Five Equations that Changed the World: The Power and Poetry of Mathematics

Average customer rating:

An excellent exposition of five turning points in science

Not the Book it Claims to Be, But Excellent Nonetheless

Wish I had read this before Engrg School

Engaging, Optimistic and Sloppy

As the physicists turn.

Five Equations that Changed the World: The Power and Poetry of Mathematics
Michael Guillen
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786881879
Release Date: 1996-08-29

Book Description

A Publishers Weekly best book of 1995!Dr. Michael Guillen, known to millions as the science editor of ABC's Good Morning America, tells the fascinating stories behind five mathematical equations.As a regular contributor to daytime's most popular morning news show and an instructor at Harvard University, Dr. Michael Guillen has earned the respect of millions as a clear and entertaining guide to the exhilarating world of science and mathematics.Now Dr. Guillen unravels the equations that have led to the inventions and events that characterize the modern world, one of which -- Albert Einstein's famous energy equation, E=mc2 -- enabled the creation of the nuclear bomb.Also revealed are the mathematical foundations for the moon landing, airplane travel, the electric generator -- and even life itself.Praised by Publishers Weekly as "a wholly accessible, beautifully written exploration of the potent mathematical imagination," and named a Best Nonfiction Book of 1995, the stories behind The Five Equations That Changed the World, as told by Dr. Guillen, are not only chronicles of science, but also gripping dramas of jealousy, fame, war, and discovery.Dr. Michael Guillen is Instructor of Physics and Mathematics in the Core Curriculum Program at Harvard University.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent exposition of five turning points in science.......2005-04-12

It is most difficult to write an expository/popular book on Science and Mathematics. It needs a peculiar capacity to anticipate the amazement, curiosity and confusion in the minds of the general reader who, in spite of his natural allergy to technicalities, would welcome any amount of scientific information that might broaden his horizon. Guillen's book satisfies this criterion. As a Professor of Mathematics who have written books of both kinds (technical as well as expository) I know it is necessary to 'slur', in expository writing, on certain deeper details to carry home a point to a layman. This is what Guillen does in many instances. That does not mean I am excusing or defending him for certain errors in the book that have already been pointed out by experts. The overall impression that one gets is this book must be in the hands of every teen-ager who aspires to have anything to do with science.

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

Not the Book it Claims to Be, But Excellent Nonetheless.......2005-02-22

Throughout history, innovators in science have risen from obscurity to fame by virtue of some original inspiration. These are the tales of five such pilgrims and their journeys. They are facinating biographical sketches of young boys, some poor or frail, whose life's work brought into clearer focus some aspect of the world around us. In the course of the book the author coaxes us to a better understanding of the state of knowledge before and after these innovators. We learn about gravity through Isaac Newton, hydrodynamic pressure through Bernoulli, electromagnetics from Faraday, thermodynamics from Clausius, and special relativity from Einstein. Michael Guillen's book isn't about equations, or even math, as a quick flip through the pages will illustrate. But the general reader, whom Guilen knows well through his television work, will not be disappointed by the lack of mathmatical notation. Ultimately we come away believing that, understanding the five protagonists, we understand their contribution, ...if not the language of their legacies.

Wish I had read this before Engrg School.......2003-07-27

A fascinating and well written work. Michel Guillen brought to life the stories of the equations. When I had these in college, they were no where near as interesting!

Engaging, Optimistic and Sloppy.......2003-03-14

Delightfully written, easy to follow, Guillen describes the personal situations and scientific context of Newton's Law of Gravitation, Bernoulli's Law of Hydrodynamic Pressure, Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction, Clausius's Second Law of Thermodynamics, and Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity (the equivalence of mass and energy).

As is the recent custom outside of textbooks, Guillen has given an exceptional amount of personal detail, letting us be amazed once more about how much these five scientists achieved despite personal situations that varied from ordinary to awful. Furthermore, the resistance from other scientists of their times is still surprising to some of us, while the resistance of the Catholic Church is not.

Guillen's efforts to provide clear explanations for the discoveries mostly succeed, least well for Clausius's Second Law of Thermodynamics, in my opinion. Many clever similes are used. A better explanation of the inverted delta in Clerk-Maxwell's equation on Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction is needed. Guillen defines it as "the amount of" (p158), while "the rate of change" might be better. The math does not go beyond high school algebra, with that one exception, so the mathematically challenged such as this reviewer need not fear.

