You can haul him to sports events, to sumo, to the Budokan, and be gratified at the response. But what happens when a nephew arrives for a three-week stint with his favorite auntie? Panic, generally. Too big for the ofuro and too ambitious for the fridge, 'children' at this age are distressingly mobile. Kindergarteners seem quite satisfied to be dumped in a sandpit, where they fall over laughing pulling funny faces at each other. Or just fall over. The high-schooler needs a lot of activity, constant stimulus, lots of cool facts of the "did you know?" variety, and the operative word here is COOL. He requires plenty of pit stops to refuel, preferably at the less gourmet (read: expensive) restaurants in town. That's before lunch. It's a speed thing.

But there is now an antidote for the panic - Kids' Trips In Tokyo, a guide to outings in the greater Tokyo area. The authors describe themselves as "veteran Tokyo moms," but Quartermaster Generals would also be an accurate description. Tadamitsu Omori's maps to places are excellent, the maps once you get there are excellent, and the fiddly details of admission and other matters are competent beyond words. You also get some invaluable advice on school holidays, and subsequently the days to go to museums, etc.

The bilingual ID tag at the back of the book, which the authors suggest you photocopy and attach to child, is a good idea, but needs a little proofing work re spelling errors, which also crop up on page 261 ("forty day"). Some of the outings we tried, book in hand, turned out to be disappointing - others were tremendous fun for everybody. Kamakura Cinema World, for example, seemed to be a lot of cash for some Hollywood posters stuck on walls and artificial 'US' street scenes, eg, fast-food restaurants where you were encouraged to part with more cash. But Yokohama Science Center was an excellent outing, and there just wasn't enough time to learn/ enjoy it all. TSC is the choice for any of the youngsters in your party who are obliged to write an essay on something 'educational' during their vacation. But as the authors note, "only" 57 of the 300 seats in the Imax theater are equipped with earphone plugs for the English narration. Perhaps that's not a bad ratio in a country where English is not the main language? For educational purposes, the authors might also like to note that bamboo is a grass (page 229) of the genus Bambusa, not a tree, while they explain that plant names at Yumenoshima's Tropical Greenhouse Dome are "only" given in Latin and Japanese. Sometimes there's sense of dislocation in the choices of description: the authors write that "the Japanese government opened the National Children's Castle" (page 132), and that "Japanese" flock to a Kamakura temple in June to look at the hydrangeas (page 72). We are in Japan, no? Dislocation of a different variety pops up when the authors tell us, "Chances are there won't be another foreigner in sight" (page 18), which is meant to be a good thing, I suppose?

The detail that has gone into writing this book is mind-boggling, but the clean, clear-cut format makes everything accessible, as do the sections dealing with the requirements of young children and nursing moms, and the carefully made points about how children of different ages will benefit from each tour. Section Two - A Day With A Theme is particularly strong, as is Section Four - Things That Go! and Section Seven - Scientific Adventure. Places to consider in the sequel would be Ninjamura, Mother Bokujo Farm in Chiba, factory tours, and of course, the local festivals that crown a stay of any length in Japan. Lose any child at a fireworks display, Bon Odori festival or o-matsuri this summer, and you will find them safe and taken care of, piled with Ultraman masks and assorted goldfish, at the VIP tent, guzzling edamame and kakikori.

Actually, here's a better idea. This book is ideal for any youngsters, visiting or resident, who can read and/ or read maps. Just give it to them during their vacation, and off they go. But then you'll miss out on all the fun.

Reviewed by A. Jackson, May 1998

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