Japan (Country Guide) by Chris Rowthorn
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Book Summary Author: Chris Rowthorn Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published) Published: 2007-10-01 ISBN: 174104667X Number of pages: 868 Publisher: Lonely Planet |
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Book Reviews of the Japan (Country Guide)
Customer Review: One star for the historical and cultural references
Summary: 1 Stars
Clearly as the 'Lonely Planet' has metamorphosed from Backpackers Ltd. into BigBusiness PLC the underlying philosophies that prompted the original Lonely Planet to be born and take shape have gone out the window with the shabby furniture and the Commodore 64. En vogue instead we have designer cocktails and chic bars, lots of shopping, not-so-cheap-hotels, not-so-reliable-information (oh! and the ever present blind cartographer - who draws those ridiculous maps?). That is a charge I levy at the India, Thailand and Japan editions (thankfully I haven't bought any others).
I know it's hard to travel anywhere without the comfort blanket of a guidebook - but I really feel that in this day and age you'd be better off searching the internet printing out some web-pages sticking them in an A4 file and bringing them along to your chosen destination. Not only would the information be relevant to the individual, it would be a lot lighter than the LP, be a LOT more up-to-date and a LOT cheaper too. That said however, when I first arrived in Japan there weren't so many good web-sites in English and so I opted for a LP Japan; I had a 6th edition copy. The points that frustrated me are too numerous to mention, they mostly revolve around shoddy information or complete lack thereof, half-truths sold as the real thing and a mentality toward the world and travelling that I find repugnant. To keep it brief I shall pick up three things form the Japanese edition.
Firstly the eternal lazy 'refer to TIC' instead of providing the information! I paid 16 pounds English for a 'guide' book and you instruct me to refer to the local tourist office for information.... ? am I missing something here...? isn't that what a guidebook is 'supposed' to offer me... so I DON'T have to 'refer to TIC'?? I actually mailed the LP offices on that point, but obviously they were all too busy on their yachts having cocktails to get back to me...
The second point is the sheer subjectivity of the writing. When I originally read the review on Osaka castle I was provided with a mental picture so horrible I felt it best not to go. When however a Japanese friend suggest we go, to which my response was to regurgitated the LP writer, my friend was somewhat bemused, anyway reluctantly I was persuaded and went to see the carbuncle, please allow me to quote directly "Osaka's foremost attraction is unfortunately a 1931 concrete reproduction... the inside looks like a barn with lifts"... hardly an attractive write-up, and yet however what I saw was NOTHING like what had been described in the book! Osaka castle certainly ranks alongside Himeji, Okazaki and Nagoya, is well worth seeing and has a great interior with lots of exhibits; really no sign of a barn anywhere... I was really quite taken aback by the blatant falsehoods in the book and the huge disparity between the writers OPINION (keyword) and the REALITY - I even wonder if they ever actually visited the place. I assumed they were on a whirlwind tour of Asia and flew overhead on their way to their beach-hut in Kho Phangan or Koh Samui. That was until I met people who know some of the the 'contributors' and they supposedly actually have extensive experience of Japan and Japanese life; which makes the banal comments (of which there are too may to list) all the more surprising.
The third point is the very sketchy information about VERY famous places. I'll use the example of Japanese pottery to illustrate my contention. Not only is Japanese pottery one of the most respected and admired in the ceramic world, with one of the longest histories. But Japan can lay claim to more active pottery districts than either of their close rivals (China and Korea) can. Take Bizen (Okayama) and Shigaraki (Shiga) at two prime examples, two regions that are still VERY alive and very active, very interesting and wholly worth a visit by anyone interested in the Arts or a day in the countryside. Bizen is treated to a whole 5cm x 13cm block of text, whilst Shigaraki gets a 5x6cm block to set out its 700 year history. And neither of the write-ups convey what I KNOW from experience the place is like or what it has to offer... impressed?
As LP Japan is a long-seller I think it wise that they clear out the old Japanophile clique and install an new editorial staff (including Japanese writers) who can overhaul the book and give it a new breath of life.
To be quite honest too, as a long-term resident of Japan I HATE this book even more now than I did at first. It would take me too long to explain and probably damage by karma so badly in the process that it wouldn't be worth it. However, what prompted me to write the review was that I was planning a few day-trips recently around Kansai (including to the above pottery regions) and found this LP, when I re-read sections my toes just curled up with horror - and then I checked the internet for up-to-date information and was pretty disgusted by the gulf that exists between a book like this and the reality of things here. Not only that, but the prevailing attitude that seeps from the pores of this book would I wonder taint the visitor in a way that they would then miss the beauty of real Japan, I hope not.
If you are planning a trip here, then my advice is to get on a computer and keyword where you want to go and what interests you, please look beyond Kyoto and the temples and you will find a wonderland awaits you. Seek and ye shall find.
Thank you.