Spot the stars in Hollywood, explore the Napa Valley's world-famous wineries and soak up the rays on SoCal's picturesque beaches; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of California and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet's California Travel Guide: Color maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - wildlife, landscapes, wine, cuisine, beaches, film, television, music, the arts, history, literature, politics More than 100 maps Covers San Francisco, Napa & Sonoma Wine Country, Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada, Los Angeles, San Diego, Disneyland & Orange County, Palm Springs, Santa Barbara and more eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones) Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalize your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet California, our most comprehensive guide to California, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less traveled. Looking for a guide focused on one of California's major cities? Check out Lonely Planet's Los Angeles, San Diego & Southern California or San Francisco guides for a comprehensive look at all these cities have to offer; Discover San Francisco, a photo-rich guide to the city's most popular attractions; or Pocket Los Angeles and Pocket San Francisco, handy-sized guides focused on the can't-miss sights for a quick trip. Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Sara Benson, Andy Bender, Alison Bing, Celeste Brash, Tienlon Ho, Beth Kohn, Adam Skolnick, John A Vlahides About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveler community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travelers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves.

    In this guide, he provides trekkers of all standards with up-to-date and reliable information on the region, including health and safety advice, notes on eco-tourism and detailed route descriptions.

    Gaze into the mile-deep chasm of the Grand Canyon, tap into the pulse of iconic cities like New York, or let sultry southern music and food stir your soul; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of the USA and begin your journey now!Inside Lonely Planet USA Travel Guide:Color maps and images throughoutHighlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interestsInsider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spotsEssential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, pricesHonest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks missCultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - including history, art, literature, cinema, music, architecture, politics, landscapes, national parks, wildlife, cuisine and wineOver 96 mapsCovers New England, New York, the Mid-Atlantic, Florida, the South, Great Lakes, Great Plains, Texas, Rocky Mountains, Southwest, Pacific Northwest, California, Alaska, Hawaii, and moreeBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones)Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data chargesEffortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviewsAdd notes to personalize your guidebook experienceSeamlessly flip between pagesBookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flashEmbedded links to recommendations' websitesZoom-in maps and imagesInbuilt dictionary for quick referencingThe Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet USA , our most comprehensive guide to the USA, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled.Looking for just the highlights of the USA? Check out Lonely Planet Discover USA, a photo-rich guide to the country's most popular attractions.Looking for a guide focused on New York City, San Francisco or Los Angeles? Check out our Lonely Planet New York City guide, San Francisco guide, and Los Angeles, San Diego & Southern California guide for a comprehensive look at all these cities has to offer; Discover New York City or Discover San Francisco , photo-rich guides focused on these cities' most popular attractions; or Lonely Planet Pocket New York City, Pocket San Francisco , and Pocket Los Angeles guides, handy-sized guides focused on the can't-miss sights for a quick trip.Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet.About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveler community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travelers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves.

    Stand in the shadow of the Acropolis, compare sunsets and beaches as you hop from island to island, or sample the freshest flavours and most succulent seafood; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Greece and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet’s Greece Travel Guide: Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, art, literature, music, architecture, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, and the Greek way of life Covers Athens, Peloponnese, Central Greece, Northern Greece, Saronic Gulf Islands, Cyclades, Crete, Dodecanese, Aegean Islands, Evia, the Sporades, Ionian Islands, and more eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones) Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Greece, our most comprehensive guide to Greece, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled. Looking for a guide focused on just the islands? Check out Lonely Planet’s Greek Islands or Crete guides for a comprehensive look at all the islands have to offer; or Pocket Athens, a handy-sized guide focused on the can’t-miss sights for a quick trip. About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travellers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves.Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.

    Whatever your passion, Central America is jam-packed with possibilities. Written by experts who travel on your budget, this guide lets you go further, stay longer, and pay less for the adventure of a lifetime. The countries covered in this guide are: Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, and also part of Mexico—Quintana Roo, the Yucatan, and Chiapas states.Explore It All—in-depth coverage of all seven Central American nations, plus Mexico's Yucatan and Chiapas.Find Your Way—120 user-friendly maps plus detailed bus schedules and crucial border-crossing information.Rest Easy—lodging and restaurants that offer bang for your buck...plus the occasional splurge.Talk The Talk—comprehensive Language, Culture and Conduct sections keep you street-smart and clued-in. Who We Are At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travelers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large. What We Do We offer travelers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages. We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.When we update our guidebooks, we check every listing, in person, every time. We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent. We challenge our growing community of travelers; leading debate anddiscussion about travel and the world. We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travelers; not clouded by any other motive. What We Believe We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world.

