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New Lonely Planet Tokyo launch at 300 Bar Next, Yurakucho, TokyoLonely Planet, the legendary guide book publisher, launched a new edition of Lonely Planet Japan last night, at a lively launch party in Tokyo's Yurakucho district.

After an hour's warm up at the basement 300 Bar Next, Lonely Planet's North Asia Territory Manager, Tim Burland, took the mike, and introduced us all to the hefty blue, hot-off-the-press version of Lonely Planet Tokyo.

Tim Burland and Rebecca Milner at Lonely Planet Tokyo launch.Following him, author of Lonely Planet Pocket Tokyo, Rebecca Milner, also addressed the crowd, with Burland resuming a little later with a commentated slide show to provide few more details about the books being launched. Among them, too, is the Lonely Planet Pocket Kyoto & Osaka.
300 Bar Next also calls itself "Ginza 300 Bar Next" - but is a million miles from the slick glass-fronted feel of Ginza, partaking more of the rough-and-ready, even grungy, atmosphere of Yurakucho and evoking, maybe, something of Lonely Planet's original alternative vibe.
Slideshow at 300 Bar Next for Lonely Planet Tokyo
I made a new acquaintance or two, and caught up with a couple more. I managed to exchange a word or two with Tim Burland, and briefly acquaint him with JapanVisitor.com.

Lonely Planet Tokyo new edition launch party postersA chasm seems to remain between the online and offline worlds of publishing. Tim Burland hadn't heard of Japan...