What is very disappointing is the number of errors:

1. On p27 globes are said to 2-dimensional, when they are actually 3-dimensional; circles are 2-dimensional.

2. On p36 et seq planetary motion around the sun is said to follow oval paths, when the paths are actually elliptical. These are different shapes.

3. On p137 the Leyden jar was said to be the forerunner of the modern battery. In fact is was the ancestor of the modern capacitor.

4. On p139 Volta's piles were said to provide more current the higher the pile, meaning the more plates). In fact, more plates gave more voltage, not more current. The two terms are not interchangeable. The piles were said to be the ancestor of today's storage batteries, while, in fact, they were the precursor of today's "dry" cells, which are not rechargeable.

5. On p158 the general term "electricity" was used instead of the proper term "voltage" (E).

6. On p162 a perpetual motion machine seems to be described inadvertently by the supposed possibility of using an electric motor to spin a dynamo that, in turn, powers the motor. This is not possible, of course.

7. On p163 the term "current" is used instead of "voltage"; these have never been interchangeable. The current is the number of electrons passing a certain point per second, while voltage is the unit of electrical pressure.

8. On p163 the term "heat" is used instead of "temperature". Thermometers measure temperature; calorimeters measure heat.

9. On p187 there seems to be total confusion between heat capacity and conduction. The apple filling in a pie is mostly water which has high heat capacity and good conduction, so it is easy to be burned on hot filling. The crust is mostly carbohydrate with air pockets, almost a foam, and the combination of low heat content at a given temperature and poor conduction makes it harder to be burned by the hot crust.

10. On p246 the speed of light was said to be constant. This should have been qualified from the start as being in a vacuum, as was done from p248 et seq.

11. The gross structure of the atom was worked out by Ernest Rutherford et al. in 1911 by bombarding gold foil with a beam of alpha particles from radium, not in the 1930s with "atom smashers" (particle accelerators), p258.

12. Einstein's 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics was for his discovery of the photoelectric effect, not for quantum mechanics (p259), which Einstein never even accepted!

Other Amazon.com reviewers found other mistakes as well.

As the physicists turn........2002-09-26

The author of this book should be hung up by his thumbs whilst being slowly beaten to death by irate readers. Hopefully they will bludgeon him with several large encylopaedias whilst chanting, "check the facts, check the facts."
This may and it's a large MAY be the only thing that stops the revolving in the grave of the people who's stories our supposedly contained within this book.
You know that a reader is in for a torrid time when only five, yes, five pages into the first chapter is a mistake so incredibly stupid that you have to wish that the author included it as either a joke or to try and keep his readers awake. Unfortunately neither seems to be the case. Just so you don't choke on your own bodily fluids if you make the mistake of reading this book, here it is. The king of England at the time of the civil war Dr. Guillen was Charles the first not William the first. A small difference of 600 years between them, you know 1066 and all that. If only that was the only error, or if only I had stopped reading. Several people had corrected the numerous errors in my library copy; I'm fighting the urge to add my own corrections.
This book is the literary equivalent of a car crash. You know you don't want to look at the devastation and suffering but somehow you just can't seem to stop yourself.
A lot more facts and a lot less sensationalism would have helped this book.
As it is the incredibly annoying section on heat makes you think that Fahrenheit 451 with fond memories.
If you want a book on the poetry of maths grab Mandlebrots book on fractals. Yes its a chalanging read, but worth every bit if energy you expend on it and by the end you will see some of the most beautiful maths imaginable.

Cinco Ecuaciones Que Cambiaron el Mundo / Five Equations that Changed World-nal: El poder y la oculta belleza de las matematicas / The Power and Poetry of Mathematics (Ensayo-Ciencia / Science-Essay)

Average customer rating:

Cinco Ecuaciones Que Cambiaron el Mundo / Five Equations that Changed World-nal: El poder y la oculta belleza de las matematicas / The Power and Poetry of Mathematics (Ensayo-Ciencia / Science-Essay)
Michael Guillen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

This text includes a description of 104 species with 195 photographs. It also contains a checklist of Nigerian orchids.

