by Paul Heney
Last updated: 8:00 PM ET, Thu June 21, 2018
The Little Book of Tokyo, recently published by Tuttle Publishing, would easily be described as a coffee table book … except for its diminutive size. The book, at a mere 6.25-in. square, could easily be taken along on a trip to Japan's largest city as a guidebook of sorts, but it feels more like something to be enjoyed curled up in a good chair. (Maybe reading it while flying first class to Tokyo would be the ideal situation!)
Author and photographer Ben Simmons has lavishly illustrated the book with his glorious photography, capturing much of the essence of the Japanese culture, as well as its people, landmarks, and natural beauty.
The book is divided into four parts, with each looking at an aspect of the city: The Spirit of Tokyo, Traditional Tokyo, Tokyo Today and Toyko Sights. Each part is subdivided into sections that cover specific areas or ideas-there's a short description, and then the photos and captions are left to do the heavy lifting.
The Spirit of Tokyo covers Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, Matsuri festivals, Kabuki theater, and sumo wrestling. It also discusses the citizens of Tokyo-their style, their energy, their cuisine, and love of shopping.
Traditional Tokyo looks at Tokyo's Imperial Palace, Asakusa Kannon Senso-Ji Temple, Shibamata Temple Town, and a couple of the city's history museums. Additionally, it delves into some historic gardens, the Edo-Tokyo Historical Park, Mount Takao, and Kamakura, situated on the coast an hour south of Tokyo.
Tokyo Today focuses on the historic shitamachi town of Ueno, the central commercial and financial district of Marunouchi, the Ginza district, Hibiya Park, Akihabara, Roppongi, the Harajuku station area, and the Aoyama and Omotesando neighborhoods.
Tokyo Sights goes into a lot of the attractions tourists will be drawn to such as the Meiji Shrine, the 333-meter high Tokyo Tower, Tsukiji Market, the Tokyo Skytree (itself 634 meters tall!), Kiyosumi Garden, the Rainbow Bridge, Shinjuku City Hall, and the Kabukicho entertainment district. It also explains the Tokyo train system for visitors, as well as the city's numerous waterways.
To order, visit tuttlepublishing.com.
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