Kaminarimon and Senso-ji in Asakusa, Japan. Photo by Foong Siew Kuen

Time to plan that  next dream vaca­tion, and with Lonely Planet’s new Japan Travel Guide it is eas­ier than ever!

Nobody knows Japan like Lonely Planet. With 178 detailed and easy-to-use maps, expanded activ­i­ties, itin­er­aries and cul­tural cov­er­age, the 100% researched and updated Lonely Planet Japan is the most in-depth guide to Japan available.

Coordinating Author and Kyoto res­i­dent Chris Rowthorn writes in his intro­duc­tion: ‘First and fore­most, Japan is a place of deli­cious con­trasts: ancient tem­ples and futur­is­tic cities; mist-shrouded hills and lightning-fast bul­let trains; kimono-clad geisha and suit-clad busi­ness­peo­ple; quaint thatch-roofed vil­lages and pul­sat­ing neon urban jun­gles. This pecu­liar syn­the­sis of the mod­ern and the tra­di­tional is one of the things that makes travel in Japan such a fas­ci­nat­ing experience.’

All Lonely Planet guides are writ­ten by experts who get to the heart of every des­ti­na­tion they visit. The new edi­tion of Lonely Planet Japan is packed with accu­rate, prac­ti­cal and hon­est advice, designed to give trav­el­ers the infor­ma­tion they need to make the most of their trip, such as:

• An archi­tec­ture chap­ter lead­ing vis­i­tors from ancient tem­ples to mod­ern towers
• Reliable advice from res­i­dent and spe­cial­ist authors – and locals
• Japanese script in text and on maps, to make nav­i­ga­tion a cinch.

With more maps and lan­guage con­tent than any other Japan guide­book, this 11th edi­tion unveils so much of the coun­try, including:

• The very best of shop­ping in Tokyo – ‘Tokyo is not as noto­ri­ously expen­sive as it once was, and shop­ping is one of the great pas­times of local res­i­dents. Shopping may not nor­mally inter­est you, but the city’s seduc­tive wares may sway you.’
• Skiing in the Japan Alps – ‘Japan’s best ski resorts are found in the Japan Alps region of Central Honshu (mostly in Nagano and Niigata pre­fec­tures) and on the north­ern island of Hokkaido. The for­mer lays claim to the high­est moun­tains; the lat­ter lays claim to the deep­est and most reg­u­lar snow in the country.’
• Soaking in idyl­lic onsen – ‘The Japanese word for a hot spring is onsen, and there are more than 3000 of them in the coun­try, more than any­where else on earth – it’s like Iceland on steroids.’
• Trekking to Kansai’s feu­dal cas­tles – ‘Kansai is the heart of Japan. It is here that a truly dis­tinc­tive Japanese cul­ture came into being, and with it, those things that so many of us asso­ciate with Japan.’
• Slurping soba at Kyushu food stalls – ‘Let the aro­mas and the chatty con­ver­sa­tion guide you.’

Get the book, and start plan­ning now!

Lonley Planet Japan (Country Guide)

– 11th Edition, pub­lished September 2009

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