Customer Reviews:

Tokyo and Days Trips too.......2000-07-17

If you're into sushi and soba or curry and caviar you can find the best places to go in here. Also, great walking tours into the Ginza and Shinjuku. And for the adventurous, try the after dark entertainment from Kabuki to karaoke.

Book Description

Life is short. Vacations are shorter. Relax! Trust your trip to Frommer's. Choose the Only Guide That Gives You:

Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip no matter what your budget.
The latest, most reliable information—all completely up-to-date!
Dozens of easy-to-read color maps.
The widest and best selection of hotels and restaurants in every price range, with candid, in-depth reviews.
All the practical details you need to make the most of your time and money.
One-of-a-kind experiences and undiscovered gems, plus a new take on all the top attractions.
Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not.
A fresh, personal approach that puts the fun and excitement back into travel!

It's a Whole New World with Frommer's.

Customer Reviews:

Always good info from Frommers.......2007-09-22

I have used Frommer's books for many years as travel guides and they are always very helpful.

Very Informative.......2007-03-10

Comparing this book with information we received from the Japanese travel agent was nearly identical.

Everything for Japan Travel.......2006-11-11

Frommer's Japan is amazingly detailed and very current. It has everything you need to travel in Japan whether you are a student or a business person. I appreciate the details, but the hotel details are almost too much. Good itineraries, good sites-to-see advice, and good sense of essentials!

The best book in the world for Japan bound tourists........2005-10-03

Hello I just want to say that I can not belive all the info about Japan that is in this book. Granted It can't have it all no book does. But that's only because gernalists are lazy ha ha ha! This book has Busniss names, Addresses, Phone numbers, International calling codes, Maps, Also the avrage costs of common items your likely to buy. It has places to visit that arn't tourists traps! And if they are a tourist trap it says so. It even has a list of words in the back of the book in Japanese to learn to help you get around. For example, Where is a hospital? and How much does this cost? and Do you have any rooms availible? and much more. I can say I realy enjoy this book. Personally I have never been to Japan. But I will be a much more confadent tourist when I go now that I have this book.

Very solid guide, great maps and in-depth info.......2005-01-24

We recently returned from a 2-week trip to Tokyo and this was the guide we took with us on our trip. We had originally planned to venture outside Tokyo but due to some unforseen circumstances we ended up staying in Tokyo the entire time. So, although I think we would have been better off with Frommer's Tokyo-only guide this was a solid guide and served us well on our trip.
The guide has a large amount of information about Japanese customs, food choices (which we referred to often, sometimes to figure out what it was that we had just eaten!) and transportation options in Japan. The sections on transportation are invaluable; we were able to get from Narita to our hotel using the Limousine Bus service recommended by the book and had no trouble figuring out Tokyo's metro system after reading the guide's information.
The "walking tours" the book provides in Tokyo are excellent and we had fun following the Asakusa and Omotesando/Harajuku walking tours. Shopping in Japan is world-class and the book has a huge amount of info about where to go depending on what you're shopping for. We and our travel companions found great deals at one place in particular recommended by the guidebook, Oriental Bazaar on Omotesando-Dori, which was also recommended to us by an American living in Japan as the place he goes to shop for Japanese gifts.
I have two quibbles with the book: a. The author glosses over the offerings in Ueno Park and the Ueno Park area of Tokyo which are staggering. You could spend 2 or three days just in the Ueno area, there is so much to see. Maybe she goes into more depth in the Tokyo-only book, but I felt the Ueno information in the Japan guide was really weak. 2. The restaurants recommended in the guide are extremely expensive. Everyone talks about how expensive Tokyo is and if we had eaten exclusively at places from the guidebook we would have come back very poor indeed. But we ate at the same places Japanese office workers and housewives ate and had great meals at low prices. The book glosses over Japanese chains like Mos Burger, First Kitchen and TNT where you can get a great Japanese-influenced meal at a low price in favor of highlighting Western-style restaurants. Maybe the author has to include so much info about Western-style restaurants to appeal to the people who want to avoid eating "weird food" in Japan, but if you are scared of "weird" things, my recommendation is don't go to Japan in the first place, because even in mainstream-style restaurants the food is not wholly Western and very picky or finicky eaters will have a very hard time finding things to eat.
Overall, though, this guide is excellent and was definitely worth the money we paid for it. Some great tips in here no first-time visitor to Japan should miss.

