A review by janhicks
Deep Kyoto: Walks by Stephen Gill, Judith Clancy, Ted Taylor, Michael Lambe, John Ashburne, John Dougill, Pico Iyer, Perrin Lindelauf, Chris Rowthorn, Robert Yellin

4.0

As a frequent visitor to Kyoto, I really enjoyed this book. The authors are all people who have moved to Kyoto from elsewhere, and have spent time getting to know the city as residents. The book explores areas of the city that are on the tourist trail, but puts a personal spin on where to go and what to see. I have been to around 70% of the places covered in the walks and have discovered new things that I want to explore next time I am there. I liked the different styles of the authors and the way their personalities and passions came through. My enjoyment of the book is coloured by my previous experiences, but even if you have never been to Kyoto, the walks provide an introduction to the city that goes further than standard tourist texts. It's a must read for any visitor to Kyoto who wants to dig a little deeper into the city's history and its present.
Initially released as an e-book, I read it on both my Kindle 3 and on the app on my tablet computer. Both were easy to navigate, but reading on my tablet gave me access to live links to Google maps and to websites included in the end notes. The photographs and woodblock illustrations look better in colour, too.
Altogether a very thoughtful, engaging and well put together book. I'd be interested to see it as a print book, too.