I didn't have time but I wanted to make the most out of my first trip to Japan.
1. Frommer's Japan 8th edition - I brought this on the trip with me as most of the material I had read from this helped me decide on which hotels, ryokan, spots to visit. Very useful as it listed schedules of opening/closing of shrines etc, which bus number to take, how to get to a hotel etc.
2. Fodor's Exploring Japan 6th edition - the first Japan travel book I bought, it has lovely photographs and walks described in it and I love shiny thick paper on which it is printed. I also brought this on the trip, although details were not as extensive as Frommer's in getting from one place to another. However, I recommend you buy this also if only to enjoy the pictures and descriptions they have of the different cultural aspects of Japan
3. DK Eyewitness Travel Guides: Japan - colourful pictures, but had to leave it behind. Their "Traveller's Needs" section on Where to Stay, Where to Eat, Shopping in Japan, added to my knowledge gleaned from Frommer's and helped me give me a more clear picture of what to expect. Thinner than Frommer's (it was the thickest) its a good read and a nice addition to one's collection.
4. Lonely Planet: Kyoto City Guide - some people I met along my trip told me they liked Lonely Planet travel books the best. Although I found the maps too cute for my eyes (sign of creeping age), it does have good information on where to prioritize in visiting. But I like my travel books to have good photographs even if they turn out to be bulky and that was what was lacking in this tome.
However, since I really wanted to get to know Kyoto more (in fact, if I had more money and vacation leave balance, I'd have stayed here for 1 week) so there was a lot of information here about the city that was on top of my list. It is also very useful for the budget conscious traveller as it mostly lists those which are on the average to low-cost establishments and lodgings.
5. Lonely Planet: Japanese phrasebook - its a small, handy book very useful for tucking in your bag and in case of emergencies I was prepared to do more than just windmill my arms about. I was prepared to emulate a Japanese accent and struggle through my anime-related Japanese vocabulary. I didn't get to use it very often since I was lucky in Osaka to meet a nice guy who played travel guide, I only got to use it more when I was in Gion, Kyoto by myself during eating.
- Watashi wa Firipin-jin desu (I am a Filipino).
- Watashi no tomodatchi (my friend).
- Kyoto/Tokyo/Nara e ikimasu (I am going to <insert place here>) - very useful at train stations coz I had to ask sometimes where the transfer was to be done.
- Eigo ga hanasemasu ka? (Do you speak English?) I sometimes used Eigo ga wakarimasu ka? (Do you understand English?)
- Sumisasen, wakarimasen (Excuse me or sorry, I do not understand) - the most abused word for me everyday was Sumimasen and Hai (yes).
- Kore was ikura desu ka? (How much does this cost?)
- Nanji desu ka (What time is it?)
- the numbers for 1 to 100, 1000-10,000
- days and months
- counters - but in my case more of bottles (hon), books (satsu), floors (kai), people (nin), time (ji), minutes (fun/pun)
- ku re jit to ka do (credit card) - I learned this in Huis Ten Bosch when I was trying to ask them if they would accept credit card, and they just looked at me when I said "credit card, ok?"....but them I had the bright idea of fudging it by pronounciation...so when I said "ku-re-jit-do-ka-do, hai?"...that solved the problem. *wink*
- Takasugimasu (It is too expensive).
- Nani ga o susume desu ka? (What would you recommend?)
- and the usual up, right, left, down, below, north, south, east, west, near, far...etc.
I also placed in my laptop some pdfs of other Japanese-language audio books like Pimsleur, and some kanji and Japanese phrasebooks.
- May 16, '08 3:37 PM
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