Lonely Planet Publications has recently added to its 560-strong stable of travel books by producing a series of hiking guides, including one dedicated to the tracks and trails of Japan.
The organization that since the mid-1970s has been producing "The Backpacker's Bible," as the distinctive tomes are widely regarded, now publishes everything from detailed travel guides to atlases, phrase books to city guides and diving books to guides that get you there "on a shoestring."
It is refusing to rest on its laurels, however, and the "Hiking in Japan" guide is the first in a new series of specialist books that landed on bookstores' shelves in February.