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Researcher: deep waters of inquiry

348 resources available

Recommended inquiry route

1
Adopt the "treat sources as data" mindset via CODH
2
International comparison: UNdata / World Bank / OECD / IMF / IEA / FAOSTAT
3
Keep your research data preservable and citable with Zenodo (CERN) — DOI included
Filter by type

First learning (a little nervous, a little excited)

2 resources

Google Maps

The standard map service that lets you cut across maps, routes, Street View, and reviews worldwide. With Gemini AI–powered "Ask Maps" you can do natural conversational searches, and the 3D immersive navigation lets you confirm a route with on-site feel. A starting point for places, facilities, and traffic — usable at any age.

Search a town you know → walk around in Street View → try "what did this place look like long ago?" by overlaying the GSI Map or old maps
MapStatistics
Kids' EntryMultilingualOfficial Video

GSI Map (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)

Layer topographic maps, aerial photos, elevation, and disaster information to read the "why of place".

Toggle layers → write 1 noticing → confirm a landform term (terrace, alluvial fan, etc.) as evidence
MapStatistics
GISOpen DataOfficial Video

Widening learning (wonder)

6 resources

National Film Archive of Japan | Online Service (FIAD)

An entry into "how society of the time was seen" through film and video sources. Easy to use as inquiry material.

Year/place/photographer → guess "what video wants to show" → cross-check with other sources
VideoPrimary SourceOverview
Cultural Heritage

Great Kanto Earthquake Film Archive

Read damage, reconstruction, and urban change with the documentary footage of the Great Kanto Earthquake as material.

What is shown / not shown → consider the photographer's intent → locate the place on a map and cross-check
VideoPrimary Source
DisasterCultural Heritage

Iseki Masaomi's International Japanese Training Course (YouTube)

Understand Japanese and world history with people at the center.

Organize each person's "position/interests/constraints" → look for the opposing view → confirm with primary sources
VideoOverview

Smithsonian Open Access (U.S.)

The Smithsonian — one of the world's largest museum complexes — publishes its images, 3D models, and audio under CC0 Open Access. Young readers and researchers alike can reach world-class primary materials through the same door.

Search by theme → pick one image or 3D object → extract "who / when / where it was gathered" from the caption → place it side by side with a Japanese-museum counterpart and describe the difference (images and numbers carry you even when the text is English)
OverviewPrimary SourceInternational
Kids' EntryCultural HeritageOpen DataEnglish

Metropolitan Museum of Art | Open Access

The Met's official Open Access collection, releasing out-of-copyright works under CC0. High-resolution images can be used without permission, making it a shared entry point for children through researchers to handle real art objects.

Search by period / region → filter to Open Access → note maker / date / technique → compare with Japanese collections to put the differences into words
OverviewPrimary SourceInternational
Cultural HeritageOpen DataEnglish

UTokyo OCW

The University of Tokyo's OpenCourseWare publishing actual course materials and videos. University students, graduate students, and teachers can use it as a reference model for how research-grade arguments are built.

Pick a course close to your topic → check target readings via the syllabus → mimic how the argument is built and reflect it in your own inquiry report
VideoOverviewResearchInternational
English

Learning in the field (uplift)

4 resources

Nabunken Channel (Official)

An official channel that teaches the perspective of excavation and cultural property research.

Grasp the survey procedure (who/what/how) → drop down to the primary report to confirm
VideoPrimary SourceOverview
Cultural Heritage

3D DB Viewer (Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties)

Observe cultural properties in 3D. Good practice for forming hypotheses about form, use, and making.

Observe (form/material/marks) → propose 1 hypothesis on use → screenshot the parts that became evidence
Primary SourceOverview
Cultural HeritageOpen Data

Cultural Properties WebGIS (Nabunken)

Browse cultural properties and ruins nationwide overlaid on a map. Use the relationship between place and era to form questions.

Narrow to a region → toggle layers → hypothesize the reason for clustering → fact-check with reports/terrain
MapStatisticsPrimary Source
Cultural HeritageGISOpen Data

Cultural Heritage Online

Search by place name and the "layers of regional culture" become visible.

Search by place name → list types/eras of cultural properties → form questions from biases in distribution
OverviewPrimary Source
Cultural HeritageOpen DataTourism

Weather and clouds (a sense of wonder)

9 resources

JMA | Weather Statistics

Observation data of temperature, precipitation, etc. For analyzing climate change and torrential rains.

Align points/period → look at deviations from the normal → cross-check extreme days against disaster records or news
Statistics
Earth ScienceDisasterOpen Data

Himawari Weather Satellite

When you can see clouds moving, weather and torrential-rain inquiry becomes concrete.

Track cloud development in time series → identify torrential-rain areas → confirm with JMA rainfall data
MapStatistics
Earth ScienceDisasterOpen Data

Met Office (UK)

The UK's official weather and climate agency. Publishes historical observations, climate research, and reanalysis data. Paired with JMA (Japan), lets you read differences between North Atlantic climate and Japan's monsoon climate.

