Japan is a world apart a cultural Galapagos where a unique civilization blossomed & thrives today in delicious contrast of traditional & modern. The Japanese spirit is strong warm & incredibly welcoming. Chris Rowthorn Lonely Planet Writer Our Promise You can trust our travel information because Lonely Planet authors visit the places we write about each & every edition. We never accept freebies for positive coverage & you can rely on us to tell it like we see it. Inside This Book 8 expert authors 167 temples & shrines 357 Japanese restaurants Over 100 onsen (hot springs) Inspirational photos Comprehensive planning tools Pull-out city map Easy-to-read layout In-depth background Skiing in Japan feature ...

Japan is steeped in legend & myth perhaps the greatest of which is the popular misconception that the country is simply too expensive to visit. The truth is that flights to Japan are cheaper than they've ever been accommodation can be great value while the warm hospitality which awaits every visitor costs nothing at all. The real secret to travelling around the country on a budget however is the Japan Rail Pass. With this pass you can travel on some of the fastest trains in the world as often as you like for as long as you please
- & all for one bargain price. Use this comprehensive guide in conjunction with a rail pass to get the most out of your trip to Japan. ? Practical information
- planning your trip; what to take; getting to Japan from Europe North America & Australasia ? City guides & maps
- where to stay (all budgets) where to eat what to see in 30 towns & cities; historical & cultural background ? Kilometre-by-kilometre route guides
- covering train journeys from the coast into the mountains from temple retreat to sprawling metropolis & from sulphurous volcano to windswept desert; 34 route maps ? Railway timetables
- Bullet trains & all routes in this guidebook ? Customs etiquette Japanese phrases & 40 colour photos* ? Extended new edition
- All routes have been retravelled for this new edition which

Includes:: the Tohoku & Kyushu shinkansen extensions opened in 2011.







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Robert Lymans deep knowledge & understanding of the war in Burma & the great battles at Kohima & Imphal in 1944 are well known. In this book he uses original documents published works & personal accounts to weave together an enthralling account of some of the bitterest fighting of the Second World War. Not only does he use British sources for his research but he has also included material from the Naga tribes of north-east India on whose land these battles were fought & from Japanese accounts including interviews with Japanese veterans of the fighting. Thus he has been able to produce what is arguably the most balanced history of the battles that were pivotal in ending the Japanese empire. Fergal Keane journalist & author of Road to Bones: The Siege of Kohima 1944 wrote to the author saying What a triumph! I finished it last night. You have done a wonderful job. I only wish Id read it before writing my own book! He goes on to say Robert Lyman is one of the great writers about men & war & in this book he has succeeded in conveying the courage genius & folly of an epic struggle. I cannot think of a writer engaged in the subject of the Second World War who can match Lyman for his integrity or the soundness of his judgements. ...

Originally published only in Japanese this in-depth study provides an in-depth review of the fighter units of the Imperial Japanese Air Force & their pilots. Commencing with a detailed study of the development equipment & operations flown by this force since its inception immediately after the end of World War I until the catastrophic conclusion of World War II the initial section deals with the wars in China & Manchuria as well as the Pacific War of 1941-45. The second section provides details of each of the units from formation onwards listing the types of aircraft used the bases from which they flew & the unit & formation commanders. Details of the more notable actions in which each unit was involved are also provided. Biographical notes relating to all of the more notable fighter pilots form the third section whilst the book also provides supporting listings & a glossary of Japanese terms. ...

Take a master class with Japans first lady of beadwork
- Sonoko Nozue! This unique entry in the best-selling Beadweaving Master
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From its renaissance in the 1840s Japanese cloisonne enamel manufacture rapidly reached a peak of artistic & technological sophistication between 1880 & 1910 a period referred to as the Golden Age of this exquisite craft. Cloisonne enamels rapidly became one of Japans most successful exports in the late nineteenth-century. Through the recent gift of a superb collection of enamels from Edwin Davies OBE which now combines with the V& As historical collection this book explores these exquisite objects from the elegant inlaid metalwork of the late seventeenth-century through the Golden Age & into the twentieth-century. Gregory Irvine is Senior Curator in the Asian Department at the V&A responsible for the collections of Japanese metalwork. > ...

When it was first published Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art changed the way the culinary world viewed Japanese cooking moving it from obscure ethnic food to haute cuisine. Twenty-five years later much has changed. Japanese food is a favorite of diners around the world. Not only is sushi as much a part of the Western culinary scene as burgers bagels & burritos but some Japanese chefs have become household names. Japanese flavors ingredients & textures have been fused into dishes from a wide variety of other cuisines. What hasn't changed over the years however are the foundations of Japanese cooking. When he originally wrote Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art Shizuo Tsuji a scholar who trained under famous European chefs was so careful & precise in his descriptions of the cuisine & its vital philosophies & so thoughtful in his choice of dishes & recipes that his words--and the dishes they help produce--are as fresh today as when they were first written. The 25th Anniversary edition celebrates Tsuji's classic work. Building on M.F.K. Fisher's eloquent introduction the volume now

Includes:: a thought-provoking new Foreword by Gourmet Editor-in-Chief Ruth Reichl & a new preface by the author's son & Tsuji Culinary Institute Director Yoshiki Tsuji. Beautifully illustrated with eight pages of new color photos & over 500 drawings & containing 230 traditional recipes as well as detailed explanations of ingredients kitchen utensils techniques & cultural aspects of Japanese cuisine this edition continues the Tsuji legacy of bringing the Japanese kitchen within the reach of Western cooks.

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Demystified" makes learning Japanese a no-brainer! " Demystified Japanese" provides you with a friendly non-intimidating method that takes the confusion out of learning the language walking you step by step through the fundamentals & moving on to more advanced topics. Each chapter concludes with a self-test that means that you can track your progress & a comprehensive final exam at the end of the book gives you instant feedback on new language skills." ...

The pickled Martians tentacles are fraying at the ends & Professor Coffins Most Meritorious Unnatural Attraction (the remains of the original alien autopsy performed by Sir Frederick Treves at the London Hospital) is no longer drawing the crowds. Its 1895; nearly a decade since Mars invaded Earth chronicled by H.G. Wells in THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. Wrecked Martian spaceships back-engineered by Charles Babbage & Nikola Tesla have carried the Queens Own Electric Fusiliers to the red planet & Mars is now part of the ever-expanding British Empire. The less-than-scrupulous sideshow proprietor likes Off-worlders cash so he needs a sensational new attraction. Word has reached him of the Japanese Devil Fish Girl; nothing quite like her has ever existed before. But Professor Coffins quest to possess the ultimate showmans exhibit is about to cause considerable friction amongst the folk of other planets. Sufficient in fact to spark off Worlds War Two. ...

Look & learn to recall a wealth of everyday vocabulary in Japanese with this intuitive easy-to-use visual language dictionary. Whether its for business or pleasure the Japanese English Bilingual Visual Dictionary" will help you pick up 6 000 key Japanese words & phrases on a range of subjects: from shopping & eating out to sport & beyond quickly & easily. Find every word you need to know fast using the clearly labelled colour illustrated scenes from everyday life. Plus find helpful features on key Japanese nouns verbs & phrases to improve your understanding of the language & benefit from the pronunciation guide for each Japanese word throughout the book. This is pocket-sized so you can take it wherever your travels take you." ...