
This booklet is an outstanding presentation of the studies, ideas and
suggestions of the author in a simple language petraining to Islam and
the Muslims in Japan - Yasushi Akashi, Former Under-Secretary-General,
United Nations
It is easy to forget that Japan has any Muslims other than those from
embassies or businessmen passing through. Japanese seem to be almost
equally at home with Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Christians?
some. This book provides a easy to read introduction to Islam. The
author, well known and respected, knows both Islam and Japan.
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Japan
10ed, Chris Rowthorn, et al
Yen 4,350, 2007, 868pp, paperback, 128x198mm, 650g, 978741046670
If you want to travel Japan, if you want a reference book on Japan,
this book is a great choice. Major sections: Tokyo,
Around Tokyo, Central Honshu, Kansai, Western Honshu, Northern Honshu,
Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu, Okinawa & the Southwest Islands.
Following these are sections: Directory, Transport, Health, Language,
Glossary, Index. In case you don't know it already, Japan consists of
four main islands [Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku] plus Okinawa.
Most travelers to Japan spend all or most of their time on Honshu where
the major cities are Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Kobe
and Hiroshima. They could have chosen a better cover but the book is
okay.
Also consider Frommer's
Japan, and Fodor's
Japan
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Japan - 6,000 miles on a
bicycle by Leigh
Norrie
NEW 2008
Yen 2,000, 2008, 229p, paperback, 418g, 9781933606149
This book is not about tour cycling, but it is. It's not about Japan,
but it is. It's not about sightseeing, but it is. In short, this book
is about six months of someone's life -- a journey. As with all
journeys, it begins with uncertainty and ends in reward. It may inspire
you. If it does nothing more, this adventure will have achieved more
than I ever imagined. -- the author.
Japan is not an easy place to cycle. The roads are narrow and crowded.
Flat land is scarce, 15% of the total, and the result is long uphill
climbs soon followed by another and another, but a good hot
Japanese bath, meal and new found friends can make it all worthwhile.
Want to try? Beware of drunken drivers and dump trucks.
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Japanese
Phrasebook 4ed by Yoshi Abe
Yen 1,190, 2004, 255pp, paperback, 137g, 1740591631
Small enough to fit comfortably in most pockets. If you have never
studied Japanese, never visited the country before, only plan to stay
for a few days, and have no interest in language study, you don't need
this book. You will probably not venture far from the hotel and the
basic tourist or business spots. But if you will be here long enough to
venture outside the circle, this is a fine and comprehensive book. Its
basic fault is type that is far too small for anyone with less
than 20/20 vision.
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Kyoto:
A Cultural and Literary History by John Dougill
Yen 2,500++, 2006, 242pp, paperback, 132x203mm, 370g, 1904955134
note 1
Former capital of Japan, Kyoto breathes the past and much of what
Japanese, as well as Westerners, consider to be the heart of the
Japanese peoples' history and culture. John Dougill is a professor at
Ryukoku University in Kyoto and he knows his subject well. You may
still need a book that guides you to hotels, restaurants and airports,
but this book is what you need to get a feel for Japan, its past, and
perhaps its future.
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Kyoto:
City Guide 3rd edition by Chris
Rowthorn
currently hard to find
$21.99, 2005, 234pp, paperback, 128x197mm, 238g, 174104085X
From the back cover: "Kyoto, imperial heart of Japan, is where arts and
culture reign supreme. Escape the frenzy of Tokyo and Osaka for the
flutter of cherry blossoms and the serenity of a zen garden.
........"
Too much hype, but the book itself, with typical Lonely Planet
competence, does a great job of covering all that the tourist may want
to do and see in this old, proud, tourist mecca. |
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Living
in Japan: 14th Edition, Justine
Bornstein & Doug
Jackson, editors currently hard to find
$37.00 (+), 2004, 466pp, paperback, 149x209mm, 4915682234
This book has for decades been the most consistently excellent
guide to Japan for English-speaking expatriates living and working in
this country. Started by the ACCJ (American Chamber of Commerce in
Japan) for its members, this 14th edition
was edited by Carter Witt Media, the
publishers of Japanzine. The writers of each section
were chosen from among U.S., U.K., Australian, Canadian and other
native English speakers to make sure the book is useful for all. The
writers are also based in different parts of Japan so that they can
write with authority on their geographic or other specialty. LIJ is not
for travelers
who have no longterm interest in Japan. It is for all others.
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Lost Japan
by Alex Kerr (copies now available are new but shopworn)
$10.95 (+), 1996, 269pp, paperback, 128x196mm, 288g, 0864423705
Originally written in Japanese, this passionate, vividly personal book
draws on the author's experiences in Japan over 30 years. He
takes the reader on a backstage tour, as he explores the ritualized
world of Kabuki, retraces his initiation into Tokyo's boardrooms during
the heady bubble years, tells how he stumbled on a hidden valley that
became his home ... and exposes the environmental and cultural
destruction that is the other face of contemporary Japan. (Winner of
the 1994 Shincho Gakugei Literature Prize.) This book has been
very popular. An opposite view would hold that Japan was never what the
author supposes and thus was not "lost". The "good old days"?
