Recommended Kyoto books

Before coming, or even when you get here, these recommended book selections will help you get the most of your holiday or living in the Kansai region.

Essentials:

One thing everyone needs in a foreign country is a jolly good map. This is an excellent bilingual Osaka and Kyoto map featuring both kanji and alphabet letters so you can always ask someone on the steet to help you when you get lost. Covers Kyoto, Kobe, Osaka Nagoya and Nara downtown areas in detail and at a useful scale. I’ve used mine for years and its really worth the money.

Another important book is the trusty Japanese phrase book. There are dozens to choose from and all will have pretty much the same so no particular recommendations here, although Lonely Planet have always been good to me.

 

Kyoto

Let’s start with the ancient and proud city of Kyoto – famous worldwide for its greenhouse busting protocol, but also for its history of samurai, emperors and geisha!

Travel Guides: As usual, Lonely Planet provide a practical and informative Kyoto city travel guide. Filled with all the essentials of what and where to see it makes a great companion for getting the most out of Kyoto. (There is also a useful large scale Kyoto map).

More Kyoto travel guides can be found here