The independent traveler may want to visit an out of the way place and travelers with special interests may want to locate a specific store or attraction that is only mentioned in passing online or in print media.  The ability to map your own travel route in Japan is a plus and two websites can help you do just that – with easy to use interface is in English.

The Japanese address system can be very confusing to foreigners.  A typical Japanese address looks like this one for Wakafuku near the Kameido Shrine in Tokyo:

3-6-4 Kameido, Koto-ku, Tokyo 136-0071 OR 6-4 Kameido 3-chome, Koto-ku, Tokyo 136-0071

It’s just an address you might say, but where is the street name?  And the street address?  So let’s break down the format of a Japanese address:

3 (Chome)-6 (City Block)-4 (Building number) Kameido (Area)
OR
6 (City Block)-4 (Building number), Kameido 3-chome
Koto-ku (Ward), Tokyo (Prefecture) 136-0071 (Postal Code)

While Japan does have street names they do not come into play in their address system.  Finding the address above or any other one for that matter can be a challenge.  Buildings can be tightly packed together, streets narrow and curvy with street signs in English will probably help you find the right chome or district but from then it can be a bit challenging…

Diddlefinger

That’s where tools like diddlefinger come in.  With an easy to use interface in either English or Japanese you simply enter the various components of an address and presto you have a map!  Print it out and you can find almost any place in Japan and locate the closest train station to your destination.

Here is a link to the access map for Kameido Shrine on diddlefinger.  If you zoom out on this map you will see that the closest station to Kameido Shrine is Kameido.   Click on the station name and you will see that the shrine is .13 kilometers from the station as the crow flies.  Print the map for walking directions or show it to a taxi driver and you are ready to go!

MapFan

A similar tool is MapFan which is very handy for the tourist but less so at finding a specific address.  MapFan allows your to search by point of interest or train station and returns results that include nearby tourist attractions, stores, restaurants and even hospitals within a search area that can be as wide as ten kilometers or as small as 500 meters.

The map of the Kameido Station area shows that there are nine difference dining option near the Kameido Shrine and two conveniently located hotels.

If you are planning a day in one area of Japan, use MapFan to find nearby places to add to your itinerary or simply to figure out where you might want to eat lunch!

Either of these tools will help make navigating Japan a lot easier and are a valuable tool to have on your trip planning bag of tricks.

Image Credit:  Tokyo Street Signs on Flickr by Timothy Lloyd