Lonely Planet Tokyo

Lonely Planet Tokyo is a travel guidebook that features a range of topics, recommendations, advice and insights into Japan’s capital city so that you can plan the best trip possible. Like all the Lonely Planet guides, this book contains honest reviews for all budgets, as well as a series of detailed city maps to help you navigate your way around.

One of the best features of the book for me is the way in which the content is set out in an easy to read format, neatly ordered by neighbourhood. Under each neighbourhood title there is a list of sights, eating, drinking and nightlife, entertainment, sports and activities, allowing the reader to quickly find exactly what they’re looking for.

I also particularly like the ‘Understand’ section that includes the history of Tokyo, pop culture, arts and architecture and ‘Tokyo Today’. This should always be an important part of any travel guide, as understanding the culture, history and people will provide a more enriching trip. However, not all guides do include this, therefore the fact that Lonely Planet dedicate an entire chapter to it is great.

Another good aspect of the book is the inclusion of a subway map. Travelling via metro in any unfamiliar city can be confusing, yet the map and an explanation of how it operates undoubtedly makes this part of the trip slightly simpler, allowing you to avoid trying to speak in broken Japanese to find out how it all works.

One problem I encountered with Lonely Planet Japan was with the eBook version, which seems to be very poorly formatted in comparison to the print edition. Although it saves having to carry around the 288-page book, there are a number of typos dotted throughout the eBook that are in need of updating.

David Jones

I am a professional travel writer and travel enthusiast who traveled the world twice, so I am sharing my firsthand knowledge about everything related to travel and spending time abroad.