Fodor's Japan, 18th Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides) (Paperback)

~ Fodor's (Author)
Key Phrases: west exit, east exit, rail pass, Yamanote Line, Kyoto Station, World War (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 784 pages
• Publisher: Fodor's; 18 edition (June 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400017793
• ISBN-13: 978-1400017799
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #671,225 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars yes and no, June 21, 2008

By	jennifer cowan "avid reader" (misawa, japan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I used this book while stationed in Japan for 3 years, and it was great for ideas on where to go, and whether or not I could go in a weekend or needed a week or two. As with any guidebook, this one only skims the surface of what there is to see here. Even there was a whole chapter (each) dedicated to Tokyo and Kyoto, I felt that it was not nearly enough, and bought separate books for each city. I would have to say, for a short trip to Japan, this book would do fine, but for an extended stay like mine, I would find some supplements.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Avoid this one, or use as a backup only, April 12, 2008

By	Jackson SFO "Jackson" (California) - See all my reviews

We took this on our Japan trip and were thoroughly disappointed. Bad directions, things we could not find, we just stopped using it. An old Lonely Planet we had along saved the day.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good siteseeing information, bad map and direction, May 20, 2008

By	J. Chen (Mountain View, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I used this book, I had a hard time reading the map. The detail of the map needs to increase by a factor of 2X at minimum. Following directions coming from the map, I keep on getting lost about 40% of the time. So I had to use taxi to get to some locations or ask a local with extreme limited japanese of how to get to a place. For Akihabara district in Tokyo, the information seems a bit stale since I was not able to find a place mentioned in the book.


I like the section where it helps you how to say basic things in Japanese. Very useful when lost and asking for directions. Some history information helped me decide what sites I should see. Also the Tokyo JR/Metro map was useful.