On a recent visit to the Yurindo bookstore in the Akihbara Yodobashi building, I came across this book….Tokyo walking around. While a bilingual guide would not be uncommon, I found this book interesting because 1) it is a Japanese book that appears targeted towards J women to use with foreigners and 2) It is written in a very loopy style…and not in an overtly Engrish way but a seemingly purposely giddy, extremely non-JNTO style. Given that so many Japan/Tokyo guide books seem a tad heavy and august in tone (you know, don’t do this, don’t do that, ‘if you blow your nose in public, they might stone you to death’ tone), I found it quite fun and refreshing to read. While not super detailed (it is only 112 pages long) and I don’t necessarily buy all of their recommendations (the store to visit in Akiba is AKKY?), it does have a good rail map of Tokyo and is very picture oriented. And it does a pretty good job of making Tokyo sound like a lively, fun, and approachable place to visit. One of the more interesting parts is the visual word bank, which is simply all over the place with words and phrases I usually wouldn’t expect to see in standard guide book, such as “ I am a fan of Brad Pitt” or “ I am going to work overtime today” or the japanese word of the ads that hang from the ceiling of trains.
I wouldn’t want this to be my only guidebook on a visit, but it’s a nice addition to a proper guide book and is small and light enough to carry around without being a burden. I picked up a few to give to friends back here in the states that seem rather intimidated by the prospect of visiting Japan/Tokyo. In my opinion, it is definitely worth a flip through for a giggle.
Published by JTB, it appears that is only available in Japan although it can be bought internationally through J-List. 1400 yen. ISBN 4-533-05908-2