Pick an indicator (temperature / precipitation / wind) and pull UK observations → confirm definitions and station locations → re-pull the same indicator in JMA with the same definition, and explain climate-zone differences
StatisticsInternationalResearch
Earth ScienceEnglish

DWD (Deutscher Wetterdienst)

The English portal of Germany's federal meteorological service. Observations, climate data, and warnings. An official reference for continental European climate, useful for climate comparison with Japan.

Set period and station → pull temperature / precipitation / wind data → align definitions with JMA (Japan) and Met Office (UK) to contrast east-coast / continental / west-coast climates
StatisticsInternationalResearch
Earth ScienceEnglishMultilingual

KMA (Korea Meteorological Administration)

Korea's official meteorological agency (English portal). Publishes observations, forecasts, and climate data. As a neighbour across the Yellow Sea and Sea of Japan, one of the easiest meteorological datasets to compare with Japan.

Pick a shared phenomenon (rainy season / typhoons / cold waves) → pull with the same period and definition → compare with JMA (Japan) and explain differences via ocean conditions and topography
StatisticsInternational
Earth ScienceEnglishMultilingual

ClimateCharts.net

Generate climate charts by clicking on a world map. Walter-Lieth diagram available.

Specify period and location → read the climate chart pattern → compare with another region and explain the difference
MapInternational
Earth ScienceEnglish

WorldClim

High-resolution global weather and climate database.

Specify period and location → read the climate chart pattern → compare with another region and explain the difference
StatisticsInternational
Earth ScienceAPI AvailableEnglishOpen Data

NOAA Climate.gov

NOAA's climate maps and visualization tools.

Specify period and location → read the climate chart pattern → compare with another region and explain the difference
StatisticsMapInternational
Earth ScienceAPI AvailableEnglish

NICT Himawari Satellite Project

Satellite data archive and downloads from NICT's Himawari project.

Specify period and location → read the climate chart pattern → compare with another region and explain the difference
Statistics
Earth ScienceAPI Available

Geographic primary data

35 resources

Google Earth

A geographic browser to fly around the entire planet in 3D. Visually grasp "the world now and then" through satellite imagery, terrain, 3D buildings, and Timelapse (year-by-year change of satellite photos). The "Voyager" feature also hosts 3D tours of World Heritage sites and stories on endangered species and the SDGs. An entry to geography, history, disaster prevention, and international comparison — usable at any age.

Observe places of interest in 3D → compare year-by-year change with Timelapse → fact-check "why did it change?" with terrain, climate, and statistics
MapStatistics
GISKids' EntryOfficial Video

what3words

A location service that divides the world into 3-metre squares and assigns each one a unique address of three words. Over 57 trillion squares cover the globe, and the same square shows different words depending on the language setting (61 languages are supported per the official support pages, as of 2026). It can pinpoint parks, coastlines, mountain trails, and evacuation sites that have no street address, and police, fire, and ambulance services in the UK and elsewhere have adopted it. The app and online map are free; the business and developer API is paid, though it is offered free to emergency services and NGOs.

Look up the three-word address of your home or school → switch the language setting and compare → think about why this helps where there are no street addresses, from a disaster and delivery standpoint
Map
Kids' EntryDisasterGISAPI AvailableMultilingual

Hazard Map Portal

Confirm nationwide disaster risks (flood, landslide, storm surge, tsunami, etc.) from MLIT via the "Layered Hazard Map" and "My Town Hazard Map". An entry for local disaster prevention and geography inquiry.

Identify 3 risk spots → explain the reason (terrain/river/land use) on the map → also confirm evacuation sites
MapStatistics
DisasterGISOpen DataKids' EntryOfficial Video

National Land Numerical Information (GIS data)

GIS data of administrative borders, transport, facilities, etc. Usable for mapping and analysis.

Search by desired layer name → confirm the year/extent of the data → overlay on the map and verify hypotheses
MapStatistics
GISOpen Data

J-SHIS (Seismic Hazard)

An entry to understanding seismic risk "with assumptions explicit".

Read the assumptions (probability period/model) → explain regional differences via terrain and ground
MapStatistics
DisasterGISOpen Data

Real Estate Information Library

Treats transaction prices, land prices, hazards, and city planning on the same map.

Show land prices with hazards/zoning → form a hypothesis → fact-check with statistics/maps
StatisticsMap
GISOpen DataDisasterDaily Life & WelfareEconomy & Industry

JAXA Earth Observation Use

A pathway for how to use satellite data.

Decide the variable (rainfall/vegetation, etc.) and period → compare → cross-check with ground statistics/observations
OverviewStatisticsMap
Natural ScienceEarth ScienceOpen DataAPI Available

Seamless Geological Map (GSJ)

Browse Japan's geological maps seamlessly. Explain terrain, disasters, and resources from "differences in geology".

