Lonely Planet Discover Japan

A few months ago I did a quick review of some of the various guidebooks to Japan, you can read the post here.

A new  “IN FULL COLOR” guidebook to Japan titled Discover Japan has just been published by Lonely Planet so I thought I’d get a copy. There are many more photos than in the standard Lonely Planet guide to Japan, and they  even used ( and purchased ) an image I took on my trip to Yakushima.

Outdoor Onsen in Yakushima (Lonely Planet page 29)

As in the previous review I checked out the section on Matsuyama. There are 4 pages of text, with two photos. The text highlights the three main attractions in the city, but  publishers could have done a better job of matching photos with the text e.g. after a long description of Dogo Onsen there is no photo. The page layout is also a little strange with the “If you like…Matsuyama” sidebar hidden on the next page amongst information about Nagasaki.

I turned to the section on Okinawa. Here the quality of  both the photos and the information varies. Photos of small shisa statues are captioned as toy dragons, and the photo they’ve used to illustrate Shuri Castle is one of a tour group in front of the Koufukumon, a side gate that contains the ticket office and restrooms! There is no mention of Okinawa Expo Park and the Churaumi Aquarium, which is surprising especially when Osaka’s (inferior) aquarium is mentioned numerous times and is ranked number 16 in the top 25 experiences in Japan.

Overall, however, the book is a good overview of Japan. Would I recommend it as the only guidebook you buy, probably not, but if you are planning a visit to Japan I would suggest that at the very least you borrow a copy from the library and then use it along with the other guidebooks I mentioned to plan your trip.