Customer Reviews

Tokyo: Exploring the City of the Shogun

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a must guide when you visit Tokyo. The book is incredibly beautiful for a paperback book and a superb guide. Each historic walk is clearly directed including which exit to use from the subway/train station. Along the way she points out interesting architecture, history, shops and restaurants. My favorite walk was the last one in the book, Yanaka-Nezu, an area unaffected by the 1923 earthquake and WWII. I was carrying the book under my arm while in the basket shop mentioned in the book. The shop keeper spied it and squealed with delight. The basket made by a third generation maker under construction when photographed for the book was completed and on display in the shop along with other baskets made by all three men. The book was on display next to this opened to the page with the photographed basket.

Asakusa is another favorite walk and although I had been here twice before had not experienced through a guided eye. We also toured the Palace Gardens, the first tour in the book.

Also I would highly recommend the authors second book, A Flower Lover's Guide to Tokyo. We just returned from a 10 day stay to visit our son mid February and used these guides to entertain ourselves while he was at work. We did 6 or 7 walks combined from both books. (I have lost track!) And we repeated the Yanaka-Nezu walk to include our son on the weekend. Do ignore the time allowance she gives for each walk as we easily spent a full day on almost each tour as we had the leisure time to do so and just enjoyed it immensely, taking her recommendations for restaurants, museums, art galleries and shopping.

Who would have thought to even look for flowers or that flowers would be so abundant in mid winter....see my review of A Flower Lover's Guide to Tokyo for more. I am still in awe of my recent trip filled with walks off the beaten path.

Both books I consider essential now and look forward to returning to Tokyo in any season for more magnificient walks.