Streetwise Tokyo

This prize-winning book is both an illustrated tour of a Tokyo rarely seen in Japan travel guides and an artist's warm, funny, visually rich, and always entertaining graphic memoir. Florent Chavouet, a young graphic artist, spent six months exploring Tokyo while his girlfriend interned at a company there. Each day he would set forth with a pouch full of color pencils and a sketchpad, and visit different neighborhoods. This stunning book records the city that he got to know during his adventures. It isn't the Tokyo of packaged tours and glossy guidebooks, but a grittier, vibrant place, full of ordinary people going about their daily lives and the scenes and activities that unfold on the streets of a bustling metropolis. Here you find businessmen and women, hipsters, students, grandmothers, shopkeepers, policemen, and other urban types and tribes in all manner of dress and hairstyles. A temple nestles among skyscrapers; the corner grocery anchors a diverse assortment of dwellings, cafes, and shops--often tangled in electric lines. The artist mixes styles and tags his pictures with wry comments and observations. Realistically rendered advertisements or posters of pop stars contrast with cartoon sketches of iconic objects or droll vignettes, like a housewife walking her pet pig, a Godzilla statue in a local park, and an urban fishing pond that charges 400 yen per half hour. This very personal guide to Tokyo is organized by neighborhood with hand-drawn maps that provide an overview of each neighborhood, but what really defines them is what caught the artist's eye and attracted his formidable drawing talent. Florent Chavouet begins his introduction by observing that, "Tokyo is said to be the most beautiful of ugly cities." With wit, a playful sense of humor, and the multicolor pencils of his kit, he sets aside the question of urban ugliness or beauty and captures the Japanese essence of a great city in this truly vital portrait.

The fashionable, eccentric pedestrians of Tokyo are captured with hundreds of portrait photographs in this fun guide to Tokyo street fashion. Tokyo is considered one of the world's style capitals for its vibrant youth fashion culture. Part guide book, part fashion photography album, Tokyo Fashion City takes a stroll through eight Tokyo neighborhoods, each with its own unique fashion characteristics, to see what streetwise young Tokyoites are wearing, where they're shopping, what they're eating and drinking, and where they're hanging out. Author Philomena Keet and photographer Yuri Manabe accompany the reader to Harajuku where high fashion rubs shoulders with hip-hop style; to Shibuya, birthplace of the "gal" and stomping ground for Tokyo's most sophisticated fashionistas; to hipster hangout Daikanyama; to the goth and geek meccas of Shinjuku and Ikebukuro; to bohemian Koenji and otaku neighborhood Nakano; to Ginza's lunching ladies and dapper gentlemen; to the cosplay paradise of Akihabara; and to the narrow lanes of East Tokyo, where everyday Japanese fashion gets a traditional touch. Each chapter is packed with photographs of young fashionistas captured as they go about their daily lives, with info-rich captions, and insightful text giving the background to the trends and tribes featured. With the inclusion of area maps, and shop and cafe listings, Tokyo Fashion City is an indispensable resource for readers wishing to keep a finger on Tokyo's style pulse.

Anyone who's ever ventured into the subway system of Tokyo knows it's like being lost in a maze. The overwhelming sense of hopelessness-which direction to go, which lines to take, where to buy the tickets, etc.-can thoroughly annoy and throw one off, especially someone who can't speak or read Japanese. Help is at hand with the publication of this tremendous little guidebook. It is a wonderful booster for those who need to make sense of the confusing and multifaceted Tokyo subway system.

"Lessons from a Street-Wise Professor" sheds light on what every successful musician knows but most music schools don't teach--that a musician, regardless of instrument or specialty, is a small business and with that comes the need for entrepreneurial savvy.

