Product rating

Customer Reviews

• Author: J. Cadieux
  An excellent way to spend an evening in Tokyo
  I ordered my copy directly from the publisher, and have done the tour.
  
  First I want to say that I am not a city person. I live OUTSIDE of Tokyo because big cities make me uncomfortable. Even so, I really enjoyed this tour. It took me into an area of the city that I probably never would have ventured into on my own (not because of safety concerns, but because I had no particular reason), and I really learned a lot from it. You have to understand that for somebody like me to say they had a good time wandering around a city, is a huge compliment.
  
  The CD (with MP3 file of the tour, which you transfer to your portable player) contains about 65 minutes of audio, but if you stop at some of the sites to look around, you could easily spend a couple of hours on it.
  
  The package comes with a map with 3-D models of the buildings, and a clear line showing you where to go. It's a good size, small enough to be discreet and easy to use, yet big enough to see the detail clearly. The map even has some kind of coating on it to make it somewhat rain-resistant. However, you probably won't need to use the map at all, as the navigation guidance in the audio is pretty easy to follow.
  
  The last item in the contents is a photo book containing about 15 photos taken in the area. It's a nice extra, and perhaps a good souvenir, but doesn't really add to the tour itself.
  
  If you're concerned about your safety in the Kabukicho area, don't be. Tokyo is an extremely safe city by Western standards. This includes Kabukicho, as long as you keep your camera away (I was asked to put mine away when taking photos of a bar, and even of the police station) and don't go out of your way to upset or provoke people. Even the 'most aggressive' of touts mentioned in the tour did not make me feel unsafe. However, this is not an area to bring the kiddies to, unless you like explaining what those 'toys' in the shop windows are used for.
  (amazon.com review)
• Author: J. Patrick
  Experience Kabukicho like an insider
  Max Hodges' tour of Kabukicho is definitely the best way to see this outrageous part of Tokyo - it's like being shown around by a friend who knows all the good stories and where the bodies are buried. He not only points out every must-see sight in this famous red light district, he takes you behind closed doors and introduces you to some of the more interesting people who live and work there.
  
  Plus, the MP3 format saves you from having to flip through (and carry) a heavy guidebook instead of soaking in the 360-degree action.
  
  I lived in Tokyo for years and eventually gave up on finding a guide that would give visitors real insight into the kind of living, breathing, Japanese culture you find in neighborhoods like Kabukicho. Finally, someone did it right!
  (amazon.com review)
• Author: S. De Silva
  Great tour - very informative
  I had run across this audio tour on the web somewhere, and happened to see it on the racks in a bookstore in Tokyo during my recent visit, so I decided to buy it and take the tour.
  
  I had wandered through Kabuki-cho several times in the past, and you definitely get a rough idea of what's going on just by wandering around, but this audio tour made the experience much more rewarding. It gives the history of the place, takes you down several streets that you'd probably not otherwise find on your own, and gives you a true sense of the wide variety of things that are going on in Kabuki-cho.
  
  I'd highly recommend it to any visitor to Tokyo, whether you're a first-time visitor or a seasoned traveler
  (amazon.com review)
• Author: J. Kalter
  Unbeleiveable
  This is 65 minutes of pure entertaiment, If you just walk through Kabukicho you get a bit of a feeling whats going on, however, as it is set up for mostly Japanese and you wont be able to read signs or advertisements it leaves many question marks.
  
  This audio tour addresses some, definitely money well spend. It;s has been produced with lots of attention to detail. It guides you to places where you would normally not go and provides interesting background storyies.
  
  Only concern I have, as per jan 2009 one of the clubs mentioned has already closed so updates are required.
  
  I am hoping they do that via their own websites, which they sort of promised.
  This tour should be done in the evening. I recommend the "Pink Box" book for preparation if your are really interested.
  Note, if you are trying to find a hooker, you might be better off asking the concierge in your hotel for "Premium Fantasy" (Lost in translation). many clubs are geared only towards japanese and westerners won't get in.
  (amazon.com review)
• Author: Timothy P. Szczesui
  Almost Like Being There
  I enjoyed this audio tour of Tokyo's Kabukicho district. It was especially interesting to follow the commentary using Google's Streetview, since it's not convenient to travel to Japan at the moment. Recommended.
  (amazon.com review)
• Author: Taro Irei
  recommended for both Tokyo residents and visitors as well
  For someone living in Tokyo for the past 18 years, and who has been to Kabukicho many times, this tour has given me a whole new and wider view of this Shinjuku district. Kabukicho is one of the most eclectic areas of Tokyo, and a lot of interesting places are hard to find and easy to overlook, but this tour has showed me places that I would never find on my own--like the chinese restaurant in the little alley, a place I would never expect to find a restaurant!
  
  The tour itself is designed so well that I hardly had to look at the map, as the narrative and my walking match perfectly.
  
  Tokyo Realtime does not only let you see better what is there, but also tells you about what used to be there before, and how this little part of town has evolved over the years.
  
  I definitely recommend this tour to both residents of Tokyo as well as people visiting.
  Hope to see more of this series. The packaging is really beautifully designed, and the production quality is excellent. The soundtracks, interviews and sound effects really set this material apart from your ordinary "tour guide".
• Author: Playboy.com
  Max Hodges strips Kabukicho bare in this raw, honest, and captivating tour.
  - Playboy.com
• Author: Justin McCurry
  Brace yourself for an hour in Hodges' company...on a tour to the heart of Kabukicho.
  - Justin McCurry, Guardian.co.uk
• Author: JNTO, UK
  Tokyo Realtime tours deliver a seamless mix of adventure and cultural insight.
  --Japan National Tourism Organization, UK
• Author: A. Phillips
  The Tokyo Realtime tours are a great way to feel like you're on vacation when you don't have the time or money to actually go to Tokyo. Fun to listen to during a boring work day!
• Author: Leon Pierides
  I'm always looking for something new to listen to at the office, and these tours were great! I like that they're informative while having music/SFX behind the speaker to keep it entertaining. I'm looking forward to the next tour!
• Author: koichi
  Liked the cool information and the pushing you to enter buildings/streets you otherwise wont do. Excellent exciting tour. Too bad Akihabara was not up when we visited Tokyo.
• Author: S.B.
  Our audio guide was excellent. We learned much about the Kabukicho area while we walked. We wouldn't have had such a great experience if we hadn't have purchased this audio tour. Thank you for putting it together.
  
  I highly recommend marketing this product a little more. This concept is fantastic. My wife and I kept saying, "I wish we had this available for other parts of Tokyo." Unfortunately, we didn't know that you had a new piece available. This audio tour definitely enhanced our Kabukicho experience.
• Author: nkemerer
  I liked the interviews with with neighborhood mainstays - hearing it from locals seemed more authentic than from an outsider.