The best guide we have seen of this whirlwind of a city. More than a guide itself, it is a book that includes numerous essays that show the most real and human side of Tokyo.

Whether you plan to go, or if you have already been and fell in love with its contrasts, you will love this guide-book. With incredible photographs!

This publication is the result of a collaboration between international and Japanese authors and makers from various disciplines, ranging from art to social science and from urban studies to design. What they have in common is their interest and fascination with cities, and in particular Tokyo's urban culture.

This eclectic group grew from an international urban research and exploration workshop on Tokyo organized by Amsterdam-based studio Monnik and hosted by Tokyo's SHIBAURA HOUSE exactly 3 years ago, on 30 October 2012. Everybody's efforts resulted in the essay's, maps, photo essay's, collage's , poem's, manga's, illustrations and observation's that have been collected in this book that is hard to categorize. It is called a guide, not because it helps you to find places to see, or places to eat or drink, but because it helps you to read and see the city differently. Each contribution let's you experience a different city. You may look at the city through the eyes of a bathhouse connoisseur, a host, an architect, a topographer, a flaneur, a konbini anthropologist, a foreigner, an artist or a child. In a way each author is a guide, and thus this guide book is actually 46 guidebooks. Amongst your 'guides' are social design researcher Atsushi Miura, Tokyo Urban Basin Society president Norihisa Minagawa, architect Julian Worrall, architect Julian Worrall, artist Arne Hendriks, editor Kohei Fukazawa, architect Yasutaka Yoshimura, visual artist Jan Rothuizen, urbanism professor Christian Dimmer, anthropologist Gavin H. Whitelaw, bathhouse connoisseur Greg Dvorak and many others.

Among cities, Tokyo in particular seems to baffle foreigners. This subjective guidebook to the spectacular Japanese metropolis intends to help you navigate and read the city in a way that evokes both a sense of adventure and a feeling of belonging. A whole spectrum of seasoned urban explorers invites you to look, read, and experience Tokyo differently, offering insights and imaginative perspectives to understand the city, its facets, and wealth of features. From a tour of Roppongi's uneven topography, konbini food offerings, and exploring bathhouses, to following the rhythm of temporary urban totems, this densely packed book guarantees an alternative take on Tokyo.