Fodor's Tokyo's 25 Best, 5th Edition (25 Best)

Average customer rating:

Decent book for what it is
Do not waste your money!

Fodor's Tokyo's 25 Best, 5th Edition (25 Best)
Fodor's
Manufacturer: Fodor's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1400016363
Release Date: 2006-04-04

Customer Reviews:

Decent book for what it is.......2007-01-23

My husband and I are going to Tokyo in 2 months, so we checked out half a dozen guide books from the library to find the best ones for us. The two we decided to buy to take with us are this Fodor's 25 Best and the Tokyo Rough Guide by Jan Dodd. The other reviews of this are a tad unfair. It's not a comprehensive guide to all things Tokyo, but it does have concise listings of popular attractions, good directions to get to said attractions and offers a nice bullet-points model to visiting Tokyo. This book is useful if you only have a short time in Tokyo and want to see the major things.
Another thing it really has going for it is size. Minimizing the amount of stuff you carry is a HUGE boon to traveling in Japan. This is small and handy enough to keep in the backpack, even on crowded trains.

Do not waste your money! .......2006-05-30

I have been to Tokyo several times and wanted to purchase a book about Tokyo to make sure I took my husband to all the great places in Tokyo for our honeymoon. This book is a total waste of money. If someone actually took only this book's advise the trip to Tokyo would be a total waste. It recommended going to Tokyo Tower. Yes, the Japanese people (I am half Japanese) are very proud of their tower but it really is nothing at all, not anymore at least. Why recommend more than one observation location (Tokyo Tower is very small) when you are limiting the best of Tokyo to 25 places? If you want to obeserve Tokyo from a great height I recommend the Metropolitan Government Offices, it's free. I cannot believe they recommended going to Disneyland. I guess it would be a good recommendation if your from Asia but this book is written in English so it's not exactly catering to any asian countries. Has this author even been to Tokyo? He writes about the GPS and HDTV like it is some new unheard of phenomenon. Where has he been? If you want a good book buy DK's Eyewitness Travel Guides - Japan (best!) or any Lonely Planet guides to Tokyo.

Subway Guide to Tokyo: Take the Right Line, Get Off at the Right Station, And Find the Best Exit!

Average customer rating:

Definitely Not as Good a TOKYO CITY ATLAS
Using the Tokyo Subways

Subway Guide to Tokyo: Take the Right Line, Get Off at the Right Station, And Find the Best Exit!
Boye De Mente
Manufacturer: Tuttle Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0804836841

Book Description

Anyone who's ever ventured into the subway system of Tokyo knows it's like being lost in a maze. The overwhelming sense of hopelessness-which direction to go, which lines to take, where to buy the tickets, etc.-can thoroughly annoy and throw one off, especially someone who can't speak or read Japanese.
Help is at hand with the publication of this tremendous little guidebook. It is a wonderful booster for those who need to make sense of the confusing and multifaceted Tokyo subway system.

Customer Reviews:

Definitely Not as Good a TOKYO CITY ATLAS.......2006-05-14

See my review for TOKYO CITY ATLAS. It is much better than this albeit newer guide. The signage in Tokyo is still a mix of the "old" and the "new" system and TCA has better station area maps.

Using the Tokyo Subways.......2005-08-18

This new (2005) book from Tuttle is not to be confused with the same author's "Tokyo Subway Guide" (2002) published by Kodansha. In one aspect, the newer book has the advantage of including the newly designated codes for each subway stop (a letter and number combination that uniquely identifies each station on each line). However, the older volume is more useful to this reader than the newer one because it includes area maps of 50 major stations, each showing interconnections between lines, numbered exists, and major buildings. The `area profiles' in the newer volume are limited to 13 in number (thus omitting Ikebukuro, Jimbocho, Shimbashi, Ueno, and others). While each area profile includes some text describing noted features in the areas of interest, they are far less detailed than the older maps. Of the newer volume's 160 pages, 100 are given over to category listings (`acupuncture clinics' to `zoo') that could allow the newer volume to double as a guidebook, though the listings are not annotated and, thus, will have utility primarily to those already familiar with the city and who know what sights, stores, or services they are seeking.

