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I have an older edition of this atlas and it has been a lifesaver for me over the many trips over the years. The way it's helped me the most is when I have a destination in mind and I've already looked up which station to exit. I'm fluent in both Japanenese and English but the bilingual portion is huge b/c I cannot read all the kanji. The book is not expensive, it is lightweight and not so thick like typical tourist books, it is very clear, detailed, and colorful.
What also helps is, since it's bilingual, if you had to ask a Japanese native for directions, you can point to a place on the map and they can read the Japanese portion. Usually, it's the actual walk from the station to the destination where one can get lost and you can use this book like a GPS. Unless your destination is some obscure building in small rural area of Tokyo, you will find major buidlings, attractions, parks, dept stores, etc clearly labeled as well as all train/subway stations and even down to the exit number. This book makes a perfect complement to a tour guide book (i.e. Also, if you're familiar with the Japanese address system, the map clearly lists which ward, which district, which sub-district, and which building number. I've also loaned it to all of my friends that have gone to Tokyo and they've found it to be essential as well.
You cannot not rely on street signs or instinct to walk through the streets. Fodors, Lonely Planet). For a non-Japanese speaker, the English portion is essential. Every district you go, you can use this book to get around.
i bought this to use while in tokyo but I found the map is missing a bridge i was looking for. published in 2004 its not up to date. lesson learned: buy the most recent map book in Tokyo/Japan when you get here. i'll keep it brief. it comes up short when it comes to the details.
Essential for getting around Tokyo without getting lost. English AND Japanese in one detailed map book.
This atlas makes a great gift for friends and family living abroad near Tokyo. He didn't want to give it back. The Tokyo City Atlas isn't critical for the average tourist, but is very helpful if you want to dive deeper into the city. On a recent vacation to Tokyo, I lent my copy to my brother who lives north of the city.
Ok, I bought this book before I went to Tokyo for a week because everyone here on Amazon seemed to think it was essential. But major tourist landmarks are already going to be on your tourist map, and when you go to the web site of a restaurant or store, it will include an area map. Just like in any major city all you need is a city map and a subway map. The exception is if you must look up non-tourist addresses all by yourself without the aid of anyone else (a taxi driver or hotel concierge) or a web site.
Plus when you come up out of the ground, if you took the wrong exit you only have to walk an extra block or two at most. So in those cases you won't need this book. I have to say that I never needed this map and I went to several restaurants.People also made a huge deal here on Amazon about the subway exits. So that is not important.If you are going to live in Tokyo for months and look up random addresses in obscure areas than yes this book would be a big help. All of the subway stations have maps on the walls as you exit that show the location of each exit. After visiting for a week, my conclusion is that as long as you have a general map of Tokyo and a subway map, which you can find in any normal guidebook you don't need this book.
Only obscure addresses where you can't look up a web site, or get help from your hotel or taxi would you need this. But for normal tourists, I must insist that this book is by no means essential and I did not use it during my one week stay. This detail in this book is mostly overkill. If all you have is a street address then yes you need this book.
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