A riveting account of the role of Americans in the evolution of the Tokyo underworld in the years since 1945. In the ashes of postwar Japan lay a gold mine for certain opportunistic, expatriate Americans. Addicted to the volatile energy of Tokyo's freewheeling underworld, they formed ever-shifting but ever-profitable alliances with warring Japanese and Korean gangsters. At the center of this world was Nick Zappetti, an ex-marine from New York City who arrived in Tokyo in 1945, and whose restaurant soon became the rage throughout the city and the chief watering hole for celebrities, diplomats, sports figures, and mobsters. Tokyo Underworld chronicles the half-century rise and fall of the fortunes of Zappetti and his comrades, drawing parallels to the great shift of wealth from America to Japan in the late 1980s and the changes in Japanese society and U.S.-Japan relations that resulted. In doing so, Whiting exposes Japan's extraordinary "underground empire": a web of powerful alliances among crime bosses, corporate chairmen, leading politicians, and public figures. It is an amazing story told with a galvanizing blend of history and reportage.

Here's a book about Tokyo that's seriously streetwise. Colourful themed trails, from history and culture to food and nature, reveal amazing facts and intriguing tales that kids won't find on the tourist routes. We'll show them where to bathe in chocolate, climb Japan's tallest tower, meet a giant robot, and lots more!

Tokyo is one of the most fastest-paced cities in Asia. Keep up to speed with City Guide Tokyo - a comprehensive guide to getting the most out of this extraordinary city. Experience the mega-wattage of neon lights in Shibuya, take a soothing dip at Odaiba's Oedo Onsen and marvel at the resplendent Senso-ji temple with a guide that explores all these sights and more using detailed, narrative text, easy-to-use maps and stunning full-colour photography. City Guide Tokyo fully explores the history, people and culture of the city, so you can discover everything you need to know to appreciate kabuki theatre, learn the difference between sushi and sashimi and delve into the world of manga and anime. In-depth chapters cover all of Tokyo's wards and suggest excursions to surrounding regions; fashionistas should head for stylish Harajuku, night owls can make a beeline for bustling Roppongi, history and architecture buffs will adore the Old Tokyo of Asakusa, whilst those seeking fresh air and gorgeous scenery will want to explore Mount Fuji. The Best Of section helps you to prioritise what to see and the Travel Tips offer selective listings of where to stay and eat out, plus essential advice on what you need to know before you go and how to get around the city once you are there.

Insight Guides City Guide Tokyo Travel made easy. Ask local experts. Explore one of the most exciting cities in the world with this inspirational travel guide. Get Olympic ready with this inspirational full-colour city guide book to Tokyo. It's all a traveller needs to explore Tokyo in-depth during their 2020 Olympic adventure. From deciding when to go, to choosing what to see when you arrive, this guide to Tokyo is all you need to plan your trip and experience the best this city has to offer, with insider information on must-see, top attractions like Senso-ji, Roppongi and the Imperial Palace, together with cultural experiences like enjoying a soothing soak in an onsen with some locals, picnicking in the blossom-strewn Yogogi Park and soaking up the atmosphere in the city's famous Cat's House. Features of this travel guide to Tokyo: - Inspirational colour photography: discover the best destinations, sights and excursions, and be inspired by stunning imagery - Historical and cultural insights: immerse yourself in Tokyo's rich history and culture, and learn all about its people, art and traditions - Practical full-colour maps: with every major sight and listing highlighted, the full-colour maps make on-the-ground navigation easy - Editor's Choice: uncover the best of Tokyo with our pick of the city's top destinations - Key tips and essential information: packed full of important travel information, from transport and tipping to etiquette and hours of operation - Covers: Imperial Palace; Marunouchi; Nihombashi; Yurakucho; Ginza; Shiodome; Ikebukuro; Shinjuku; Aoyama and Omotesando; Harajuku and Shibuya; Roppongi; Shinagawa; Ueno; Yanesen and Hongo; Asakusa; Suidobashi; Ochanomizu; Kanda; Akihabara; Sumida River and Bayside Looking for a comprehensive guide to Japan? Check out Insight Guide Japan for a detailed and entertaining look at all the country has to offer. About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps, as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.