     Free History BONUS Inside! Japan, the country of the rising sun, is today known as one of the most prosperous and technologically advanced nations despite not having many natural resources. It is full of hardworking, ethical people that live with a mix of old-time traditions and new-age progressive lifestyles. It’s the land of famed and virtuous samurai warriors, for whom loyalty is everything, and of legendary and adept ninja assassins, capable of bypassing any obstacle. No less famed is Japanese art, unique in its style and form, from short haiku songs to breathtaking watercolor paintings, both amazingly vivid and simplistic in form. It’s the country of Buddhist Zen masters, who were wise and spiritual, symbols of moderation and morality. At the same time, it’s the culture of geishas, who represented indulgence, entertainment, and corporeal desires. Today, it is one of the most liberal and democratic countries, yet it still has an emperor on the throne and a long tradition of shōguns, who were more or less military dictators. All in all, Japan seems to be a country of paradoxes and oppositions, of yin and yang. Yet it doesn’t seem to suffer from it; instead, it is thriving, growing, and developing, and it has been doing so for a long time. From those contradictions, a sense of unity and pride arose, guiding Japanese history and civilizational development through the ages, leaving an unquestionable mark on the world heritage and mankind. But this is only the surface of an astonishing culture that deserves a deeper look. This guide will lead you into that dive, showing how those characteristics synonymous with the Japanese civilization gradually appeared, formed, and transformed through time. Learning about Japan’s history, its past failures and successes and how they shaped their nation, will also illuminate how this civilization developed, while at the same time presenting a full array of interesting stories, persons, and events. In Ancient Japan: A Captivating Guide to the Ancient History of Japan, Their Ancient Civilization, and Japanese Culture, Including Stories of the Samurai, you will discover topics such as Origins of Imperial Japan and Its People Birth of Imperial Japan and Its Culture History of Classical Japan Early Medieval Japan Late Medieval Japan Japanese Society Warriors of Ancient Japan Religious Life in Japan Japanese Culture And much, much more! So if you want to learn more about ancient Japan, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!

    This book provides information on spas and massage, as well as surfing, diving, snorkelling and trekking. It features a food and drink chapter by a local culinary guru, an architecture chapter providing insight on Bali's ancient temples and monuments, and more.

    After having their first child in 1986, they have decided to pursue their long-hidden dream of exploring the world. Inspired by their life-changing adventure throughout the world, they have decided to serve as a tour guide. This happy couple has been serving as a Japan local tour guide for more than 30 years now. In their effort to show the world what Japan truly is, they have decided to write a book about it. Download your copy today! Take action and experience Japan at its fullest potential now! Get this book for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

    Frank, irreverent, funny--almost guaranteed to cure Xenophobia.

    With over 1000 experiences for every stage of life, this eclectic gift book is the perfect manual for a life well-lived. Combining stunning photography with illustrations and infographics, it will surprise and entertain with a quirky mix of experiences everyone should try at some point in their life.Cloth-spined hardbackVisual feast mixing illustration, infographics and photographyAbout Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in."TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards 2012 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category""'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times""'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia) "

    And why not? Glittering skyscrapers and a world-famous shopping scene. Frenetic wet markets and the best dim sum ever. Spectacular hikes through jungle-covered islands. And don't forget the devil-may-care casino-hop through Macau. This indispensable guidebook is the key to all your Cantonese adventures.Find Your Way up winding side streets, navigate through every district—detailed and accurate maps make exploring easy.Unleash the gastronome within—insider reviews of the city's outstanding restaurant scene, from HK$10 noodles to decadent Chinese banquets.Escape To Macau—extensive coverage takes you to historic cathedrals, temples, and the infamous casinos.Sleep Like An Angel in this city of bustle—the best accommodation options for every budget.Experience a taste of China—shop to your heart's content in Shenzhen, then soak your tired feet in one of Zhuhai's hot springs. Who We Are At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travelers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large. What We Do We offer travelers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages. We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.When we update our guidebooks, we check every listing, in person, every time. We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent. We challenge our growing community of travelers;leading debate and discussion about travel and the world. We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travelers; not clouded by any other motive. What We Believe We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world.

