Best phrasebook and/or guidebook?

Hey everyone,

I'm going to be travelling to Japan for my first time for 2 months in Sept/Oct, starting from the north and making my way south. As of right now I will be alone and have virtually now knowledge of the language. If I plan on doing as much hitchhiking and meeting locals as possible, what would you suggest to be the best phrasebook to help me get around and best guidebook for the length of my trip.

Thanks!

i have a japanese in plain english and a japanese for dummies both of which are in romanji and are phonetically spelt i found it easy but i was told from a friend that used to live there that some of the words arent 100% correct..

Lonely planet is a decent guidebook, definitely helped me out more then a few times and I also traveled by myself. Combined with this site its all you will need.

From what I've read the LP guide seems to be lacking. You found that it worked well for you?

I used the Lonely Planet on my last trip and found it to be good. I'd use that paired with some research on this site before you leave. I also have the Lonely Planet phrase book with I found easy to use. Not that useful though as I found I could get by with English.

If you are planning on spending some time in Tokyo, I find that the most valuable book is the Tokyo City Atlas: A Bilingual Guide, published by Kondansha.

The maps are invaluable because you will find that most streets in Tokyo have no names, and this book shows major landmarks so makes it easier to figure out which way you are heading.