Tokyo Guide (Paperback)

by Patrice Fusillo (Author), Noriko Araki (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Tokyo offers soaring castles, peaceful parks and gardens, fabulous modern hotels and restaurants, fun coffee houses, art galleries, and nightclubs. It is the pulse of modern Japan. It is a gourmet`s paradise, from small noodle shops to moderately priced traditional restaurants to exotic, international cuisine. Stroll around the Imperial Palace, with its walls and moats; visit the Meiji Shrine; soak up the ambience of the Korakuen Garden. At night you`ll be mesmerized by the neon world of the Ginza shopping district, or take in an unforgettable Kabuki performance or Noh play. See old Tokyo in lively Asakusa, with its wonderful shops and restaurants, or shop for the latest electronics gadgets in Akihabara. We`ll tell travelers how to find delicious sushi at prices well below the norm, which department stores have the best bargains, where to view authentic wood block prints, and how to cheaply get around town without getting stuck in Tokyo`s fabled traffic. We`ll tell readers about Tokyo`s best traditional Japanese inns as well as the deluxe and moderately priced hotels. We give you extensive walking tours of each district, and we hit both the highlights and the hidden gems; readers will discover countless museums, shops, parks and gardens, but also the unexpected pleasures of an early morning tuna auction, where to go for a perfect shiatsu massage, and how to participate in a tea ceremony or where to take a flower arranging class. Excursions include the former capital of Kamakura, with its multitude of temples in a lovely seaside setting, Nikko, home of one of the most ornate shrines in the world, the fast-paced port city of Yokohama, and a trip to legendary Mt. Fuji.

From the Publisher
Patrice Fusillo lived for 12 years in Japan, and is the author of Open Road's Japan Guide and many articles on Japanese culture and travel. She now makes her home in Oakland and is a cross-cultural consultant.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Open Road; 2nd edition (August 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892975556
• ISBN-13: 978-1892975553
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,704,435 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly the book we needed for our trip, January 6, 2003

By	russiananimation.com (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

I bought this book just before our first business trip to Japan and read it cover to cover while sitting in Superior Court waiting to see if I would be called to jury duty. This book is a must for anyone who really wants to explore Tokyo and has been scared off by the stories of $300/lb steaks and $450/night hotel rooms the size of a postage stamp. We are proof that you can really do Tokyo well, at a reasonable price. We were in Tokyo on business, but had some free time, and really wanted to know something tangible about the society before going. I particularly appreciated the cultural insights into the high asthetic level which pervades life in Tokyo, the artful use of glass and light which makes a crowded city seem spacious, the high tech toilets. We followed some of the more off beat suggestions including visiting the fish market at 4 ayem (missed the tuna auction but caught the melon auction), the Sunday flea markets at shrines, the 100 yen stores, but we also visited museums and department stores and travelled on the metro and JR without problem. Only one of the addresses (traditional Craft Center) was out of date and the book did not have our hotel which is called Hotel Excellent. It should be included next time --$125/night for a perfectly fine double in the middle of the posh Ebisu district, just five blocks from a 24 hour kinko's, and across the street from the metro, JR, and great shopping and eating. We ate at a lot of the little 350 yen restaurants where Japanese have lunch and dinner, but also had some extraordinary expensive meals that were so beautifully served you didn't know whether to eat or photograph each course. Shopping suggestions and the recommended shops we tried were excellent.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensible resource for long or short trips to Tokyo, October 21, 2004

By	RJF in Illinois - See all my reviews

Used together with the standard Tokyo street and subway guide, this book was an indispensable tool for a very enjoyable 4-day jaunt to Tokyo. The logical explanation of the sights - together with shopping and eating experiences - gave me the information I needed as a basis for my trip. I strongly recommend reading it cover to cover before going, highlighting sights to see and mapping out adventures in half-day segments with enough time for a hole-in-the-wall tempura, yakitori, noodle or sushi restaurant as a luncheon layover. Sights, shopping, sake bars ... it's all covered here. Extend yourself - it is very easy to get around in Tokyo and the people could not have been nicer.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable guide!, September 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Tokyo Guide 1999 (Open Road's Tokyo Guide) (Paperback)

I went to Tokyo this year with the guide book as my only companion and found that it was one of the best things to have with me! The info that you can find in this book is still current and worth the read. If you are planning on taking a trip to Tokyo, do yourself a favor and pick this guide up.