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markle
Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 1316 Location: Out of Japan
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 8:17 pm Post subject: a quick question |
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1. How easy is it to find fairly detailed maps of the countryside (in Japanese is OK) and are they expensive?
Thanks in advance for taking the time to respond. |
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buffy
Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 57
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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Quite easy. Just go to a bookstore and they should have them in different scales. Convienience stores also have maps of the local area. |
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JimDunlop2

Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan
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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 2:19 am Post subject: |
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In addition, many convenience stores carry them too. But only in Japanese... For a detailed road atlas in English, you may have to go to a well-stocked bookstore, and possibly even special-order it. I can provide an ISBN# if you need it. |
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shmooj

Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK
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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 4:09 am Post subject: |
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I'm presuming that the OP may actually be wanting detailed maps of literal "countryside" for something like hiking. If that is the case, I found that road atlases, whatever the scale, were pretty useless as they do not detail walking paths. Instead, for that, I'd recommend hitting the hiking/walking section of a large Japanese bookshop and flicking through some guides for the area you want. Usually, they have average - excellent maps for hikers in there showing paths and walking times etc.
A case in point would be Kamikouchi in Gifu/Nagano which has virtually no roads at all in it and therefore for which a road atlas would be minimally helpful. But you can find excellent hiking guides for well-trodden paths such as those in a place like Kamikouchi. |
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Nismo

Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 520
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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 5:54 pm Post subject: |
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shmooj wrote: |
I'm presuming that [snip] |
Presuming is bad - it makes a, er, 'pre' out of u...and someone named ming.
Back on topic - if it is hiking the OP wanted, there is a website all about hiking spots in Japan, but I've seemed to have lost the URL. I'm sure someone else on the board has it, or a quick google search would provide a great response. Actually, what I've done before is just urban-walked to a mountain visible from the city itself. Maybe take a bus to the edge of town and walk the rest yourself. In the summer, though, there are swarms of bugs and it wasn't pleasant at all. Spring is perfect.
If it is countryside as in 'inaka' you desire maps of, just do as those before me have suggested. |
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markle
Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 1316 Location: Out of Japan
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Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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the presumtion was correct.
all the advice has been useful
Thanks again. |
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