Perfect for pedestrians, this third-edition map of Kyoto includes insets of Nara and Osaka and is scaled to 1:12 500. The reverse depicts western Japan from Nagoya to Fukuoka at a scale of 1:670 000.

This map has two focuses. Kyoto is obviously a very important city to the Japanese, due to its many temples and historic wooden houses, and this map clearly shows everything of touristic interest, including a detailed inset map of nearby Nara.

This edition includes a new feature highlighting the main touristic attractions. As a point of trivia, one should count the number of railway tracks shown west of the main railway station. Even the storage lines are shown, and there are the correct number. That shows just how accurately detailed this map is!

The other side is just as important. It portrays the western half of the main island of Honshu, from Nagoya to Hiroshima and is the second-most visited portion of Japan. All the motorways and towns are shown, but more importantly, all the rail line. Japan has, arguably, the world's best rail system, and a marvelous rail pass for visitors that makes travel easy.

The Shinkensen fast trains whisk one from Tokyo to just about anywhere so quickly that one doesn't appreciate the technology behind such speeds. Regardless, a map concentrating on Osaka, Kyoto. Matsuyama, and points between, at a far better scale than would be possible on a map of the entire country, is an asset of value to any traveller.

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