[Columbine]

I've travelled a lot and Lonely Planet are about the best with Rough Guide coming up a very close second. Certainly I tend to get the Rough Guide if I can't get LP for some reason. Definitely for little city guides, Lonely Planet seems to have the edge, so you really can't go wrong with it.

Don't get too chained to the travel books through; there are some really delightful places hiding all over Japan that you'd only ever find by simply wandering about.