Japan: A Budget Travel Guide Ian L. McQueen Kodansha International

Jul 22

Japan is well covered by excellent guidebooks, and this one is a good as any. Its Canadian author, McQueen, has become a bit more grumpy about the Japanese over the years, especially regarding their attitudes toward foreigners who take root in their country, but he still finds much to recommend. There are 200 pages of fine background and introductory information, and an abundance of simple but practical maps. Robert Strauss’s Japan: A Travel Survival Kit (Lonely Planet, 1991. 4th ed.) is longer, has some color photographs, and is slightly more expensive. Both of these guides are superior choices for the independent traveler, and libraries cannot go wrong in buying them in rotation.
- Harold M. Otness, Southern Oregon State Coll. Lib., Ashland
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

A guide to getting there and enjoying it more – with minimum hassle and expense. This updated version of the guide to Japan includes maps, travel schedules and fares.

Japan: A Budget Travel Guide

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Japan

‘A pleasurable read with ravishing photography plus maps and plans of supreme quality.’ The Observer –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

DK Eyewitness Travel’s full-color guidebooks to hundreds of destinations around the world truly show you what others only tell you. They have become renowned for their visual excellence, which includes unparalleled photography, 3-D mapping, and specially commissioned cutaway illustrations. DK Eyewitness Travel Guides are the only guides that work equally well for inspiration, as a planning tool, a practical resource while traveling, and a keepsake following any trip.

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Japan

Kodansha InternationalIan L. McQueen

Comments

Ackston

July 23rd, 2012 at 9:28 PM


I am a geographer and avid traveler/explorer and always use DK Eyewitness travel guides when traveling abroad. I have used the Germany and Japan Eyewitness travel guides and they are both excellent. The latest 2011 version of the Japan DK Eyewitness travel guide was very helpful and very informative place to start. It is not too big and bulky (just over 400 pages) and is packed full of photos and visual aids. As a visual learner, this travel guide is the best as the Lonely Planet travel guide is often hard to follow (especially the maps) and is often inconsistent and not up-to-date. This travel guide is by far the easiest for me to use and the most visual which makes the trip more exciting. It does not overload you with unnecessary information and is the best basic travel guide and a good place to start on any trip. The Japan travel guide was very helpful and I would recommend this version to any person planning on going to Japan. The DK Top 10 Tokyo guide is also great but I would not recommend the Dk Eyewitness Tokyo travel guide.
Tess Messer

July 24th, 2012 at 1:08 PM


Ian McQueen’s book is by far the best travel guide to Japan, even if you’re not on a budget. He describes both the well known places and the out-of-the-way ones. He doesn’t make up your mind for you, but leaves it up to the reader whether what’s being described is a place the reader would like to go.

What amazed me most, of all the advice, was when he said that a certain beach in Hokkaido had washed-up fishing floats (those beautiful big glass balls) on it that people could take home (free) as souvenirs. I went there, and he was right!

When I first came to Japan, I tried various guidebooks. This one was the best for me. Now that I’ve lived here 18 years, I still refer to it occasionally before a trip, and I always recommend it to new visitors.

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