DK Eyewitness Tokyo (Travel Guide) Paperback – Folded Map, 16 Sept. 2021

I am very impressed with the DK Eyewitness travel guides. There are always excellent and I use them for planning and enjoying my own travels. I wish I had had this guide before we visited Tokyo a few years ago. We had a brilliant time but reading this guide I realise how much we missed!The guide opens with an introduction to the city and they key highlights under reasons to love Tokyo. it then goes on to suggest itineraries depending on how long you will have in the city and what the City has to offer depending on you interests. This section, Tokyo your Way, covers architecture, parks and gardens, food, on a shoestring, families, sports, and much more.The book then looks at different areas of Tokyo in more detail, with maps and information on what to see, where to stay, and where to eat and drink. Finally, the book concludes with lots of useful practical information on such matters as public transport and local customs including if visiting temples and shrines.The book is superbly illustrated throughout with many many photographs to inspire your visit, and maps and diagrams to help you get around. There is a laminated pull out map inside the back cover.This really is the perfect guide to visiting Tokyo and I really wish it had been available when I visited the city. I guess I will have to go back now to see what I missed!

Full disclaimer, I've not been to Tokyo- I'm using this to whet my appetite. That being said, my appetite can be considered whettened. In all honesty, paper travel books are not as essential as they used to be but DK lead the pack with a travel guide that more than gives the Internet a run for its money- because you get a lot of useful info in one place you don't have to hunt around for. In other words, though you can simply Google 'guide to Tokyo' to find websites about Tokyo they tend to be a bit sketchier on an individual basis than this densely packed guide.In summary, DK are really good at pushing the boundaries of the book as a medium creating a format that is inviting whilst being forensic. If I've one complaint it's just that the guide is a little large to carry in a jacket but if it's too bulky you can use it in your hotel room to do your planning. The only thing is, that then begs the question as to whether you wouldn't choose a bigger travel guide that goes into more detail...

DK Eyewitness has been my go-to holiday guide for years because they are more "visual" than L*n*ly Pl*n*t and R**gh G**d*s. This makes them especially good in my opinion for the "inspire" and "plan" parts of the "inspire/plan/discover/experience" strapline. It follows the usual format of these books beginning with several overviews (suggestions of what to do if you only have a few days, and suggestions for people with various likes such as art, architecture, food or drink and so on) followed by the main section of the book with geographical breakdowns of the parts of the city and what you can discover there. It also includes some information on places you can visit outside Tokyo on a day trip. It concludes with a very useful section of practical information. There is a back flap tube map plus a detachable durable waterproof map of the city which also include a tube map.

This has been useful in planning what to see & do in Tokyo for an upcoming trip (assuming Covid doesn't throw a spanner in the works). It follows the usual EyeWitness format. The city is divided into three broad areas - western, central & northern plus a section on areas beyond Tokyo which are easily accessible. These broad areas of the city are then broken down into more discrete neighbourhoods. You get a small map, a suggested walk and illustrations & photographs of places/things of interest. There is a brief section at the end of the book with practical information like getting around on public transport. There is also a pullout map t supplement the smaller maps included in each section.Whilst I think the book is useful in the planning phase, I'm not so sure it will be that useful once in Tokyo. There is very little detail (in that regard the Lonely Planet & Rough Guides seem better to me although I have yet to find any guide book that really offers enough information). If only there were a Blue Guide to Tokyo! Still, that remains to be seen. I'll update this review after I've visited whenever that may be.