Kyoto: A Lonely Planet Guidebook (2012)

The fifth edition of Lonely Planet’s guidebook for Kyoto – written by Chris Rowthorn – was published in February 2012. The book is divided into four main sections. Here is a brief overview:

*** Section 1: Plan Your Trip
There are 15 chapters in this section, including the following: Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping, plus Temples & Shrines

*** Section 2: Explore Kyoto

There are 11 chapters in this section, including the following: Day Trips from Kyoto and Sleeping

*** Section 3: Understand Kyoto

There are 6 chapters in this section, including the following: History, Arts & Crafts, Architecture & Gardens, plus the Tea Ceremony

*** Section 4: Survival Guide

There are 3 chapters in this section: Transport, Directory A-Z, and Language. In addition there is a general index plus six sub-indexes

Nine maps at the end of the book cover different areas of the city. The book comes with a pull-out map: on one side a map of central Kyoto; on the other side a map of the Kyoto transport system (such a map is important; you will not be able to get around in Kyoto without consulting it).

This book tells you what to see and what to do when you are in Kyoto. It gives you information about restaurants and hotels and tells you how to get around in Kyoto.

It presents the majors sights of Kyoto, for instance:

* Kyoto Tower – page 51

* Nishiki Market – page 56
* Kyoto Imperial Palace Park – page 71

* Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine – page 76

* Kiyomizu-dera Temple – page 81
* Nanzen-ji – page 94

* Ginkakuji – “the Silver Pavilion” – page 95

* Kinkakuji – “the Golden Pavilion” – page 106
* Nijo Castle – page 107

I had it with me on a recent trip to Japan. During this trip I was able to test the quality and the value of the information in the book. In my opinion, it is helpful and useful. But there are some flaws, and some information needs to be updated:

** Visiting Kiyomizu-dera. How can I get there? Lonely Planet tells me to take bus # 100 or # 202 from Kyoto Station. The correct numbers are 100 and 206.

** Visiting Nanzen-ji. How much must I pay to enter the Hojo Garden and the San-mon Gate? Lonely Planet says I must pay 500 yen to enter the former and 300-400 yen to enter the latter. The correct fee is 300 yen for the garden and 500 yen for the gate.

** Public transport: on some buses you pay a flat fare, i.e. the fare does not depend on the distance that you travel. Lonely Planet says the fare is 220 yen. But the price has been raised since the book was published, and now it is 230 yen.

** You can use a Suica card on the subway in Kyoto, but for some reason it is not valid on the bus in Kyoto. The Suica card, which is issued by JR, can be used on the subway and bus in Tokyo. Chris Rowthorn does not mention the Suica card in his section about local transport (pp. 184-189).

** Taxes and refunds: on page 195 we are told: “There is a 5 % consumption tax on retail purchases in Japan.” In the spring of 2014 this tax was raised to 8 per cent, which means the price of (almost) everything went up.

** The Byodo-in Temple in Uji is presented on pp. 125-126. In September 2012 the Phoenix Hall of this temple was closed down for a renovation project which lasted one and a half year. In April 2014 the hall was opened to the public again. The Phoenix Hall, which is depicted on the Japanese 10 yen coin, can accept up to 50 visitors at a time. Each tour is limited to 20 minutes. Admission to the hall is 300 yen, on top of the regular admission to the temple area, which is 600 yen. Obviously, this renovation project is not mentioned in the book, since it began after the book was published.

** While presenting the Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine, the author mentions a pathway that runs for ca. 4 km around the mountain, but fails to give any details about it. The reader needs to know the following: the route from the main shrine to marker # 6 can be completed in ca. 30 minutes. At this point a circular route begins (and ends). The circular route comprises markers # 8 to # 17. The circular route can be completed in ca. 60 minutes (clock-wise or counter-clockwise). The route from marker # 6 and back to the main shrine can be completed in ca. 30 minutes.

In other words: You can complete the whole trail in ca. 2 hours, depending on how fast you walk.

The author should provide more information about the pathway. In addition, he should provide a map which shows the route around the mountain, so the reader knows what he or she is in for.

** The Toji Temple is mentioned in a brief sentence on page 51: “Even near Kyoto Station, you’ll see the lovely pagoda at Toji temple…”

One sentence! That is all. How can the author think this is enough? Moreover, the description of the location is a bit odd. The temple is not exactly “near Kyoto Station.” It is located southwest of the station: ca. 2 km to the south and ca. 2 km to the west.

This temple – one of the oldest and most important in Kyoto - deserves a proper presentation. Furthermore, the location of the temple should be shown on one of the maps in the book.

Having made these critical comments I would like to add some positive words as well:

(1) On page 30 there is a brief paragraph on tipping: “There is no tipping in restaurants or cafes.” This is true. I wish to praise the author for this message: it is short and clear - and accurate. Tokyo: A Lonely Planet Guidebook says tipping is “not customary,” which is not accurate. It seems the author of the Kyoto book is better informed than the authors of the Tokyo book.

(2) On pp. 191-192 there is a section about the internet and how to go online in Kyoto. The author issues a warning here: perhaps it is not as easy as you think. There is wi-fi almost everywhere, but in most cases it is not free. I wish to praise the author for giving this warning. It is good to know and good to be prepared. One way to deal with this matter is to make sure you always choose a hotel that offers free wi-fi. We followed this approach and we were not disappointed. Every hotel we stayed in had wi-fi, it was free, and it worked well.

(3) On page 193 there is a section about how to pay in Kyoto: with cash or with a credit card. The author issues a warning here: “Japan is a cash society!” Credit cards are only accepted in expensive hotels and department stores. Always carry enough cash to pay for what you need. I wish to praise the author for giving this warning. It is good to know and good to be prepared. One way to deal with this matter is to make sure you always choose a hotel that accepts credit cards. It does not have to be a five star hotel. Before you enter a restaurant, ask if they accept credit cards. If they do not, find another venue that does. During our stay in Japan I was surprised to see that many places – even small establishments - were in fact ready to accept my credit card. But this was a good surprise, not a bad surprise.

(4) On page 52 the author tells us that if you go to floor 11 of Kyoto Station building you will find a fine collection of restaurants, not only Japanese, but also Korean and western style. You would never guess this when you are standing on the ground floor of this building.

On the same page the author mentions Yodobashi Camera, a tall building located a few minutes’ walk north of Kyoto Station. On floor 8 of this building there is another fine collection of restaurants. You would never guess this when you are standing in front of the building.

I wish to praise the author for providing this valuable information about where to go for dinner.

I have written to Lonely Planet to tell them about the negative and positive elements I have found in the book. I hope the flaws will be corrected in the next edition.

How many stars does this book deserve?

It is obvious to compare this book about Kyoto with Lonely Planet’s book about Tokyo. In both volumes I see some positive and negative elements, but when I compare them, I think the flaws of the latter are more serious than the flaws of the former. Therefore I will give the Kyoto book a rating of five stars.

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Chris Rowthorn,

Kyoto: Lonely Planet,

Fifth edition, February 2012, 232 pages

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