The Rough Guide to Japan Fourth Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

Just came back from a memorable 6-day stay in Kyoto, and also used the book for an earlier trip to Tokyo which is far less interesting. Like most Rough Guides (I own more than 30), this book is excellent overall, with detailed descriptions, background information, and clear maps (unlike Lonely Planet, whose maps are a pain to read). Thought it was almost perfect until I researched the excellent japan-guide.com and Kyoto's official web site and realized how many sites were missing from this book. Kyoto has 17 World Heritage Sites, but 6 of them are not mentioned at all. The most glaring omission is probably the beautiful Ninna-Ji, which can be easily visited after the famous Kinkaku-Ji and Ryoan-Ji, the latter only a 10-minute walk away. Ninna-Ji is historically the favorite temple of Japanese emperors and is famous for a dense grove of late-blossoming cherry trees, so it's a must see if you've just missed the peak sakura season. Also missing is Daigo-Ji, which is easily reached on the subway and can be combined with a visit to Uji. With over 1000 cherry trees, it's probably the best temple to view cherry blossoms in Kyoto and very popular with the Japanese. The four other World Heritage Sites missing are the two Kamo shrines, Kozan-Ji and Ujigami Shrine near the Byodo-in.

Also missing from the book is Kiyamachi Street in the heart of Kyoto, probably the most beautiful street in Kyoto, at least during the sakura season. It runs along a small canal which is lined with cherry trees and crossed with little bridges, prettier and less crowded than the famous Philosopher's Path, and it's only a 1-minute walk west of the Pontocho restaurant street. The book also neglects to mention that during the sakura season, many sites (including the Kiyomizu Temple and the Nijo Castle) are open at night, which is a great time to revisit the sites as the buildings and flowering trees are beautifully lit. The Maruyama Park and the neighboring Yasaka Jinja are also open at night during this time and together host a lively night market, with lots of Japanese having hanami parties under the blossoming cherry trees. The Hirano Jinja is yet another excellent flower-viewing location that's not mentioned.

Despite all these shortcomings, I still give this book 5 stars because it does provide excellent coverage overall and there's simply no better English guidebook available. I hope the authors will read my comments and make improvements in the next edition. For those who read Japanese or Chinese characters, there's a brilliant "Kyoto Walking Map & Note" which I found at a 7-11 and was indispensable during my trip.