Decide the point to investigate → read geological unit/age → form a hypothesis tying to terrain, disaster, land use
MapStatisticsPrimary Source
GISEarth ScienceDisasterOpen Data

GeoNavi (GSJ)

A navigation hub to GSJ database groups on geology, terrain, and resources. Strong as a path to drop down to primary data.

Decide one purpose (geology/resources/disaster, etc.) → choose the relevant DB → confirm the source/measurement conditions and cite
OverviewStatisticsPrimary Source
Earth ScienceOpen DataGIS

Historical Map Database (LAPIS | Nichibunken)

A historical map DB that lets you cross-search early-modern to modern maps. Read the change of place names, territories, transport routes, etc. as primary sources.

Search by place name/region → confirm date and purpose (survey/administration/military) → overlay on modern maps and verbalize the difference
MapPrimary SourceOverview
GISOpen DataHistorical Maps

Rekichizu

Overlay Edo, Meiji, and prewar old maps semi-transparently on modern maps. Visually read changes in place names, waterways, and roads. An entry to historical geography, usable from elementary to professional.

Switch the same place by era → verbalize changes in place names, roads, waterways → ask "why is the castle town/urban area here?"
MapPrimary Source
GISKids' EntryHistorical Maps

National Q Map (Qchizu)

A site (independently run) that, with operations similar to the GSI Map, lets you overlay red-relief maps, contour lines, individually tiled old topographic maps, and detailed terrain maps. Supports two-pane display, measurement, drawing, and printing — works from middle-school regional / disaster-prevention / high school geography to university research and field surveys.

Open from "Open Map" → toggle ON layers of interest (relief/old/external tiles, etc.) → fix the view, then record the screenshot, URL, and viewing date in your report
MapOverviewResearch
GISDisasterHistorical Maps

Japan Coast Guard | Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department

Japan's official source for seafloor topography, tides, ocean currents, territorial seas, and 3D marine maps. A primary information source for reading the links between landform, safety, fisheries, and the marine environment.

Pick a sea area → choose one layer (seafloor topography / tides / currents) → overlay the adjacent land topography on GSI Map and explain how land and sea connect
MapStatistics
GISEarth ScienceDisasterOpen Data

KuniJiban (Borehole logs from MLIT / NEXCO and others)

An official database that lets you pull borehole survey logs (columnar sections) by location, published by Japanese public-infrastructure bodies. You can see, as a primary source, which layers underlie your own town.

Pick a point on the map → open the columnar log and read layer thickness and groundwater level → layer it with hazard maps and geological maps to explain "ground-shaking and liquefaction risk"
MapStatisticsPrimary Source
DisasterGISEarth ScienceOpen Data

Old Maps Online

An international portal that cross-searches historical maps held by libraries and archives worldwide, from a geographic location. Complements David Rumsey for reading the same place across multiple period maps.

Draw a box on your place of interest → compare historical maps by year → follow the holding-institution link for details (title / year / maker), then overlay with the GSI Map
Primary SourceMapInternational
EnglishHistorical Maps

GEBCO (Global Bathymetry)

The official global bathymetric dataset jointly maintained by IHO and the IOC of UNESCO. The standard reference for "submarine topography" counterpart to the GSI Map, usable as the marine side of Create GBM's 3D terrain.

Pick a sea area → observe trenches, ridges, and seamounts → overlay with JMA and JCG ocean data to relate seabed form to currents / fisheries / earthquakes
MapStatisticsInternational
Earth ScienceOpen DataEnglish

Ordnance Survey (UK)

The UK's official mapping agency and one of the origins of modern cartographic surveying. Publishes precise topographic maps, administrative boundaries, and digital mapping. A strong comparison point for how "national maps" are made against GSI (Japan).

Pick a dataset by topic (urban / nature / boundary) → check legend and survey year → put it next to GSI Map data with the same theme and articulate "how each country maps itself"
MapInternational
EnglishGIS

British Geological Survey (BGS)

The UK's national geological survey. Publishes geological maps, subsurface, earthquake, and environmental-geology data. Paired with GSJ (Japan), gives an international lens on "reading the land through geology".

Pick a UK region of interest → read rock types and ages from the geological map → compare with GSJ's Seamless geological map and explain differences via plate tectonics and orogenic belts
MapStatisticsInternational
Earth ScienceOpen DataEnglish

IGN France | Géoportail

The official web map operated by France's national mapping agency (IGN). Layer topography, aerial photos, boundaries, and historical maps for all of France in the browser — a French counterpart to the GSI Map.

Pick a region → overlay multiple layers (topo / historical / aerial) → apply the same reading to Japan on the GSI Map and compare the "grammar" of maps
MapInternational
MultilingualGISHistorical Maps

Geoscience Australia

Australia's national geoscience and surveying agency. Provides comprehensive maps, landform, geology, and natural-hazard data. A Southern Hemisphere / continental-scale reference point for terrain inquiry.