    We have been constrained by unwritten rules not to do so, by the robes of tradition and by the sanctity of our exclusive calling...But I feel it is time to speak out."Celebrated as the most successful geisha of her generation, Mineko Iwasaki was only five years old when she left her parents' home for the world of the geisha. For the next twenty-five years, she would live a life filled with extraordinary professional demands and rich rewards. She would learn the formal customs and language of the geisha, and study the ancient arts of Japanese dance and music. She would enchant kings and princes, captains of industry, and titans of the entertainment world, some of whom would become her dearest friends. Through great pride and determination, she would be hailed as one of the most prized geishas in Japan's history, and one of the last great practitioners of this now fading art form.In Geisha, a Life, Mineko Iwasaki tells her story, from her warm early childhood, to her intense yet privileged upbringing in the Iwasaki okiya (household), to her years as a renowned geisha, and finally, to her decision at the age of twenty-nine to retire and marry, a move that would mirror the demise of geisha culture. Mineko brings to life the beauty and wonder of Gion Kobu, a place that "existed in a world apart, a special realm whose mission and identity depended on preserving the time-honored traditions of the past." She illustrates how it coexisted within post-World War II Japan at a time when the country was undergoing its radical transformation from a post-feudal society to a modern one."There is much mystery and misunderstanding about what it means to be a geisha. I hope this story will help explain what it is really like and also serve as a record of this unique component of Japan's cultural history," writes Mineko Iwasaki. Geisha, a Life is the first of its kind, as it delicately unfolds the fabric of a geisha's development. Told with great wisdom and sensitivity, it is a true story of beauty and heroism, and of a time and culture rarely revealed to the Western world.

    Take a drive along Havana's Malecon, soak up the live music scene, make yourself at home in a casa particular all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Cuba and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet Cuba: Full-color maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, architecture, cuisine, music, dance, landscape, wildlife, literature, arts, politics Free, convenient pull-out Havana map (included in print version), plus over 80 color maps Covers Havana, Artemisa, Mayabeque, Isla de la Juventud, Valle de Vinales, Pinar del Rio, Varadero, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, Trinidad, Sancti Spiritus, Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, Las Tunas, Holguin, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and more eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones) Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalize your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Cuba , our most comprehensive guide to Cuba, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less traveled. Looking for more extended coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's Discover Caribbean Islands guide. Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Brendan Sainsbury and Luke Waterson About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveler community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travelers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves. Lonely Planet guides have won the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 in the Favorite Travel Guide category. *Best-selling guide to Cuba. Source: Nielsen BookScan. Australia, UK and USA. Mar 2014 - Feb 2015

    Marvel at clifftop sunsets in Santorini; get lost in the twisting, cobbled alleyways of Rhodes’ Old Town; and indulge in Crete’s unique cuisine -all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of the Greek Islands and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet Greek Islands: Colour maps and images throughout Highlightsand itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential infoat your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - including customs, history, art, literature, music, dance, architecture, politics, wildlife, cuisine Free, convenient pull-outAthens map (included in print version), plus over 105 local maps Covers Athens, Crete, the Ionian Islands, the Cyclades, Santorini, the Saronic Gulf Islands, Dodecanese, the Northeastern Aegean Islands, Evia, the Sporades, and more The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Greek Islands, our most comprehensive guide to the Greek Islands, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled Looking for more coverage? Check out our Lonely Planet Greeceguide for a comprehensive look at all the country has to offer. Looking for a guide focused on Crete? Check out our Lonely Planet Crete guide for a comprehensive look at all the island has to offer. About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world’s number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we’ve printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You’ll also find our content online, on mobile, video and in 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more.eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones) Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing

    B. Mitford traveled widely with his parents as a youth and lived in various European countries. From 1866-70, he served as an attaché with the British legation at Edo (Tokyo) — one of the first foreign diplomats to do so. During his brief stay there, Mitford lived through a period of dramatic and tumultuous change in Japanese history. A feudal nation on his arrival, Japan had entered the era of “Westernization” before he left some three years later. During that time, however, he quickly and thoroughly mastered the Japanese language and acted as an interpreter between the young Japanese Emperor and British royalty.Mitford’s famous collection of classic tales (the first to appear in English) covers an engrossing array of subjects: grisly accounts of revenge, knightly exploits, ghost stories, fairy tales, folklore, a fascinating eyewitness account of a hara-kiri ceremony, gripping narratives of vampires and samurai, Buddhist sermons, and the plots of four Noh plays.A treasury, as well, of information on most aspects of Japanese life, with information on locales, customs, and characters, the illustrated volume delights as it entertains, chronicling acts of heroism, devotion, ruthlessness, and chivalry that illuminate the island nation's culture.“One of the first and in many ways still one of the best books on Japan.” — The Japanese Times.“An excellent introduction to Japanese literature.” — Mainichi Daily News.