Cool Japan By Sumiko Kajiyama

Cool Japan is not your run of the mill travel guide. It's much more; a compact user's manual for all things Japanese. Part history book, part travel guide and part cultural study it perfectly sets aside the veneer of this mysterious land.

This ambitious guide covers a lot of ground, moving from The Tale of Genji to sightseeing boats, fish markets, the newest restaurants and popular folktales.

The journey keeps the reader on pace with a rhythm that is neither too rapid or too plodding. From the onset it is clear that Japan is a magical and mystical place with a potentially challenging array of things to do.

Zigzagging from the traditional Japan of the past to the bustling cities of the present, Kajiyama breaks down the daunting task of seeing everything the country has to offer by focusing primarily on the cities of  Tokyo and Kyoto and then kicking it back in the culturally rich region of Tohoku.

In doing this we walk in the footsteps of the poet  Matsuo Basho, bask in the serenity of the temples, parks and serene spaces of Kyoto and absorb the art and architecture of Tokyo while getting schooled in anime and other popular culture.

 Cool Japan also provides historical context for understanding the art, literature, economics and spiritual identity of a culture that never slows down. Thus visitors with the right moxie become engrossed in a pilgrimage which allows them to see a side of the country lost to big tours, packed buses and aimless wanderers.

Supplemented with plenty of pictures and short vignettes for understanding the historical and cultural significance, Kajiyama's guide doesn't get bogged town with a lot of touristy mumbo jumbo. Instead his book opts for the more direct approach of recommending sites, sounds and foods that capture the very essence of historical, classical and popular Japan.