Pick a theme (earthquake / minerals / coastline) → check resolution and observation year → compare with Japan (GSJ / JMA / JCG) to articulate differences in geographic conditions
MapStatisticsInternational
Earth ScienceOpen DataEnglish

LINZ (Land Information New Zealand)

New Zealand's official geo-information agency. Open topographic maps, aerial photos, cadastre, nautical charts, and place-name data. As an island nation on a plate boundary, comparable to Japan in geography.

Pick an NZ region → open topography / fault / volcano layers → pair with GSI Map and J-SHIS to relate island-arc topography to earthquakes and volcanism
MapInternational
EnglishOpen DataGIS

BKG (Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy, Germany)

The English portal of Germany's federal mapping and geodesy agency (BKG). Publishes national terrain, boundary, and administrative data. A model case for a continental European map-data system.

Pick a German region → take a first look via terrain / boundary / administrative layers → put it next to GSI Map and national land data, and read the cartographic differences between federalism and centralism
MapInternational
EnglishMultilingualGIS

Copernicus Open Access Hub

The official data hub of the EU / ESA Earth observation programme Copernicus. Sentinel optical and radar observations are available for free. The international standard for high-resolution satellite imagery inquiry on land use, disasters, and agriculture.

Set region and period → pick Sentinel-1 (radar) or Sentinel-2 (optical) as appropriate → respect licence terms and compare with JAXA data to evaluate observation differences
MapStatisticsInternationalResearch
Earth ScienceOpen DataEnglishAPI Available

Google Earth Engine

A planet-scale satellite-data analysis platform Google provides free for research, education, and non-profits. Landsat, Sentinel, and MODIS can all be analysed in the cloud. Since it is privately operated, confirm terms of use before applying it.

Apply for research / non-profit access → set region and period → start from existing tutorials and always cross-check results with official sources (GSI / JAXA)
MapStatisticsInternationalResearch
Open DataEnglishAPI Available

GHSL (Global Human Settlement Layer, EC JRC)

A global database of human settlement (cities / population / buildings) maintained by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. Combining satellite and statistics, it allows worldwide time-series comparison of urbanisation.

Pick an urban region → pull population distribution / building density / urban extent over time → pair with Japan's National Land Numerical Information and residents' registers to articulate urbanisation differences
MapStatisticsInternationalResearch
Open DataEnglish

WorldPop (High-resolution global population)

A high-resolution global population distribution dataset published by the WorldPop international project centred on the University of Southampton. Integrates censuses and satellite observations to compare small-area populations globally. Widely used for disaster, health, and education policy research.

Pick target country / year / resolution → take the population raster → cross-check with local statistical offices (e.g., e-Stat for Japan) to confirm model validity before drawing conclusions
MapStatisticsInternationalResearch
Open DataEnglish

GADM (Global Administrative Areas)

An international-standard dataset of administrative boundaries down to city / municipality level. Freely available as base layers for overlaying statistics in GIS. For commercial use, confirm the licence separately.

Pick the country and level (country / state / district) → fetch GeoJSON / Shapefile → respect the licence and overlay with WorldPop or national statistics on identical boundaries
MapInternational
Open DataEnglishGIS

David Rumsey Map Collection (Historical World-Maps Archive)

A public digital archive at Stanford University Libraries holding over 150,000 historical maps of the world, 15th century to present, at high resolution. Even young learners can enjoy "how people used to picture the world" as images.

Search by region or period → zoom in on one sheet and observe details → note 3 things that are shown and 3 things that are not → place it beside a Japanese historical map (e.g. Rekichizu, Imashi Map) to compare how each age pictured the world
Primary SourceMapInternational
Open DataEnglishKids' EntryHistorical Maps

G-Spatial Information Center

The national portal for distributing geospatial data from government and research institutions.

Load the layers you need → read the spatial pattern → explain 'why' with related data
MapStatistics
GISOpen Data

Geological Survey of Japan — Geological Map Downloads

Download geological maps and data from the Geological Survey of Japan (AIST).

Load the layers you need → read the spatial pattern → explain 'why' with related data
MapStatistics
GISOpen Data

Earthquake Research HQ — Active Fault Database

National database of active fault evaluations by Japan's Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion.

Specify the period and region → check definitions and footnotes → compare across primary sources
Statistics
DisasterGIS

AIST — Active Fault Database of Japan

AIST's comprehensive active fault database with GIS data and evaluation reports.

Specify the period and region → check definitions and footnotes → compare across primary sources
Statistics
DisasterGISAPI Available

Hydrological and Water Quality Database

National database of hydrological and water quality data from rivers and lakes across Japan.

Specify the period and region → check definitions and footnotes → compare across primary sources
Statistics
DisasterEarth Science

GSI Map and Aerial Photo Browsing Service

Aerial photos from the 1950s onward, freely viewable and downloadable at 400 dpi.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
Teacher
MapPrimary Source
GISOpen DataHistorical Maps

Digital Earth Africa — Analysis Notebooks

Runnable notebooks for analysing satellite data across the African continent, covering topics such as changes in water bodies, vegetation and urban growth.

