ISO RS like guidebook for Tokyo & Kyoto and 10 day itinerary suggestions

If you click on: https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/guidebooks and scroll down to Easter Europe then click on the > arrow you’ll see Rick Steves recommends Lonely Planet for additional destination coverage. What I like about Rick Steves and Lonely Planet they are the only two guidebook writers that lets you know when the next edition will be available so you can make sure you have the most current edition.
Another one I like and I buy it just before I leave is Rough Guides. Some people like Brandt too.

Moon Guide to Japan has been recently updated.

I have the Lonely Planet Pocket Guide to Kyoto and Osaka, which is pretty good, but limited in scope. I really like the book “:Exploring Kyoto” for a more complete explanation of the major sites, and some good walking tours.

https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Kyoto-Revised-Ancient-Capital-ebook/dp/B07BK7V31M/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=CjwKCAjwzNOaBhAcEiwAD7Tb6AtaiF-xjyT-YH6FuzvJ0FkhJ9iDAq3CCdWIyDwB1aAK33O09u1BkBoC6q0QAvD_BwE&hvadid=616863122595&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9033255&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=6256602470117594100&hvtargid=kwd-472818245&hydadcr=24660_13611807&keywords=exploring+kyoto&qid=1666548526&sr=8-1

I suggest you spend at least 4 nights in Kyoto. It is a beautiful city, very walkable, and much easier to visit and appreciate than Tokyo, which can be hectic.

Christmas is a great time to be in Japan, as they go all-out with the decorations. In Tokyo make sure you visit the Ginza shopping street to marvel at the window decorations. They were already in place in mid-November when we were last there, and it was truly amazing.

In Tokyo we stayed at the Park Hotel Tokyo, which is near Shimbashi Station, and walkable to the Ginza. It was fairly easy to walk around the immediate area on the elevated walkways, dropping down to street level for the Ginza.

Sit on the right side of the train from Tokyo to Kyoto and you may see a classic view of Fuji-san. We did.

We used DK Eyewitness guidebook plus Food Sake Tokyo by Yushari Sakamoto which has so much helpful info in it. We ended up doing one of Gukari’s food tours after getting her book, a wonderful experience.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g298564-Activities-Kyoto_Kyoto_Prefecture_Kinki.html

We did a three day bullet train tour from Tokyo to Kyoto and Nara and it was great.
There are many shrines to see in Kyoto and to see them all would take several days. Don't miss the Golden Pavilion for sure.

Also, do The Philosopher's walk.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g298564-d545965-Reviews-Philosopher_s_Walk-Kyoto_Kyoto_Prefecture_Kinki.html

Note that any guidebook may be out of date as there has been no foreign tourism in Japan for over two years now. And many things have changed.

I will add that the most useful source for practical, up-to-date information for me for our 2019 trip was the TripAdvisor Japan forum. I expect that still may be the case.

Ironically, Rick Steves used to be an Asian travel expert as well. In the 1980s he wrote a companion book to "Europe Through the Back Door", entitled "Asia Through the Back Door." I saw him give a slide show and talk about it in Seattle in 1989. Not long after that, though, he made the business decision to focus only on Europe, which obviously has worked out well for him. Asia Through the Back Door is long out of print and of course very dated now, but still a nice read if you can find a copy, as the basic character of countries like Japan and the benefit of his approach to travel there is the same as it was back then even if the logistical details are different.

Discover Japan

Japan is one of my favorite countries! I have been 5 or 6 times (I lived in Korea for a few years, so it was quick and easy). I would suggest at least 4-5 nights in Kyoto- there is a lot to see. Other favorite places that we've been are Takayama (it's small but there is a wonderfully preserved historic district with old shops, sake tasting, etc). Outside of Takayama there is the Hida Folk Village, an easy day trip. When my parents visited us in Korea, that was one of their favorite places we took them to during our time in Japan. We also really love the village of Nikko, but may be a better place to see with more time. If you like the idea of staying in a ryokan, the very small towns of Magome and Tsumago are wonderful- but I've only been there is summer so I don't know how accessible they'll be!

Thank you all so very much for all of this great information!!! We truly appreciate it!