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Rediscovering
the Old Tokaido: In the Footsteps of Hiroshige
by
Patrick Carey
$55.00 (++), 147pp, (2000 reprint 2005), hardcover, 136x215mm, 1901903109
All fifty-five prints from
Hiroshige's "Fifty-three Stages of the Tokaido" are reproduced in
full-colour, supporting a detailed and intriguing account of the
author's rediscovery on foot of the historic 303-mile road from Edo
(Tokyo) to Kyoto. Most Japanese imagine that the 'Old Tokaido',
connecting the two ancient capitals, no longer exists. It is assumed
that the road has been almost entirely obliterated by twentieth-century
modernization. Fired by some clues obtained from old books
and maps, the author set out to investigate whether this was really so.
More importantly, he followed 'in the footsteps of Hiroshige' and armed
with copies of the famous woodblock prints that Hiroshige produced
after his own journey in 1832, he tried to identify, in the modern
landscape, the sites that Hiroshige had depicted. This is his full and
frank account supported
by many parallel photographs of the Hiroshige locations as they are
today, bringing the old and new Japan together for real-time and
armchair travellers alike.
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Tales of a Summer Henro
by Craig McLachlan
Yen 1,300, 1997, 240pp, 110x175mm, 220g, 4-89684-257-X
Pilgrims, or henro as they are known in Japanese, have been
walking
clockwise around Shikoku, Japan's fourth largest island, for well over
one thousand years. They follow in the footsteps of the great Buddhist
saint Kobodaishi, searching for the ever elusive enlightenment that he
found there. They visit the 88 sacred temples, and in overcoming the
hardships of the journey they become better for it. Or so the theory
goes! Nowadays nearly all henro travel in cars, taxis or buses,
and
physical hardship doesn't come into it! I was a henro in the
sweltering
summer of 1995 and this book contains the tales of my journey. CRAIG
McLACHLAN |
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Tokyo:
A View of the City by Donald Richie
$25.00, 1999, 142pp, paperback, 156x232mm, 1861890346
Donald Richie takes the reader on a revealing tour of the different
districts of Japan's capital city. Starting from the original centre of
Tokyo – the Imperial Palace – Richie branches outwards, taking in other
areas such as Yoshiwara, the original red-light district, and Ginza,
the world-famous shipping street. The author has kept a diary for the
entire time he has lived in Tokyo, and excerpts from it provide
on-the-spot insights into the significance of fashions and fads in
Japanese culture (for example the recent Tamagochi craze), as well as
the various aspects of life in a small neighborhood. Richie gives a
real sense of how Japanese society has changed since the Second World
War, yet remained rooted in its past.With the eclectic eye and ear of a
film-maker, Richie describes the flavor and idiosyncrasies of this
chaotic, teeming city. Tokyo is illustrated with 30 intriguing
photographs by Seattle-based photographer, Joel Sackett.
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Tokyo
City Guide, 6ed, by Andrew Bender & Wendy
Yanagihara NEW
$19.99 , 2006, 282pp, 1740598768
They don't come any cooler than Tokyo. By turns hi-tech, lo-fi,
conventional and outrageous, Tokyo is a city that shouldn't work but
does. Promenade with the goths of Harajuku, feast your eyes on the
blazing lights of Ginza, and unwind in an intimate izakaya. For a city
as stylish as Tokyo, you need a smart and streetwise guide. This is it.
..... That review for a previous edition is nonsense but Tokyo is a
city that does demand a guide book. Several in fact. As of today
(Aug.2006) this is probably the most complete and usable without being
overly big. For a real quick guide with maps
and basic info, also see BEST OF TOKYO above.
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Tokyo : City on the
Edge, by Todd Crowell & Stephanie Forman Morimura
$30.00?, 2002, 223pp, hardcover, 962-7160-80-6
"This is a remarkable book about one of the most remarkable cities
manking has ever created -- essential reading, I would judge, planning
to visit Tokyo and still more for any foreigner intending to live
there." Jan Morris, author of Trieste and The Meaning of Nowhere.
This book will teach you much that you need to know to be comfortable
in Tokyo. It is an easy and enjoyable read.
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TOKYO:
Here and
How!
new
2007 - best guide for new resident families
An expat's guide
to finding your path in the city and beyond ...
This new book is the bible for the newly arrived (or arriving)
foreigner. Put together by the Women's Group of the Tokyo American
Club, the book is woman-centered but not American centric. The book is
now available and we hope to be able to give you more info within a few
days (today is Nov 7). 350 pages and weighing in at 925 grams, this is
not a book to be carried around in your knapsack. I compared it today
with the current Lonely Planet Tokyo book, Perhaps not a fair
comparison, but the TAC book is by far the better for a resident expat.
Have you seen either or both books? Tell us your impression. |
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World Food Japan
by John Ashburne & Yoshi Abe
2002, 288pp, paperback, 1740590104
From the traditional dishes served at rural hot-spring ryokan inns, to
Buddhist temple tea ceremonies, to the restaurant-filled high-rise
madness of Tokyo, Japan expresses itself through its food. Sake and
sushi. Dashi (soup stock). Bento boxes. Soba noodles. Natto (fermented
soy beans). Matsutake mushrooms. Shrimp still wriggling as they slip
down your throat. There is plenty of food everywhere in Japan. If you
are into exploring away from the deluxe hotel on your own, a little
knowledge of the real food that Japanese eat will help a lot.
This book is a good choice.
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NOTES:
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note 1 - If you are
in Japan, be
sure to look for this book using the Amazon.co.jp link in the right
column of this page.
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For
many more travel guides and maps
see
here
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Hotels
& Hostels
TOKYO
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If you order FODOR'S travel
books through link below, you
are ordering from FODOR'S
not from IMC in Tokyo.
The free delivery offer
applies only in USA.
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