To help you in your Japan trip planning, and complement your online research, we’ve compiled a short list of the very best Japan travel guidebooks.
Despite the fact that nowadays most travelers rely primarily on apps and the internet for information, guidebooks can still be a great resource. (If you’re looking for more online resources, see our article on the internet’s best Japan travel resources.)
Along with helping you plan and prepare, guidebooks can also come in very handy during your trip. But apart from just being practical, for many people reading up on the destination (especially one as interesting as Japan) is part of the fun of travel.
In her article, “What a Great Trip! And I?m Not Even There Yet,” Stephanie Rosenbloom writes, “Taking a vacation won?t necessarily make you happier. But anticipating it will.” While we certainly hope that visiting Japan will make you happier, there’s definitely something uniquely magical about the anticipation before a big trip ? and with this in mind, we’re thrilled to present our favorite Japan guidebooks.
Originally written in 2014, this post was updated and republished on August 10, 2020.

Guidebooks come in various shapes and sizes, and we’ve split them into three categories:

Comprehensive general guidebooks
City-specific guidebooks
Specialty (topic-specific) guidebooks

For more reading inspiration, both fiction and non-fiction, see our full Japan reading list.
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