Run one topic through to the end → re-run it over a different area → ask whether the same question could be posed with Japanese data
StatisticsResearchInternationalMap
GISOpen DataEarth ScienceEnglish

Prefectural maps

81 resources

Hokkaido Disaster Prevention Portal

The prefectural disaster portal run by the Hokkaido Government Crisis Management Bureau. It gathers shelter-opening status by municipality, evacuation orders, weather warnings, and earthquake information, and lets you check evacuation sites on a map or as a list.

Pick your own municipality → see which shelters are open on the map → explain why those sites were chosen using terrain and hazard maps
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Hokkaido Forest Map

A forest map system published by the Hokkaido Government Fisheries and Forestry Department. Sub-compartment boundaries of privately owned forests covered by the regional forest plan can be browsed over base maps or aerial photographs, together with tree species, stand age, and restricted-forest status. It works on smartphones and tablets.

Pick one hillside near your town → read the species and stand age → work out why these trees are here, from terrain, climate, and the history of forestry
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISOpen Data

Aomori Disaster Prevention Portal

The prefectural disaster information portal run by the Aomori Prefectural Government Crisis Management Bureau. Alongside guidance on checking hazard maps, it gathers information drawn from the prefecture's disaster GIS, such as evacuation sites and major medical institutions.

Show evacuation sites and hospitals on one screen → measure the distance from your home → check how they sit relative to rivers, coast, and cliffs on a topographic map
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Aoi Mori Open Data Catalogue (Aomori)

A catalogue site for finding open data held by Aomori Prefecture and its municipalities in one place. Users can also register public-interest data of their own, and the catalogue includes GIS-ready datasets such as forest resource statistics.

Download one dataset in a field you care about → map it in a GIS such as MANDARA or QGIS → compare the same indicator with a neighbouring prefecture and reason about the gap
StatisticsMap
Local GovernmentOpen DataGIS

Iwate Digital Map

Iwate Prefecture's public GIS. Layers from several fields — crime incidence, erosion-control GIS content such as landslide hazard zones, and designated-road maps — can be stacked on a single map. Municipal websites within the prefecture also point here for checking landslide risk areas.

Display the landslide hazard zones → count how many houses and roads fall inside them → back up why that slope is dangerous using a geological map
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisaster

Iwate Universal Design Electronic Map

An electronic map from Iwate Prefecture for finding barrier-free and universal-design facilities from the map itself. It runs on the same prefectural GIS platform as the Iwate Digital Map.

Pick out the facilities along a route from the station to a destination → note where there are steps and accessible toilets → describe from the map who this town is easy to walk in, and who it is not
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Walking maps across Iwate ("Add 2,000 steps for better health")

A page where Iwate Prefecture gathers walking maps from around the prefecture as part of its health-promotion work, leading through to courses created by individual municipalities.

Pick one course in your own municipality → note its step count and distance → walk it and add the slopes and watercourses the map does not show
MapOverview
Local GovernmentHealth & Sport

Miyagi Disaster Information Portal

The prefectural disaster portal run by the Miyagi Prefectural Government Crisis Management Department. It provides earthquake information and road-restriction information in real time, and doubles as the entrance to field-specific systems such as the prefecture's erosion-control and river-basin information systems.

Watch real-time road restrictions on a rainy day → overlay the restricted points on a topographic map → explain why the same places close again and again, from the rivers and the slopes
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisaster

Miyagi Forest Information System

Miyagi Prefecture's forest GIS, publishing map layers related to forests such as mountain-disaster risk districts, protection forests, and orthophotos. Layers can be switched on and off on the web map.

Overlay mountain-disaster risk districts with protection forests → find where the two do not coincide → turn "why is this stretch not a protection forest?" into your question
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterOpen Data

Open Data Map (Akita Open Data Portal)

The map view of the Akita Prefecture open data portal. Data held by the prefecture can be visualised on a map, and is also distributed in GIS-ready formats such as zipped shapefiles.

Spot one distribution that catches your eye on the map → load the same data into a GIS → test the reason for that distribution against terrain, population, and transport
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentOpen DataGIS

Akita Forest Information Service

The prefecture's forest GIS service, publishing forest information for privately owned forests in Akita — compartments and sub-compartments, forest plan maps and the like. Forests covered by the regional forest plan can be checked on the map.

Find stands of Akita cedar on the map → read the distribution of stand ages → connect the uneven planting years to post-war forestry policy
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISOpen Data

Yamagata Treasure Map

A cultural-property map published by Yamagata Prefecture, showing the locations of archaeological sites (buried cultural property areas) together with nationally and prefecturally designated, nationally registered, and nationally selected cultural properties. GIS data export was added in January 2026.

Look at how archaeological sites cluster in your town → check how they sit relative to rivers and terraces on a topographic map → put into words why people settled here long ago
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentCultural HeritageGISTourism

Yamagata River and Erosion Control Information System

The comprehensive river and erosion-control information site run by the Yamagata Prefectural Government Public Works Department. The prefecture is divided into seven districts, and water levels, rainfall, and live camera images can be checked from the map.

