All posts tagged: Japan

Submission – Icons of the Fukuoka City Subway, Japan

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Official Maps

Submitted by Zeroplate, who says: I was in Fukuoka this summer and couldn’t help but admire the icons that the subway lines used to mark each station. Some like the elephant and the ramen bowl tied clearly to local attractions. Others pointed to historical or geographical notes about the city. Still others I never figured out. Since each station in the main part of town was labeled with kanji, hiragana, Roman letters, and an icon, […]

Poster: JR East “Slow Train, Slow Life” Campaign, 2016

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Advertising

Now this I love! One of a series of posters celebrating the more relaxed pace of life along the northeast branch lines of JR East’s network in Japan. The posters are a collaborative effort led by artist Philippe Weisbecker, who has integrated (pretty detailed!) children’s drawings into the designs. Source: JR East poster website via Taras Grescoe/Twitter

Submission – “Transit Map” Elevator Service Diagram, Tokyo, Japan

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Miscellany

Submitted by Adam, who says: The “transit”-style elevator map of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. The tower consists of two sub-towers, with elevator “lines” ABC serving one tower, and DEFG serving the other. Apologies for the poor quality of the photo–I took this offhandedly without thinking of submitting it.  Transit Maps says: This is totally awesome, Adam! Elevators that only service certain ranges of floors in large office buildings aren’t that unusual, but I’ve never […]

Unofficial Map: Greater Tokyo Railway Network by “Kzaral”

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Unofficial Maps

Whoa. An incredibly detailed “Underground-style” map of rail in the Greater Tokyo area – it seems to show everything from ropeways, aerial cables and streetcars all the way up to Shinkansen – by Flickr user Kzaral.  Transliterating the station names to English means that the diagram simply can’t be as compact as other maps where Japanese characters are used, but there’s still a good sense of rhythm and balance to the map. All labelling is horizontal, […]

Historical Map: Bus Map of Tokyo, c. 1950

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Historical Maps

Not a lot of geographical context here, although the central hub is pretty easy to discern. Does good work differentiating lines with a limited colour palette. Can anyone translate the legend at right that shows dashed/thin/thick lines? Is this an early attempt at frequency mapping? Note: Thanks to all who have told me that the lines are thick for express routes, thin for normal routes, and dashed for “special” routes. So it’s service mapping, not frequency. […]

Historical Map: 1936 Japan National Railroad Map

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Historical Maps

Via: xoverit: A sightseer’s travel map of Japan showing famous landmarks, mountains, seaside resorts and hot springs 1936 Japan National Railroad (JNR) map of the Japanese Empire including Korea, Taiwan, and Manchuria produced under the supervision of Prof. Sho Takahashi of the National Railroad Bureau. Suffice to say, it contains many amusing advertisements, including the one on the front cover which is for… some kind of hormone supplement lotion? This. Is. So. Beautiful. Such amazing detail […]

Yamanote Line Map from Florent Chavouet’s “Tokyo on Foot”

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Popular Culture, Unofficial Maps

Via: comiccartography: Tokyo Wan/Contents Florent Chavouet Tokyo on Foot Lovely contents page illustration/map from Florent Chavouet’s book, Tokyo on Foot. The map is dominated by the circular Yamanote Line, with thick “train track” route lines and bright red stations. More than anything else on the page, this circle seems to define “Tokyo”. Quite lovely.

Photo: Toyoko Line Strip Map, Shibuya Station, Tokyo

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Official Maps

Lovely clarity with this strip map for the Toyoko Line in Japan (the name is a portmanteau of Tokyo and Yokohama, the two cities that the line runs between). There are four route lines, each clearly showing which stations the different service types stop at. From top to bottom, these are Local, Express, Commuter Express and Limited Express. Interchanges with other lines – regardless of operating company – are also shown, and it’s bilingual as […]

Map/Infographic: Overnight Ferry Routes of Japan (2013)

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Unofficial Maps, Visualizations

Well, this is pretty much the loveliest thing I’ve ever seen. An awesome map/infographic combo from Japan showing overnight ferry routes in that country. The map uses a grid of dots to define the shape of the Japanese islands, and the routes are beautifully stylised, but clear and easy to follow. The minimalist colour scheme is quite lovely and is used sensibly to enhance understanding of the information presented. Note how the blue and purple […]