Customer Reviews

Time Out Guide to Tokyo, 5th Edition

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Time Out Tokyo provides good cultural information -- restaurants, musuems, stores, etc. Unfortunately, it does not contain even the basics in terms of maps. Many of the recommended sites are not on any map in the book, and there is no overall map.

The Lonely Planet Tokyo City Guide is far better in terms of maps and other logistical information, such as where trains run and when. On the other hand, Time Out is clearly better when it comes to what to see and do. So, take your pick, or take both!

I've just returned from my first 10 day trip to Tokyo and had to write about how fantastic this guide book was. The maps were excellent - especially since the streets in Tokyo are not always labeled. 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!

I purchased this book because it was light and easy to carry in my backpack. At first I noticed some slight discrepencies (listings of stores, hotels, restaurants that had shut down, incorrect email addresses, etc), but no big deal since most hotels, restaurants, and shops are easy to find on your own in Tokyo.

The final straw was on a day where the temperature was about 104 and humid. We decided to visit the Pokemon Center and followed the directions in the book -Yaesu exit of Tokyo Station blah blah blah. We searched for two hours in the heat for the Pokemon center. Finally, we went into the address where it said that the center was located (Now a Chinese Restaurant), and they told us that the center had moved 4 years ago to across the street from the JR Hamamatsu-cho station on the Yamanote line. So back we walked to the train station and found the center without a problem.

I wrote to the Time Out Tokyo editors and got this response:

"Thanks very much for taking the time to send us your feedback on the Time Out Tokyo Guide. I'm very sorry that the details of the Pokemon Center have changed since we published that edition - we are updating the Tokyo Guide later in the year and all the listings will be checked and corrected. I have sent your email to the editor."

The problem with this response was that the center was closed in 2006. This book was printed in 2007. So the location did not change after publication.

On hotels: Recommendations were limited; I got better leads from Tripadvisor. On shopping, sightseeing, restaurants, the book was pretty useful, being first-time visitors. The book is compact so it went everywhere with us. On Transportation: Fares in the book are not up to date, and I would have missed out on the substantial savings had I not visited the JR Rail web site and found about the Suica-Narita Express bundle. Overall I still find this a useful guidebook, and glad I bought it for the trip. I would sugggest that this guidebook be read way before your actual departure date and then supplement info with internet research (tripadvisor, japan forums and discussions). This will help you plan your itinerary and budgets more efficiently.

I would also recommend getting a copy of Tokyo City Atlas. Tokyo is huge, and you will need a detailed map to help you find the actual location of anything, when you get out of the rail/subway station. If you have an address, you'll find it in the atlas.

Time Out Tokyo is an excellent guidebook for those who have tons of money, but not for those who are on a budget. This was especially apparent in the accommodations and food section. Although they listed some capsule hotels and some ryokans, most places on the list was over $100 a night for a single room. Restaurants on the list were all expensive as well. I know there are cheaper places to sleep and eat in Tokyo because I looked online and found a lot of them, and thats what we did. So for those of you who are not looking to stay in a four or five star hotel, just look online for a cheap place to stay.

Another complaint I had was the inaccuracy of the descriptions of some of the venues. For example, one club listed in the Time Out book described the place as modern and futuristic, but when we actually found the place it was a hole in a wall. The place was so small and filled with other foreigners who probably found the place in the Time Out book as well. There was nothing modern or futuristic about it. The worse part for me was there were very few Japanese locals at the places listed in the guidebook. Foreigners dominated most of the venues. My friends and I ended up at a nicer club that was not listed on the Time Out book and we got to meet some cool people.

Also, the information on how to get to Nikko, Kamakura, and Yokohama could have been more descriptive. I know this is a Tokyo book, but it would have been nice if they had more information on these places since they are just outside the city.

On a positive note, their little articles on Japanese culture and history is very well written and fun to read. The Time Out folks definitely have a sense of humor. So, if you want to splurge and go crazy in Tokyo, buy this book. But if you are backpacking through Japan or want to save some money, get another guidebook.

I give this two stars because the book isn't necessarily bad, its just geared towards a select few.

My week trip to Tokyo was made much easier with this guide. 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.

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!

I bought this book in the US before moving to Tokyo for two months. I have found it very satisfactory. The maps are good, and the information seems accurate. I didn't try to track down particular restaurants or hotels mentioned in the guide, but it gave me a good sense of what was in each neighborhood and whether or not I should bother trying to see it. I have been very happy with this book and would definitely buy it again and/or recommend it to others.

Spent a lot of time leafing through most of the available books on Tokyo in a local bookstore and "Time Out Guide to Tokyo" was definitely one of the best ones in terms of presentation and quality of content. Having said that, don't plan to rely solely on this book for your trip. At best, this is a good reference book to read on your plane ride over to get a feeling for the neighborhoods and available attractions. The book provides brief but useful summaries (a couple of pages each) of each neighborhood and major attractions in each area. Beyond that, you're on your own. I would have loved to see more information on history of each neighborhood along with suggested sightseeing routes around the city.

As with any guidebook, only a tiny fraction of Tokyo is actually covered. The maps and neighborhood notes are extremely useful. The list of tourist spots is also useful. When it comes to food, you are probably better off walking down the street and picking something that looks unexpectedly delicious.

My husband and I go to Japan often, and I wind up buying each new edition of this guide, (which is probably unnecessary) because I want to stay current on things, especially the restaurant and hotel reviews. The information is fairly comprehensive, very good for shopping, museums and galleries, though not strong on the traditional arts such as Kabuki, traditional music, etc.

The old Kodansha Guide was better, but it's not being published anymore, so this is your best bet. I gave one to a friend who just went to Japan, and she loved it.