Long before she could read, Beth Reiber spent hours pouring over her grandparents' latest National Geographic magazines. After living four years in Germany as a university student and then as a freelance travel writer selling to major U.S. newspapers like the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post, followed by a stint in Tokyo as editor of the Far East Traveler, she authored several Frommer's guides, including Frommer's Japan and Frommer's Tokyo . She also contributes to Frommer's Europe by Rail, Frommer's China, Frommer's USA, and Northstar Travel Media and writes a blog for the Japan National Tourist Organization's website at ww.japan travelinfo.com. When not on the road, she resides in Lawrence, Kansas, with her two sons, a dog, and a cat in an 1890 Victorian home.