Follow water levels on the map during heavy rain → measure the time lag between upstream and downstream → explain where the water comes from and goes, from the shape of the basin
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterEarth Science

Fukushima Forest Map

A web forest GIS publishing geographic information on forests and forestry in Fukushima Prefecture. For forests covered by the regional forest plan, locations can be checked readily by tree species and stand age.

See where stands of the same species cluster → overlay elevation → work out what decides which species grows where, from climate and terrain
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISOpen Data

Fukushima Disaster Prevention Portal

The prefectural disaster portal run by the Disaster Countermeasures Division of the Fukushima Prefectural Government. It brings shelter information together with weather and disaster information in one place, and together with the prefecture's disaster website serves as the entrance to hazard maps.

Display the shelters in your town → view them on the same screen as the weather information → write in your own words the conditions that would decide when to move
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Ibaraki Digital Map (prefecture-wide integrated GIS)

A prefecture-wide integrated GIS built and operated jointly by Ibaraki Prefecture and every municipality within it. Map information held separately by the prefecture and by municipalities is published together on one electronic map, covering administrative information, everyday-life information, events, and tourism. It went into service in fiscal 2008.

Stack a prefectural layer and a municipal layer → see how the level of detail changes over the same place → think about who holds responsibility for what
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & WelfareTourism

Ibaraki Health Road

A municipality-by-municipality list of the "Ibaraki Health Road" walking courses designated by Ibaraki Prefecture for health promotion, chosen so that everyone from children to older people can walk them safely. They can also be found on a map through the Ibaraki Digital Map.

Pick one Health Road in your municipality → consider what made it count as safe to walk → walk it yourself and write down the conditions it still lacks
MapOverview
Local GovernmentHealth & Sport

Tochigi Marutto Map

Tochigi Prefecture's new integrated map system, in service since 11 March 2026. It brings disaster information and public-facility information — previously separate — onto a single map, covering hazard maps, real-time rainfall and river-level observations, real-time road and river camera images, the Tochigi cycle routes, major congestion points, and urban planning information such as land-use zoning. The former Tochigi map information system closed on 31 March 2026.

Stack hazard maps and public facilities on one map → count the facilities that fall inside a risk zone → answer, with conditions attached, whether those facilities could serve as evacuation sites
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Tochigi Health-Building Road

A site introducing walking courses selected by Tochigi Prefecture. It carries 167 courses across the prefecture and can be searched by municipality, with distance, walking time, and characteristics given for each course.

Choose two courses of similar length → compare their elevation change and scenery → explain from the terrain why the same distance feels harder on one of them
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentHealth & Sport

Mapping Gunma (Gunma integrated geographic information system)

Gunma Prefecture's integrated GIS for residents. Information the prefecture holds on safety and security, along with practical everyday information, is placed on an electronic map. Many fields are published — tourism facilities, environment, welfare, healthcare, disaster preparedness — with both desktop and smartphone versions.

Stack the welfare and healthcare layers with the disaster layer → look for places far from both → think about what the people living there would need
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Tourism Digital Map (Gunma official tourism site)

The tourism digital map on Gunma Prefecture's official tourism site — a digital version of the prefectural tourism map introducing sights and attractions across Gunma. Spots are presented by theme (hot springs, nature, food, traditional culture), and landmarks in each area appear as illustrations on the map itself.

Choose one theme and lay out its spots → overlay the hot springs and sights on topographic and geological maps → explain from the ground itself why they cluster where they do
MapOverview
Local GovernmentTourism

Furusato Gunma Health Paths

Walking courses supervised by Gunma Prefecture, with course maps arranged by the prefecture's four regions — central, northern, western, and eastern Gunma.

Pick one course from each of the four regions → compare their terrain and land use → summarise why the scenery you walk through differs so much within one prefecture
MapOverview
Local GovernmentHealth & Sport

Saitama Prefecture GIS Portal

An integrated GIS where geographic information held by Saitama Prefecture — hazard maps, barrier-free maps and more — is browsable across seven categories such as childcare and daily life, and healthcare and welfare. Multiple maps can be overlaid, and most can be downloaded as CSV, Excel, or shapefiles. The service opened on 30 January 2024.

Overlay two maps from different categories → count where they coincide and where they do not → put into words the gap between how government divides its fields and how life is actually lived
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterDaily Life & WelfareOpen Data

Health Walking Maps (Saitama Kobaton Health Mileage)

On the site of Saitama Prefecture's health mileage programme, a list of walking courses recommended by individual municipalities. Tokorozawa, Tsurugashima, Moroyama, Yokoze, Satte, Kasukabe and others appear, and some courses are refreshed with the seasons.

Pick one course from a flat city and one from a hill town → compare the climb per unit of distance → list what actually decides how easy a route is to walk
MapOverview
Local GovernmentHealth & Sport

Chiba Information Map

The prefecture's integrated map site, publishing Chiba's administrative and regional information online through maps and imagery. It holds maps across many fields, including urban planning information and buried cultural property areas, and since April 2022 data can also be downloaded across 24 categories such as the locations of prefectural institutions.

