Kyoto is Japan's capital for traditional culture and Durston's book is the map to get you through the hundreds of shops, inns, and restaurants in the city.
Although a "new" addition, this 2013 update is merely an identical reprint of the 2005 edition. I travelled Kyoto last year with the 2005 edition from a library. I then bought the 2013 edition when I returned. I compared the two page-for-page, and they're identical except for the publisher changing names. Which is a shame, considering that the only major issue with the 2005 and 2013 edition is that some shops just don't exist. In the past 10 years, it would also have been helpful to think about including the Websites of these destinations — they do exist, as I cross-checked information online when finding places. Keep in mind the first edition was published in 1986, then revised in 2005 and "2013."
The format of the book is split into Central, Eastern, Northern, Western, and Southern Kyoto. It also includes the usual appendices and small chapters on etiquette, vocabulary, and the character of Kyoto. Central and Eastern Kyoto compromise the bulk of the book and are where most of the interesting shops exist. Each chapter starts with featured businesses: Durston includes black-and-white photographs and a literary description of the location: who the owners are (or were), the state of the business, what they make, it's connection to Japanese culture and craft, and so on. The featured writings are themselves interesting enough even if you weren't to go to Kyoto as they mix nostalgia and travelogue together in marvelous entries. You can almost imagine Durston's book acting like a stone wall protecting these shops from the wrecking ball of modernization. At the end of the main sections are smaller single-paragraph descriptions of businesses. Don't gloss over these; they often contain fascinating shops, even if they lack the photographs and maps of the featured businesses.
I went through the entire book and marked off all the businesses I wished to visit. When I was in Kyoto, I used this book, online research, and a hand-drawn map to find them. Overall, I was able to find 80% of the shops including the oldest broom maker in the city. Though, it is certainly frustrating to be looking for a shop — map in hand — and it simply doesn't exist. You look left and right, up and down, and it's not there. Japanese addresses are notoriously difficult to parse anyways, and the specialty nature of these shops means that most Japanese I asked for help had no clue either where (or what) these shops were. If you were to ask for help, find someone with a little age (and a little English).
Hey, but that's travel right? You can't stuff your head in a book and just follow it page-for-page. Bottom line is get this book if you're serious about seeing more about Kyoto than the usual stuff. In a time where most cities now boast lively craft and artisan shops for all sorts of esoteric sundries, it is refreshing to know that in Kyoto, Durston has found businesses specializing in this artistry for hundreds of years.
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LaGrenouille
Best guide book I bought about Japan
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JoR
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If you don't have this: buy it; If you have the old edition - do not buy this new one
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interesting and informative overview
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