Beth Reiber - Frommers EasyGuide to Tokyo, Kyoto and Western Honshu

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5 4 3 2 1

Frommers Star Ratings System

Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listed in this guide has been ranked for quality and value. Heres what the stars mean:

Recommended

Highly Recommended

A must! Don't miss!

AN IMPORTANT NOTE

The world is a dynamic place. Hotels change ownership, restaurants hike their prices, museums alter their opening hours, and busses and trains change their routings. And all of this can occur in the several months after our authors have visited, inspected, and written about, these hotels, restaurants, museums and transportation services. Though we have made valiant efforts to keep all our information fresh and up-to-date, some few changes can inevitably occur in the periods before a revised edition of this guidebook is published. So please bear with us if a tiny number of the details in this book have changed. Please also note that we have no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracy or errors or omissions, or for inconvenience, loss, damage, or expenses suffered by anyone as a result of assertions in this guide.

CONTENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beth Reiber s career as a full-time travel writer has spanned more than three decades and has included 4 years living in Germany and 3 years in Japan. The author of eight guidebooks, she has been writing Frommers guides to Japan and Tokyo for more than 30 years. Since 2009, she has been a Visit Japan Ambassador, an honorary title awarded by the Japanese government for her contributions in promoting travel in Japan.

ABOUT THE FROMMERS TRAVEL GUIDES

For most of the past 50 years, Frommers has been the leading series of travel guides in North America, accounting for as many as 24% of all guidebooks sold. I think I know why.

Although we hope our books are entertaining, we nevertheless deal with travel in a serious fashion. Our guidebooks have never looked on such journeys as a mere recreation, but as a far more important human function, a time of learning and introspection, an essential part of a civilized life. We stress the culture, lifestyle, history, and beliefs of the destinations we cover and urge our readers to seek out people and new ideas as the chief rewards of travel.

We have never shied from controversy. We have, from the beginning, encouraged our authors to be intensely judgmental, criticalboth pro and conin their comments, and wholly independent. Our only clients are our readers, and we have triggered the ire of countless prominent sorts, from a tourist newspaper we called practically worthless (it unsuccessfully sued us) to the many rip-offs weve condemned.

And because we believe that travel should be available to everyone regardless of their incomes, we have always been cost-conscious at every level of expenditure. Although we have broadened our recommendations beyond the budget category, we insist that every lodging we include be sensibly priced. We use every form of media to assist our readers and are particularly proud of our feisty daily website, the award-winning Frommers.com.

I have high hopes for the future of Frommers. May these guidebooks, in all the years ahead, continue to reflect the joy of travel and the freedom that travel represents. May they always pursue a cost-conscious path, so that people of all incomes can enjoy the rewards of travel. And may they create, for both the traveler and the persons among whom we travel, a community of friends, where all human beings live in harmony and peace.

Arthur Frommer

THE BEST OF TOKYO, KYOTO & WESTERN HONSHU

J apan is a stunning travel experience, a nation modern and dynamic and yet historic and deeply cultural. It fascinates every kind of visitor, from digital engineers to theater buffs engrossed in kabuki, from naturalists enchanted by the countrys awesome mountain scenery to lovers of sushi and sashimi, or Japanese gardens and hot-spring spas. And it provides the greatest number of its rewards on its largest and most heavily populated island, Honshu, whose western half includes Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and many other captivating and trend-setting towns. In this book, I supplement descriptions of Tokyo and Kyoto with other highlights of western Honshu. And to begin our journey, Ive compiled a list of what I consider the best Japan has to offer, based on years of traveling through the country. From the weird to the wonderful, the profound to the profane, the obvious to the obscure, these recommendations should fire your imagination and launch you toward discoveries of your own.

The best Authentic Experiences

Feeling the Adrenalin Rush of Tokyo: Tokyo is Japans showcase for all thats high tech, sophisticated, zany, and avant-garde, making this a must-see for just about everyone. Seeing main sights, such as the Tokyo National Museum and Sensoji Temple, tops the list, but wandering the metropoliss many neighborhoods adds a totally new dimension to the Tokyo experience. See .

Living the Past in Kyoto: If you see only one city in Japan, Kyoto should be it. Japans capital from 794 to 1868, Kyoto boasts some of the countrys best temples, imperial villas, .

Making a Pilgrimage to a Temple or Shrine: From mountaintop Buddhist temples to neighborhood Shinto shrines, Japans religious structures rank among the nations most popular attractions. Theyre often visited for specific reasons: Couples wishing for a happy marriage, for example, head to Kyotos Jishu Shrine ( p. ), devoted to the deity of love.

Taking a Communal Hot-Spring Bath: No other people on earth bathe as enthusiastically, as frequently, and for such duration as the Japanese. Their many hot-spring bathsthought to cure all sorts of ailments as well as simply make you feel goodrange from elegant, Zen-like affairs to rustic outdoor baths with views of the countryside. See Bathing, in .