624563 Tue Jun 02 13:10:57 -0700 2009 16 45 Japan 0 4736489 Want to be prepared for upcoming trip so need books on restaurants ,supplies, supermarkets, as well as antiques, parks, knives, etc. Sort of a Patricia Wells of Tokyo. Tue Jun 02 13:10:57 -0700 2009 71113 Delucacheesemonger 1 4737356 Can you read Japanese? Tue Jun 02 18:09:02 -0700 2009 4736489 202405 tjr 2 4737668 Michelin Guide, if that's your type of food. As far as regular restaurants, bento.com is one of the best around. Metropolis is a free weekly magazine that has a restaurant/bar review. Sunnypages is ok sometimes, but the noise/quality ratio isn't that great. Tue Jun 02 20:13:15 -0700 2009 4737356 101545 lost squirrel 3 4739624 Not a Michelin guy usually, like Pudlo for Paris and Sietzema for NY Wed Jun 03 12:43:05 -0700 2009 4737668 71113 Delucacheesemonger 2 4739617 Barely do English Wed Jun 03 12:42:18 -0700 2009 4737356 71113 Delucacheesemonger 3 4741070 I think the Michelin guide might be your best bet in terms of high-end fine dining. I've never really used any English guides, so I probably can't help much. I just checked an unopened Fodor's I have on the shelf... it seems to list everything on your list except maybe supermarkets? Perhaps a good place to start. Wed Jun 03 21:17:53 -0700 2009 4739617 202405 tjr 1 4738142 It's 20 years old, but Jay and Sumi Gluck's Japan Inside Out is one of the best and most thorough guides out there. Of course, being 20 years old also means many of the places are probably closed, but it's still worth a glance. (You can get used copies on amazon very cheaply.) Wed Jun 03 04:36:05 -0700 2009 4736489 55178 prasantrin 2 4740852 I'm at a loss, I don't know anyone here who uses a guide like that. Good luck. Wed Jun 03 19:35:04 -0700 2009 4738142 101545 lost squirrel 1 4740985 I am working on this book right now. It will be out in the spring of 2010. It will cover restaurants, supplies, markets, knives (will not do parks or antiques). If you can wait until then: http://www.littlebookroom.com/foodsaketokyo.html Wed Jun 03 20:28:54 -0700 2009 4736489 11720 Yukari 2 4743474 Cool -- sounds like it will be a good reference tool. (Unfortunately, my next trip will likely be January 2010, so I probably won't get a chance to actually use it until 2011 or later.) Thu Jun 04 17:05:42 -0700 2009 4740985 14041 Debbie M 1 4743830 "IZAKAYA-The Japanese Pub Cookbook" written by Mark Robinson. "What' what in Japanese Restaurants" written by Robb Satterwhite. Thu Jun 04 19:33:29 -0700 2009 4736489 130720 FourSeasons 1 4744212 There's a Manga called "Oishinbo" that holds a ton of information on everything from Japanese food, to shops, to even Sake. Not quite a Patricia Wells of Tokyo but extremely educational in its own right. Fri Jun 05 00:43:17 -0700 2009 4736489 226450 Notorious P.I.G. 1 4744289 If you're at all interested in Tokyo izakayas with standout sake selections and good food to boot, you might want to try and get hold of the following book by John Gauntner who is a, if not the, leading non-Japanese authority on sake. Lists 40 izakayas in different Tokyo neighbourhoods, mostly in Japanese but some English as well as an address and map for each place: http://www.sake-world.com/html/books.html#TokyoSakePubGuideM Another source of excellent information about sake - as well as more generally about Japanese food + culture and Tokyo eating - is the following blog written by one of the bento.com writers: http://tokyodrinkingglass.blogspot.com/ Finally, do yourself a favour and get hold of the following Tokyo street map: http://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-City-Atlas-Bilingual-Guide/dp/4770025033 Armed with this, the nightmare of trying to locate places and pinpoint addresses actually becomes, dare I say, an enjoyable adventure and it's immensely rewarding when you find places without having to ask anyone!! Fri Jun 05 03:30:16 -0700 2009 4736489 28263 oonth 2 4746541 I have long been a fan of the bilingual Atlas, having owned many editions over the years. However, when my friend, formerly a fellow devotee of the Atlas, used his GPS to guide us to Ivan Ramen, well, that was definitely the coolest! Fri Jun 05 14:55:10 -0700 2009 4744289 14041 Debbie M 3 4751626 I'll second the atlas, it's very useful for finding places and slim enough to fit in most medium bags. Sun Jun 07 20:06:35 -0700 2009 4746541 101545 lost squirrel 2 4747633 Thanks for Atlas, just ordered, should l get the train/metro map/book listed as essential as well? Sat Jun 06 03:31:11 -0700 2009 4744289 71113 Delucacheesemonger 3 4749613 I haven't bought the train/metro book and have never had problems getting around. The Atlas has one detailed subway map and one detailed map of other non-subway train lines. The information in pretty much every station (especially bigger ones) is good even for English-only speakers. You can get subway/train maps from information centres in JR stations. And I'm increasingly surprised at the amount of English spoken by station staff, it's certainly enough for non-Japanese speakers to be able to get around without too much bother. Sun Jun 07 02:39:06 -0700 2009 4747633 28263 oonth