Japan Travel Guide: Things I Wish I'D Known Before Going to Japan (2026)

Great book! Many pictures, they are black and white but fully understandable. Many useful tips. They give detailed prices and opening and closing hours for the places they recommend. They translate some food/words and prices from Yen to USD for you. For some of the attractions they recommend, they’ll also tell you what the nearest train station would be. It has very few typos, but some things get lost in translation and there is a language barrier… it’s just a sweet old couple who did a great job:)

Good quick read. Very helpful in planning my trip.

The grammar was sometimes incorrect. Some of the "facts" in the book are not for children to read. Many of the suggestions are the personal opinion of the author. On the positive side, this book gives information that is not in a common tourist guide, and quirky info on the culture and customs.

The chapters are not organized well by city. Cheap print and flimsy paper. Lousy pictures. Not enough detail. Otherwise some good basic personal opinions which appear to be must see choices for sightseeing or adventure. Just too elementary. Needs updating. Would return but appreciate the individuals for taking the time to jot down some fairly helpful points. If they fluff up the print and paper quality and cleaned up (or at the very least, connect the table of contents correctly to the sections by city or area) each chapter might flow and read better.

Very helpful

My son recently traveled to Japan. I thought that this was a perfect way to help him get a little information before he went. He loved it, and read it on his forever and a day flight there.

Great book. This will be my 4th time visiting Japan and have found your book inspirational. I often fly into Osaka and depart from Hanada. Your books has many great suggestions and I will use it on my next visit. Thank you for sharing your ideas and places in Japan.

Sorry, I don’t like to be too critical, but this book really does not go into great depth on anything. I read it in less than one hour. Not sure if it was translated, but some of its language is clunky, like it was written by a fifth grader. Other times it mentions dates in 2018 or 2019, so it does not seem up to date. I’m not sure I learned anything new that will help planning my trip to Japan. Would not recommend.