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Guidebook of the Year The Rough Guide to Japan (see below for details)
Japan update is designed to support the two Japan guidebooks of which I am co-author: the Rough Guide to Japan and the Mini Rough Guide to Tokyo. My aim is to provide a place in which to gather incoming information between editions while also making it available to anyone thinking of visiting Japan. The core of Japan update is the new information section, where you'll find the latest comments, clippings and travel news. If you've got some information you'd like to share, please email me. In the Top 10s section I've indulged myself with some very subjective rankings of various sights around Japan. If you'd like to offer your own versions, I'd be happy to post them alongside. The annotated list of links is designed to put a broad range of relevant information sources at your finger-tips, while Tada Taku's glossary introduces some of the more important words, names and phrases commonly encountered in contemporary Japan.
Awards for the Rough Guide to Japan
Of the Rough Guide to Japan they said: "None of the judges had a particular interest in Japan but all came away wanting to visit the country. Compelling writing made it difficult to put down. There was a seamless quality to the structure. The enthusiasm and clarity of writing lifted the book above the simple formula adopted by a familiar series. The sparse illustration was more than rescued by stand-alone boxes that explained aspects of Japanese life without being patronising. The Japan guide also won high praise on the most important element of such a book - the ease of use on the ground. The indexing was outstanding, public transport was well explained, the phrase book section was comprehensive."
A spot of history ....
I first went to Japan in 1991 when my husband's job took us to Tokyo for two years. It is an astonishing city, not exactly beautiful but with an incredible buzz. The cover of the Mini Rough Guide to Tokyo says it all - this place has energy and it's catching. Love it or hate it, I defy anyone to be bored in Tokyo! The city has some of the best bars, clubs and restaurants in the world, eye-catching modern architecture, a slew of top-class museums and galleries, and - amongst it all - you can still find surprising hints of an older, more traditional Japan. In fact, my favourite Tokyo pastime is to explore the residential areas tucked between the expressways and train tracks. Here, even close to the city centre, you'll come across picturesque lanes, the occasional old wooden house and delightful neighbourhood shopping streets, each with its rice store, tofu maker, grocers and - if you're lucky - one of the remaining public bathhouses. But Japan is, of course, much more than Tokyo. I think what really sold Japan to me were the onsen (hotspring baths) and especially the outdoor variety - rotemburo. To my mind, little surpasses the ecstasy of slipping into a steaming pool on a snow-covered hillside, or on the banks of a tumbling stream. Bliss! The search for the ultimate rotemburo has taken me all over Japan - and I'm happy to say I've only just scratched the surface.
And a couple of stories ..... Braving the "Big Sushi"
Buy the Rough Guide To Japan from Amazon.com
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The Rough Guide to Japan and Mini Rough Guide to Tokyo have been recognised by the Japan Festival Fund for their "outstanding achievement in furthering the understanding of Japanese culture".
