I requested this book from Netgalley a couple of years ago under the presumption that I would travel to Japan in the near future and it would come in handy for deciding which regions to visit. But then the second Covid wave, or was it the third, threw a spanner in my long distance travelling plans I forgot all about this book. Somehow there was always another book to review that took precedence over this one until I booked a trip to Japan a couple of months ago. Suddenly I remembered I still had this book.

Unless other books I read about Japan and other travel guides this book is not so much a travel guide as well as a beautiful photo book about different regions and prefectures in Japan. Takashi Sato focusses on less known, but beautiful places and the short descriptions are more small stories to explain the beautiful illustrations. The information about the regions and the most interesting period for visiting them is very useful.

I hope to visit at least some of the beautiful places in this book.

🌟 Stunning Photography:

Breathtaking visuals capture the hidden gems and less-traveled wonders of Japan.
Sato's lens skillfully portrays the diverse landscapes, creating an immersive experience.

🌏 Countryside Exploration:

Unveils the beauty of Japan beyond mainstream tourist destinations.
Invites readers to explore the lesser-known wonders and connect with the authentic charm of the countryside.

🚆 Comprehensive Travel Guide:

Offers valuable information for both tourists and residents alike.
Detailed insights on transportation options—trains, buses, cars, and domestic flights—facilitate seamless travel planning.

📸 Useful Travel Tips:

Sato's firsthand experiences enrich the guide with practical advice.
Tips for navigating the intricacies of Japanese travel, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable journey.

🗺️ QR Codes for Updated Information:

Incorporates modern convenience with QR codes linking to a companion website.
Ensures readers have access to the latest travel information for a well-informed adventure.

🌐 Cultural Connection:

Fosters a deeper understanding of Japan's rich culture through captivating narratives.
Integrates cultural nuances, enhancing the travel experience with a sense of connection.

📚 Accessible Format:

Balances information with an engaging presentation, making it accessible to a broad audience.
Appeals to both seasoned travelers seeking hidden treasures and newcomers planning their Japanese adventure.

🌸 Aesthetic Appeal:

Functions as both a travel guide and a visually stunning photo album.
Elevates the reading experience with an aesthetic blend of information and artistry.

📖 Room for Improvement:

While comprehensive, the organization could benefit from a more intuitive structure.


In Summary:
"Japan: CONNECTING YOU TO WONDERLANDS" is a four-star travel companion that seamlessly merges practicality with visual splendor. Takashi Sato's lens paints a vivid picture of Japan's countryside, offering invaluable insights for travelers while celebrating the country's authentic beauty. This guide succeeds in connecting readers to the wonders of Japan beyond the beaten path.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I enjoyed armchair traveling with this guide book. The author has provided some wonderful off the beaten path tours with what to see, what to do, fun facts, and wonderful photographs. Whether you are planning a trip or just arm chair traveling this is a wonderful guide. Enjoy

This is a really well presented photographic travel book to some of Japan's less visited places. Most of the locations in this book wouldn't be on the average tourists radar but this book makes it easy to pick some beautiful locations with a handy section for each photo on what the closet train station is so you can easily travel there. I love Japan and I can't wait to go back and see these newly added places to my bucket list.

Pieces of the beautiful country that is Japan is captured in the pages of this book. If one is planning to visit Japan, this book is well worth reading.

What a great book, loved the pictures. This is a gorgeous guide book! The images popped off the page.

This is a lovely travel guide filled with beautiful photos, and I want to go see every place! The areas covered in this book are not the usual touristy sites for foreign travelers; there are lots of natural sites here, with the best times to go, how to get there, and local websites if available. If I were going to Japan (which I hope to do some day), this is the first book I'd buy to take with me!

#japan #NetGalley

If you pick this book hoping to find some informations on Tokyo Disneyland, or Akihabara, I can assure you that you will find none.

Here you will find the hidden gems of Japan: the small villages not mentioned in any travel books, how to get there, what to expect to find there. And you can see Japan more clearly. The rural view, untouched by modern world. Where rice paddies and fields of flowers can still be found.

This book will guide you to the life Japanese lead. Their (good local) food, their habit, including the quietness of the night, far from city lights and amusements.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book before its publication date in exchange for honest feedback. I loved the excellent, high-quality photographs in this book. I don't know much about Japan, but having several friends who have visited and excitedly relay their experiences, I am hoping way day to visit. This book shows some of the wonders of Japan in a way that makes anyone gasp with excitement and awe. The world is so beautiful and photographers have a wonderful talent in sharing that with all of us. Great book.

One of the things I can’t do is taking good pictures. Call it performance anxiety, but when a camera comes close to my hands, they either start shaking, or they mess up the settings, or they cover the lenses, or.

It’s frustrating, that’s what it is. Mind you, none of this is gonna stop me from enrolling in a photography course sometime in the future – I am persistent – but that’s neither here nor there. That’s not the point.

The point is that I love photography. Nature, architecture, interior decor, food, (period) clothes, small towns and bigass cities, you take a good picture of them and I’ll jazzhand all over it. With added pterodactyl noises too if it’s a really, really good one.

TL;DR living vicariously through professional photographers is my jam.