Display the buried cultural property areas → overlay the urban planning land-use zones → find one place where development and preservation collide, and write out the issue
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISCultural HeritageOpen Data

Fusanokuni Walk-for-Health Map (Chiba)

A walking map created by Chiba Prefecture's dietary improvement volunteers, who picked roads that are easy to use and easy to walk locally and built courses of roughly 10,000 steps each. There are 102 courses in all, with step counts, distances, and times given for the whole route and for each landmark segment. Copies can also be consulted at the Chiba Prefectural Archives.

Read how the 10,000-step figure was assembled → draw a course on the same terms around your own home → walk it, time it, and reason about the difference
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentHealth & Sport

Municipal walking maps (Chiba Prefecture)

A page on which the health promotion division of the Chiba Prefectural Government gathers the walking maps individual municipalities have made for themselves, to be used alongside the prefecture's own walking map.

Pick one prefectural course and one municipal course → compare what changes when the maker changes → write down what your own town's course still lacks
MapOverview
Local GovernmentHealth & Sport

Tokyo Map (Tokyo Metropolitan Government integrated map)

An integrated map that gathers the map services held by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's many bureaus into a single site, run jointly by the Bureau of Digital Services and GovTech Tokyo. Ten map layers spanning disaster preparedness, environment and nature, digital services, welfare, and waterworks can be freely combined and stacked on one screen. Three ready-made themes — protecting yourself from summer heat, preparing for an earthquake, and preparing for flooding — open with the relevant maps already combined. Layers include the Tokyo Heat Map, the Tokyo Damage Estimate Map, emergency water supply stations, TOKYO FREE Wi-Fi, and projected inundation areas. The full release began on 20 August 2026.

Show your own ward or city → stack a disaster map and a daily-life map on one screen → explain why each facility sits where it does by overlaying terrain from the GSI Maps
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

TOKYO WALKING MAP

A portal run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Public Health that gathers walking courses created by wards, cities, and other bodies into one place. 555 courses are registered and can be searched by municipality, by major rail line, or by purpose. Each course carries estimates of distance, walking time, calories burned, and step count, with the conversion assumptions (4 km/h, 70 cm per step, 60 kg body weight) stated on the site. Features such as "Tokyo Machi-sanpo" and "Try walking for 10 minutes", plus a search for what lies around each course, are included. An English version is available.

Pick one course in your own municipality → note the distance and step estimate → walk it and add what the map does not show (slopes, traces of old rivers, old roads)
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentHealth & SportTourismMultilingual

Tokyo Digital Twin 3D Viewer

The viewer for the Digital Twin Realisation Project led by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Digital Services. Tokyo's buildings and streets are reproduced in 3D in cyberspace, and live river camera footage, real-time Toei bus data, and open data from metropolitan bureaus can be overlaid on the 3D city model. Alongside 3D city models of the special wards and the Tama area, it carries underground models of Shinjuku Station East and Tokyo Station. Three-dimensional point cloud data for the ward area (DSM, 0.25 m grid, microtopography renderings and four more, seven types in all) is free for secondary use for any purpose.

Look at the city in 3D, then view the same place by elevation on the GSI Maps → read the relationship between tall buildings and low ground → work out why high-rises stand here, from the subsoil and the regulations
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISOpen Data

Tokyo Disaster Prevention Map

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government's official map for finding shelters and evacuation areas across the city. Alongside names and locations, it shows each shelter's opening status and crowding level during a disaster using five-step icons. Pages are available in several languages.

Display the nearest shelter to your home and to your school → walk and measure the route → consider whether the same route still works at night or in heavy rain
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterDaily Life & WelfareMultilingual

Urban Planning Information Internet Service (Tokyo)

A service from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Urban Development publishing the main urban planning information for Tokyo on a map. Areas where plans have been decided — land-use zones, planned urban roads, urban rapid transit railways — can be browsed as schematic location maps.

Read the land-use zoning of your own town by colour → compare it against the streetscape you actually see → test on a single street whether the rule came first or the town did
MapStatisticsLaw & Policy
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Tokyo Open Data Catalogue

A platform run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Digital Services to promote the circulation and use of open data across Tokyo. It publishes GIS data for urban planning decisions (shapefiles produced by the Bureau of Urban Development, based on Tokyo's 1:2,500 topographic maps and the JGD2011 coordinate system), GIS data on greenery, and projected inundation area data.

Read the coordinate system and production year of the data you want, first → load it into a GIS → always record the source and the date in your report
StatisticsMap
Local GovernmentOpen DataGIS

e-Kana Map (Kanagawa)

The prefecture's integrated map site for viewing Kanagawa's map information online. It holds thematic maps across many fields — prefectural facilities, projected inundation areas, location maps of privately owned forests covered by the regional forest plan. Urban planning information is shown too, though for the exact land-use designations the site directs you to each city or town.