Lonely Planet Best Of Tokyo (Lonely Planet Encounter Series)

Average customer rating:

Some problems with this one
Nice maps, but not much else.

Lonely Planet Best Of Tokyo (Lonely Planet Encounter Series)
Wendy Yanagihara
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1741041767

Customer Reviews:

Some problems with this one.......2005-10-12

I have been using Lonely Planet books for years and am surprised that it would turn out a guide as skimpy and shoddily written as this. The maps are useful, but the text's author, Wendy Yanagihara, seems to be unfamiliar with (or unable to get a sense of) Tokyo's character and its people. Yanagihara seems more bemused than informed, and one can only wonder why she was hired to write about a complex metropolis that she does not seem to understand. I agree with the reader above about the Lonely Planet Japan and Lonely Planet Tokyo guides -- both are good. I'd add another to the list: Time Out Tokyo, which surpasses anything Lonely Planet has yet produced as a guide to Tokyo.

Nice maps, but not much else........2005-09-29

This is a super-condensed version of the Tokyo chapter from Lonely Planet Japan with some extra info added by author Wendy Yanagihara.

I honestly cannot find any reason to recommend this book beyond its small size and fold-out color maps, although if you are going to Tokyo for a short business trip it might help. Although I like Lonely Planet's guides, this one is rather inadequate in that it spends too much time discussing Japanese culture and history and wastes too much space on big pictures instead of cramming that space with more useful information such as phone numbers, websites, and travel information (which is confined to a very small space in the back of the book). Culture and history are important things in Japan, but the amount of space given to them in this book defeats the purpose of this guide.

In other words, buy the most recent issue of the Lonely Planet Japan Guide if you're planning a trip to or employment in Japan. If you really love Tokyo above all else you can substitute the Lonely Planet Tokyo guide. Either one has plenty of information about everyone's favorite megalopolis. As for the maps, you can do without them simply by asking your hotel or the average large information desk (especially at Narita Airport) for maps of the Tokyo Metro and JR lines.

Author Yanagihara, while of Japanese ancestry, has a gee-whiz-wow attitude about everything. At times she seems to have less experience in Tokyo than the average English-language school employee. She certainly means well, but the result is a less than stellar guide - however, I get the impression her editors may be most at fault. Perhaps most unfortunate is the guide's invitation for inexperienced visitors to Japan to get lost - that is, to visit places like Kamakura, Nikko, and Fuji without providing any maps of the areas or decent advice on how to get there. There are other errors such as listing the Tokyo Monorail as the only way to access Haneda Airport, but Keikyu and Keisei Railways provide faster service to a more convenient station (Shinagawa). This should not be the case in a guide like this.

If you want a easy-to-carry guide to Tokyo, this will do. For any info beyond that, look for Lonely Planet Japan and Lonely Planet Tokyo.

Update (October 2007): I paged through the guide again recently and came upon this quote describing the Edo-Tokyo Museum:

"...this wonderful museum illustrates Tokyo's rise from the humble riverside origins of Edo (the Eastern capital) to today's fast forward futuristic metropolis."

It's bad enough that Yanagihara or (worse) her editors, don't seem to know that Tokyo, not Edo, means "Eastern Capital." The fact that the main Lonely Planet Japan guide correctly describes the name means that someone at LP isn't doing the proofreading they should be, especially as Yanagihara is a contributor to the main guide. An oversight this bad ruins the credbility of "Best of Tokyo" and is a disappointing exception to LP's otherwise high quality.

Japan: The Complete Guide with the Best of Tokyo, Kyoto and Old Japan (Serial)

Average customer rating:

A Lot of Info on a Tiny but Packed Island

Japan: The Complete Guide with the Best of Tokyo, Kyoto and Old Japan (Serial)
Fodor's
Manufacturer: Fodor's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679030352
Release Date: 1996-02-27

Book Description

The best guide to Japan, packed with essentials

Walking and driving tours to gardens, temples, castles, and museums, plus hikes in the Japanese Alps and up Mt. Fuji
Kabuki, noh, bunraku, modern theater, dance, and nightlife
Shopping for fans, dolls, ceramics, lacquerware, kimonos, folk crafts, and electronics, including great flea markets

Where to stay and eat, no matter what your budget

Smart hotels, modern resorts, hot-spring spas, temple lodging, minshukus, and traditional ryokan
Western restaurants, sushi-ya, noodle shops, teahouses

Fresh, thorough, practical--from writers you can trust

Costs, hours, descriptions, and tips by the thousands
All reviews based on visits by savvy writer-residents

59 pages of maps--and dozens of unique features

Important Contacts A to Z; Smart Travel Tips; Fodor's Choice; What's Where; Pleasures & Pastimes; festivals; historical chronology; vocabulary section with Japanese characters; and more!

