This review is written both in English and Italian.
Questa recensione è scritta sia in italiano che in inglese.

Thanks to Netgalley and Media Do International, Inc. for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've always wanted to visit Japan. Its culture, its language, its balance of modernity and tradition, I've always been fascinated by all of it. So when I found this book by Takashi Sato available to read, I knew I had to take the chance. Not only does this book show you beautiful places in the countryside of Japan through pictures taken by the author himself, it gives you all the information you need to get there and the activities you can join so that you can live your visit in the best and most efficient way possible.
And even if you are not planning on travelling there, at least for the moment, this book is still a great opportunity to know more about Japan and its hidden jewels.

⭐4.25/5
...
Grazie a Netgalley e Media Do International, Inc. per aver messo a disposizione la copia digitale in cambio di una recensione onesta.

Da sempre mi piacerebbe visitare il Giappone. Sono sempre stata affascinata dalla sua cultura, la sua lingua, l'equilibrio tra modernità e tradizione. Quindi, quando ho trovato questo libro di Takashi Sato pronto per essere letto, sapevo di dover cogliere l'occasione. Non solo questo libro mostra luoghi bellissimi della campagna giapponese attraverso foto scattate dall'autore stesso, ma fornisce anche tutte le informazioni che servono per arrivarci e tutte le attività a cui si può partecipare così da poter vivere al meglio e nella maniera più efficiente la propria visita.
E anche se non avete nei piani di viaggiare lì, almeno per ora, questo libro è comunque una buona opportunità per conoscere meglio il Giappone e i suoi gioielli nascosti.

⭐4.25/5

Japan is a stunning country. I am sure that anyone who has been to it will agree with me on that. It is a blend of ultra-modern living with rural countryside communities that make you feel like you have stepped back in time.

We visit Japan’s 4 main islands, and on each of these we are given very different places that would most defiantly be worth a visit. Not only are these places not your usual tourist locations, you are given the best time of the year to visit and how to get to each location. This is extremely useful in planning your next trip to Japan.

Not only are you treated to finding out new and interesting places to visit, the accompanying photography is stunning. You are instantly transported to the location with only one image. This will leave you wanting more, and the only way to get it is to travel there yourself!

Towards the end of the guidebook, you are given travel guides and itinerary suggestion so that you do not have to do all the figuring out how to get from A – B. This is such a great addition that elevates this guidebook to the next level from any other guidebook on Japan.

My only complaint about Japan: A Guidebook To Special Places is that I wish it were longer! I would love to see where else may intrigue me in this stunning country.

A great way to plan where you want to go when you next visit Japan.

Having lived for 2 years in Japan, albeit over 20 years ago, I have enormous fondness for the country, and well remember the stunning scenery and nature that I enjoyed way back when. I remember my younger self being very surprised at the time at the incredible contrast between the neon/urban (true) stereotypes of the city and the timeless, gentle impression made upon me by the Japanese countryside (inaka) and its inhabitants. This book does a great job of offering a tasteful collection of beautiful photos, many with extremely vibrant colours, and captures some of the more secluded or undiscovered parts of the country. I thoroughly enjoyed spending a couple of hours engaging in a spot of 'virtual travel', reading the short accompanying texts and can thoroughly recommend this book of nature to people who've never been to Japan or old hands alike.

With thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

A very adequate and interesting tour guide. Photography is beautiful, and there is enough info to appease any traveller. I loved the little fun facts that occur throughout the book, they seem to bring Japan to life. Very pretty, I'd definitely revommend it.
Many thanks for my ARC.

This book offers a great voyage when you need a break from the stress of daily life. Beautiful photography and plenty of visual tips to enhance your home.

Japan: A Guidebook to Special Places is a beautifully photographed and annotated guide to destinations and sights in Japan. Released 16th Oct 2020, it's 98 pages and available in paperback format.

This is a really attractive guidebook to travel destinations full of world famous sights and places to visit in Japan. The entries are arranged roughly geographically: northeast of Tokyo, Hokkaido to Honshu, Honshu to western Japan, and Shikoku to Kyushu. Each region is further divided into specific destinations. Each of the entries contains location info with prefecture and nearby cities, directions, URLs (where applicable), features, good-to-know info, and travel planning tips. There are simple maps included with location keys highlighting possible destinations, festivals, and when/where to visit.

The photography is abundant and clear. Especially now that travel is severely limited during the pandemic it's nice to be able to dream and plan about visiting when travel restrictions are lifted. This would make a super selection for library acquisition, home use, or travel planning.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A really beautiful book filled with mesmerizing photos of japanese scenery. This is a really well structured travel guide, several places are introduced through the book. There are accompanying texts describing the areas and giving a bit more context. I really appreciate that the locations are marked for each photo along with the recommended month to visit. There are even tips for online searches and QR codes for each location offering more help. If you plan to visit Japan and are looking for beautiful places at the countryside I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It would also be a great gift for a friend who is interested in Japan. My favorite spot is Sanuki Fuji, if I ever make it to Japan I will make sure to visit.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

If you have always loved Japan and wanted to visit this amazing country this book is for you. I love Japan and its culture and visiting this country is one of my biggest dream. This book made me fall in love for the multiple time with Japan.
All the places that you read the descriptions about in some books are completely real or the landscapes that you see in plenty of animes do really exist and they are wonderful and superb. They are just ZEKKEI because you can't find the right words in English to describe all these amazing landscapes but Takashi Sato was able to capture their beauty in his pictures for us. I was looking at these pictures in total admiration and profound awe asking myself do these places really exist on this earth. I can understand why some of them have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

This book is the best guide for you if you want to see the real Japan with its real beauty.