So, when I saw Connecting You to Wonderlands: Japan, by Takashi Sato, I knew I had to grab it.

The cover? It’s beautiful, ça va sans dire. Look at it.

Yay!

- Thank you, Takashi, for taking me on a trip through lesser-known routes. Before starting it, I was expecting a travel book that featured big cities and staple landmarks, but! Nope! Forget Tokyo or Osaka, we’re going to the countryside, up and down the travel routes 😀

- I love the practicality of the ending notes. Quick and to the point, they’re very useful to tourists, with an eye for cultural aspects and local laws.

- The descriptive parts are interesting. They range from farming bits to Japanese culture and traditions or ways to preserve the harvest.

- I kept my comment on the meat, the actual pictures, for last, because they deserve a very special praise. They are beautiful, great angles and coloring, so evocative I stared at a couple of them for a good ten minutes, trying to pick up every detail. I’m sorry I only work with e-books, because I’m sure the printed version is even more awesome. Among my favorites, Gokayama, the Kazura Bridge, Ochai Village, and the rice terraces of Oyama Senmaida.

Nay!

- Uh. Eh. It’s short 😀 I’m really sorry it only has 98 pages, haha.

5 and well-deserved stars on GR, 9/10 on my blog. Outstanding job!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Arttrav Inc.

The photographs in this book are so beautiful that I wanted nothing more than to step through the pages into Japan.

I loved reading about Japan. This book was a treat!

perfect book for planning your trip to Japan, off the beaten tourist track if you so wish. Lovely photographs to give you inspiration for your own shots and best seasons to visit. Suggested routes for you and also the chapters can be read in isolation or according to your interest. Hints and tips pages and a great deal of valuable travel advice. Will refer back to this book when I plan my own trip. Thank you #NetGalley

This is a very helpful guidebook with gorgeous photos and information about some of the the best places to visit in Japan. Each photo is accompanied by a description, including best times of the year to visit. There is also a section in the book which tells you the best ways to get to each place.

I've always been intrigued by Japan. This book is divided up by region and I enjoyed learning a little about the different areas. The photographs are beautifully done and make me want to book a plane ticket! Along with the gorgeous photos, we are given travel tips and even links to travel brochures, tourism associations and in some cases, links to live camera feeds. I really appreciate the inclusion of cultural notes on behavior, information on modes of transportation and the author's favorite itineraries. Great travel guide for anyone headed to Japan to enjoy the uniqie landscapes and culture.

Thank you to Arttrav Inc. and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This travel book includes incredibly beautiful photography. The texts contain all the usual informational travel tips and helpful facts, while also including some descritptions of nostalgic, lyrical writing that evoke the calmness of nature. Overall, a very beautiful book that only makes me want to visit Japan even more!

There's nothing like a pandemic to make one long for travel. Armchair traveling is one welcome solution and Japan: Connecting You to Wonderlands provides beautiful photos and simple recommendations for traveling in the regions and prefectures of Japan. From the hydrangeas of Kanagawa to the purple misohagi (loosestrife) of Lake Hibara in Fukushima Prefecture, from the cranes of Kushiro, on Hokkaido, or the geese of Izunuma in Miyagi, Sato captures the lush beauty of the Japanese countryside. This slender (98 pages) volume works best as a picture book that tempts the prospective traveler.

I received a digital review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This beautiful travel guide (and much more) for Japan took my breath away.
Not only does it offer a collection of some of the most beautiful and impressive landscape pictures of Japan that I have ever seen, it is also packed with a lot of helpful tips & tricks.

In particular, I appreciated the "Good to Know" (Part 5) which shares travel advice on tipping, what a ryokan is, even how to separate trash appropriately. The mentioned online references are as helpful as is the section on the modes of transportation.

This book will be my next gift for my boyfriend. We travelled to Japan together a few years back and will definitely, visit Nippon again! Thank you, for offering this beautiful book to read on NetGalley.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. Japan: A Guidebook To Special Places is a stunning blend of photography, descriptions, and travel info. Sato takes us on a tour of Japan’s 4 main islands, and on each of these we are given very different places that would most defiantly be worth a visit. Not only are these places not your usual tourist locations, you are given the best time of the year to visit and how to get to each location. This is extremely useful in planning your next trip to Japan.

The accompanying photography is stunning. You are instantly transported to the location with only one image. This will leave you wanting more, and the only way to get it is to travel there yourself! If I could jump inside the photo, I would have.

Towards the end of the guidebook, you are given travel guides and itinerary suggestion so that you do not have to do all the figuring out how to get from A – B. This is such a great addition that elevates this guidebook to the next level from other guidebooks.

This was a short but jam-packed read!

When I opened this book and started to turn the pages, what I saw wasn't what I was expecting at all. Just page after page of breathtakingly stunning photos with clearly laid out information about each place in Japan. There was just enough information to stir genuine interest without overloading the reader. There is additional information like how to travel to each place, special features, links to online information etc., Despite there being less than 100 page, I can honestly say with hand on heart, that this is probably one of the best books I've seen of this genre. I think I've falling a teeny bit in love with Japan, despite never having been there. If I could have done, I would have jumped into its pages. Just amazing.

Many thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC for which I have given my voluntary and unbiased review.