Heaps of background information in this one. More for people who need a manual for settling down rather than for the casual traveller.

The abundant background information gains the book a star above the average, however the carelessly drawn maps cost one. It is pretty annoying to read about a certain street in the text and not be able to find it on the maps. Also it would be helpful if the editors had included japanese Symbols in the text and on maps; that makes it a lot easier in situations where there are no english signs or when talking with people who are more comfortable with japanese (almost everyone). Also the photos have rarely annotations and are not particulary well shot.

On the upside are the general sections about life in Japan which give quite a nice idea about how the people in this country work - also excellent the part about japanese food. It would have been even more helpful though, if the expressions in japanese (characters) would have been included - lots of places don`t offer english menues.

So if you want background information about - sometimes even tiny - aspects of the city - go for it, otherwise you might be able to find something better that nudges you not that much closer to your baggage weight limit. ( )