I absolutely loved this beautiful book. It is a very special book, much like a treasure trove of goodies. Each time I looked at one of the beautiful photographs of a place in Japan, I felt such peace, joy and happiness. It is the perfect book to read if you wish to travel around Japan, since it shows lots of different places and travel information. However, it is also a good book to read if you are just interested in finding out what Japan is like. I highly recommend this wonderful book. It is both a practical book and a fantastic high energy piece of art and creativity.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

#Japan by Takashi gives a glimpse of Japan and it’s livelihood through his writing.
This book can be handy when you are planning or traveling to Japan, which is well written and briefly explained. It explains about the climate, food, places to visit and where to stay.
What makes it easy to follow the places that you want to visit as the author has organized all the places according to the regions and the best time to visit. Japan is in my wishlist that I would like to travel.

Thank you #NetGalley for giving this opportunity to read through this book.

This book was absolutely gorgeous. It found the perfect blend between photography, descriptions, and tourist info. The photos were absolutely stunning and I like that the Takashi Sato chose to feature certain areas of the country and suggest people visit in what would likely be considered the "off season." I think so often people, especially from the United States, only consider going to Japan during Cherry Blossom Season but this book really made a point to feature other seasons and other landscapes. I honestly did not appreciate the diversity of the landscape and climate until now. This book is very much focused on the natural wonders of Japan with some villages featured. If you're looking for photos of Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, etc. this is not that book.

The descriptions are beautifully written. It seems likely that they were originally written in Japanese and translated to English based on some of the poeticism of some of the sentences. The words were clearly carefully chosen and added to the beauty of the photographs. Takashi Sato clearly loves his country and wants others to see what he sees.

I like that tourist info was included thought the book. The main sections have QR codes that links to additional travel information and maps on the book's website. I also appreciated that most of the pages included brief information in the book on getting there, usually stating something along the lines of "10 minute drive from suchandsuch train station." This made the locations in the book seem really accessible. Additionally, at the end there were general helps including information about Japanese customs (essentially how not to be a tacky tourist), the rail system, how to get around (by air, train, public transport, and car), and sample itineraries.

This is the type of guidebook I love ! So many gorgeous photos m with information on when and how to visit these beautiful places. The last pages of the book are dedicated to useful tips about traveling in Japan, how to get around and sample itineraries. I wish I had this guide book when I planned my trip a few years ago, but definitely would be useful for the next trip.

And when you are done your trip, yo still have a gorgeous photo book !

This book combined two of my favourite topics: Japan and Landscape photography. The information sheets towards the end of the book have a lot of valuable pointers for tourists which can be handy, but might feel redundant for frequent visitors.

I would love to visit Japan again! The wonderful photography gave me a bit of reprieve. My only complaint would be that it didn’t have more photos. The book felt too short and I wanted more.

Honestly, I requested this just to see the pictures. But I ended up actually liking the whole thing. I enjoyed the background information given for each place and so many of the pictures were beautiful. This was definitely a great starter guide.

In this book there are not only beautiful photos, but also directions on how to reach these places, which are not the usual recommended for tourists, and especially the reasons for going there. Very nice and useful if you could go there....

In questo libro non ci sono solo belle foto, ma anche indicazioni su come raggiungere questi posti, che non sono i soliti raccomandati per i turisti, e soprattutto le ragioni per andarci. Molto bello e utile se ci si potesse andare....

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

I have always wanted to travel to Japan and this guide highlights all the reasons why. This is such a beautiful rendering of a various destinations to visit. I loved that it is broken up by region, as this makes it easier to navigate. In addition, the Good to Know section at the end is a great tool to help you navigate travel in the countryside, as there are some differences from the big cities. The QR codes are helpful and link you directly to the book’s website for additional information. Each chapter begins with a beautiful picture and an insider’s advice on the best time to visit the region. Travel Notes and Why It’s Special are wonderful nuggets of information as well. Mostly, I loved the pictures, tips and accessibility of information for somewhere on my bucket list.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

This lovely book is a combination of stunning photographs of the natural wonders of the islands and an engaging travel guide.

The bulk of the book is the photographs. Each is accompanied by a short description that tells you something about the area, the landscape, or the view. Although not always in the most idiomatic English, the descriptions are charming.

The last quarter of the book is the travel guide, entitled "Good to Know." in addition to the usual basic tourist information, you'll find suggested itineraries and a table showing what activities are available in the locations pictured.

Because it stays away from the usual tourist spots, this book might not be for everyone, but it shows you a stunning Japan that is worth seeking out.

The imagery and images popped off the page, giving me the feeling of actually being there. If I were to visit, I'd love to have this book on hand.

I was supposed to visit Japan for the first time this month, but obviously COVID-19 ruined those plans. Therefore, when I saw this book listed on NetGalley I knew I wanted to read it. Most of my planned activities revolved around Tokyo, so what I enjoyed most about this book was its suggestions for heading off the beaten track. Each entry contains an overview of the recommended area, the best time to go there, and a note on transportation/getting there, with stunning photos showing you what you can expect to see. Meanwhile, the final pages contain general information and tips on travelling around Japan and some suggested itineraries. This is certainly a beautiful book, and a useful one if you want to see Japan's natural beauty and head out of the major cities. Here and there I would have liked a little more practical information, but those kinds of details can easily be found online, so this is only the most minor of complaints about an otherwise excellent publication. 4.5 stars from me that I will round up to 5.

Until we can travel in real time, armchair travel is an escape. Anyone who has ever thought of visiting Japan will, I think, enjoy this title. The photographs are gorgeous, the book is well organized and it includes a good amount of detail. The author/photographer knows Japan well and is an excellent guide. I enjoyed the escape that the stunning photos provided.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this beautiful title. All opinions are my own.