Japan by Rail: Includes Rail Route Guide and 30 City Guides (Trailblazer Guides)

As frequent visitor and former resident of Japan I’ve bought countless guides over the years. Many end up being ignored or even discarded en route as their weight, size ratios often don’t stand up to their usefulness . Other than Timeout’s Tokyo guide ( sadly not updated anymore but still worth having a read through ) this is the only book worth investing in . Lonely Planet , Fodor’s ,Insight , whilst , Eyewitness guides may been visually very appealing ( love Dorling Kindersley’s “birds eye “ neighbourhood maps, from my experience these guides are clunky ( this is quite portable in comparison ) and the info often generic and worse often inaccurate . Of course guides date very quickly and things change but The Rail Guide is so well put together that’s even the older editions are still good sources . What sets this guide apart from the other famous guides is that both the authors have lived and worked in Japan and speak Japanese - many contributors just travel there occasionally and don’t know the language which does make a huge difference to the quality of the info . Even if you’re not planning on investing in a JR pass ( though you’d be crazy not to as this is only open to non residents and is great value for money ) this is still a great guide as it’s so comprehensive and great for working out itineraries and spontaneous side trips - it will also help you avoid the ever increasing issue of over tourism by giving you alternatives to the typical Tokyo, Kyoto , Nara routes . Other than this guide if you’re new to Japan I also suggest looking at Timeout Tokyo & Tokyo Weekender for up to date listings of events in the capital .

I have just returned from a month long trip to Japan, my first to this amazing country. Japan by Rail was the book we used to plan the trip, the only book of many guides purchased, we packed to take with us - compact and dense with useful information it was our well informed friend in booking accommodation, finding great places to eat, getting around the country and giving us suggestions on the less visited sights to see. It was indispensable, comprehensive and detailed, practical and easy to read. Tips on where to stay if you're travelling by train meant we chose to stay in Okayama as it is an excellent transport hub, it's also a super city and with well priced accommodation. We also chose to stay on the Yamamote local rail line in Tokyo, again excellent for reaching all the main sights and very will priced accommodation. This book gifted us the best adventure we've ever had.

Very detailed guide helpful if you travel on your own a useful reference book for future trips

This is the second time I’ve used this guide to plan a trip to Japan. (Having benefitted from a previous edition, I bought this updated version.) The information contained herein is up-to-date and accurate, and I’ve used the guide to plan daily train trips from cruise ports in Japan. I don’t like to carry excess items, but this guidebook has been indispensable in making the most of each and every day. It contains money-saving tips on rail passes and regional discounts that easily pay for the book. I use a magic marker to indicate routes I’ve taken previously on the many maps in the book to ensure I take different lines to see different sights. After taking two long trips in Japan using this guidebook, I wouldn’t take another without it.

Obwohl der Band NICHT auf Stand 2024 ist, ein paar Details haben sich geändert.... eine absolute Empfehlung.Buchtipp für eine Japanreise mit dem Zug: in diesem Buch findet man 1000x übersichtlicher als in irgendwelchen blogs oder youtubetutorials, worauf es ankommt: es werden die Strecken erklärt, die Bahnhöfe, die an der Route gelegenen Sehenswürdigkeiten. Man erfährt kleine, aber wichtige Details wie zb Schließfachgrössen, Wasserbrunnen oder Beschilderungen, die es sonst in keinem Buch so auf diese Weise gibt. Das Englisch ist auch für Nicht-Native-Speaker gut verständlich.Ich habe sehr viele Japan Reiseführer, dieser erscheint mir der Praktischste, um damit unterwegs zu sein.Empfehle auch definitiv die Printform: das ist einfach viel praktischer als ein E-book, wenn man unterwegs ist. Eine Buchdoppelseite ist auch viel grösser als ein Handyscreen, darum hat man mit einem Buch immer mehr "auf einen Blick" vor sich. :-) und verliert nicht die Übersicht vor lauter Scrollen und Zoom.... Der Reiseführer beinhaltet übrigens Städte und Orte in ganz Japan und ist nicht nur auf die Touristenhotspots fokussiert.

Book is very informative and offers lots of valuable information. Highly recommended.

Perfecte Besorgung

Wow I think the most detailed book I hv seen so far. Adding a big map of all the trains will be very helpful.