Customer Reviews:

A Lot of Info on a Tiny but Packed Island.......2000-07-17

Japan is a wonderfully different place to go and Fodor's does a good job of touching on many of the must see places. Although this guide book is thicker than most, it needs to be.

Book Description

Fodor's Pocket Guides are designed for people who just want the highlights. They contain full, rich descriptions of major cities around the globe including the most worthy sights, the best restaurants and lodging, plus shopping, nightlife, and outdoors highlights--all in a handy, pocket-size package.

Fodor's Pocket Tokyo gives you: All the basics you need to help you decide what to see and do in the time you have; smart contacts and detailed practical information, including the scoop on public transportation, local holidays, what to pack, and more; the very best dining and lodging in every price range; great recommendations for shopping nightlife, outdoor activities, and essential side trips; and detailed maps with sights, restaurants, nightspots, and hotels clearly marked.

An excellent choice for people who want everything under one cover." - Washington Post

Customer Reviews:

Concise and informative.......2004-09-20

Which is harder: getting around Tokyo, or picking out which guide
book to get? My opinion: the latter. Every one of them has its
own limitations, but this book is short, easy to read, and packed
with useful information. Who cares about slick pages and color
pix--you need quick summaries of what's where, and how to get
there. That's what you'll find in this book. Errors? I didn't
find any. Maps? There are some helpful black and white
diagrams of a few parts of town, but you definitely should
get a separate, detailed atlas (try Tokyo City Atlas:
A Bilingual Guide, published by Kodansha International).

Disappointing.......2002-07-11

I got this book immediately upon its release. Quite a bit of information in the book is wrong, and the lack of good directions and maps made this book difficult to use. I would recommend Rick Kennedy's "Little Adventures in Tokyo."

Average customer rating:

An excellent guide to the usual and unusual in Tokyo

Best of Tokyo
Don Morton , and Naoko Tsunoi
Manufacturer: Kodansha Europe
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customer Reviews:

An excellent guide to the usual and unusual in Tokyo.......1998-11-21

Billed as "an insider's guide to the best restaurants, bars, clubs, hotels, shops, sights, and events in Tokyo," this book is a "must have" resource if you are going to spend any time at all in Tokyo. It covers not only the traditional Japanese topics (sushi, antique kimono, woodblock prints, shinto shrines, etc.), but also lists many pleasant surprises that are often overlooked by other sources. These include such diverse topics as best toy store, bird watching, industrial showrooms, cemetery, sleaze pickup bar, flea markets, shoe shop, model trains, and many, many more.

The handy size of the book and the easy to use format makes it ideal for planning a long vacation in Tokyo or for dipping into when you only have a few hours to roam the streets in one of the world's most exciting cities.

Book Description

"Splendidly compact yet infinitely helpful...admirably concise without losing one ounce of relevant coverage." -- Booklist
"An excellent choice for people who want everything under one cover." -- Washington Post
Pocket Guides are designed for leisure and business travelers who want the highlights of a destination. They contain full, rich descriptions of the best a destination has to offer -- the most worthy sights, the best restaurants and lodging in all price ranges, plus shopping, nightlife, and outdoors highlights.
All the must-see sights and essential activities
?The key landmarks from 17th-century shrines and peaceful gardens to modern-art museums and sleek skyscrapers
?Great sources for kimons, pearls, electronics, and crafts
?Where to catch Kabuki, No, Bunraku, and traditional and modern dance

The best dining and lodging in every price range
?Traditional ryotei, neighborhood izakaya, noodle shops, and sushi bars serving fish straight from the sea
?High-rises with city views, family-run inns, efficient business hotels, and budget hostels

Plus 20 pages of maps and a vocabulary guide

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