Overlay the projected inundation areas with prefectural facilities → count the facilities that would flood → propose from the terrain where the alternative bases should be
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisaster

Kanagawa Data Map (open data catalogue)

The map delivery service of the Kanagawa Prefecture open data catalogue, presenting the prefecture's open data in map form. A companion "Kanagawa Open Data 3D Map" is published on a subdomain of the same catalogue.

Compare the same data on the 2D map and in 3D → write down one thing only the 3D view reveals → back that observation up with numbers
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentOpen DataGIS

Walking Roads (Kenko Niigata 21)

The walking-road information pages within "Kenko Niigata 21", the health promotion portal of the Niigata Prefectural Government's Health and Welfare Department, introducing walking courses across the prefecture.

Pick one coastal course and one inland course → ask whether each is walkable in winter → check the walkable season of a snow country against maps and climate statistics
MapOverview
Local GovernmentHealth & Sport

Landslide (Special) Hazard Zone GIS Data (Niigata)

A page where the Erosion Control Division of the Niigata Prefectural Government publishes the landslide hazard zones and special landslide hazard zones it has designated, along with the underlying survey results, as GIS data covering the whole prefecture. The zone data can be taken out as geographic information.

Download the GIS data and clip it to your own municipality → count the dwellings inside the zones → trace on a timeline how the designation changed the way people live there
StatisticsMap
Local GovernmentDisasterOpen DataGIS

Toyama Prefecture GIS Site

The prefecture's GIS site, publishing map information to which Toyama Prefecture holds the copyright. Three prefectural offices — lifelong learning and cultural properties, nature conservation, and environmental preservation — share the same map information, displayed over GSI base tiles.

Overlay the cultural property and nature conservation layers → find the places both are protecting → ask why two different reasons for protection land on the same ground
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISCultural Heritage

Town-Centre Walking Map (Toyama Health Lab)

The walking map on "Toyama Health Lab", the Toyama Prefectural Government's health promotion portal, introducing walking courses both indoors and outdoors.

Ask why indoor courses are offered at all → check that against winter climate statistics → explain how climate reshapes what health promotion looks like
MapOverview
Local GovernmentHealth & Sport

Ishikawa River Comprehensive Information System

A real-time river information system run by the River Division of the Ishikawa Prefectural Government Public Works Department. Water levels, rainfall, dam figures, weather, and landslide information are shown both as an overview map and as tables, with alerts issued when hourly or cumulative rainfall, or flood-risk water levels, are exceeded.

Track rainfall and water level together on a day of heavy rain → measure how long the level takes to fall after the rain stops → explain that lag from the size and shape of the basin
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterEarth Science

Hot Ishikawa Tabinet Digital Map

The digital map on Ishikawa Prefecture's official tourism site, run by the Ishikawa Prefecture Tourism League. Sightseeing spots, food, and accommodation across the prefecture can be browsed on the map and filtered by interest or means of travel.

Switch the means of travel between rail and car and compare → see on the map how the reachable area changes → write up the problem tourism faces where public transport is thin
MapOverview
Local GovernmentTourism

Fukui River and Erosion Control Information

A comprehensive river and erosion-control information system run by the Fukui Prefectural Government Public Works Department, providing a landslide hazard zone management system, flood hazard information, flood hazard maps, and landslide hazard maps on a map.

Overlay the flood and landslide hazards → find places at risk from only one of them → show in a diagram how the direction of evacuation changes
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterGIS

Fukui Designated Road Public System

A system in which Fukui Prefecture publishes information on roads designated under the Building Standards Act on a map, opened up to make administrative information easier to grasp.

Check whether the road in front of your home is a designated road → read the width and frontage conditions → explain the mechanism that decides what may and may not be built
MapStatisticsLaw & Policy
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Map de Yamanashi (Yamanashi WebGIS)

The WebGIS operated by Yamanashi Prefecture. It offers many layers — landform classification maps, borehole logs with ground and soil-test data, index maps, address search, and landmark search for police stations, public facilities, fire stations and railway stations. Smartphone and lightweight versions are available.

View the landform classification map and a borehole log for the same point → match the shape of the surface against the strata beneath → write one paragraph on how this ground came to be
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISEarth ScienceDisaster

Yamanashi at a Glance on the Map (Fuji-no-Kuni Yamanashi tourism net)

The map content on Yamanashi Prefecture's official tourism information site, run by the Yamanashi Tourism Organization. Tourism information can be explored with an overview map of the prefecture. The same site also publishes walking maps such as a guide to Yamanashi's castles and residences, and features on strolling and walking.

Lay out the castles and residences on the map → overlay the rivers and the shape of the basin → consider why they were sited there, from both defence and transport
MapOverview
Local GovernmentTourismHealth & Sport

Shinshu Living Map (Nagano integrated geographic information system)

The integrated GIS run by the Planning and Promotion Department of the Nagano Prefectural Government. Bureaus inside the prefectural office share map information while also publishing it to residents online, covering mountain-disaster risk districts, steep-slope collapse risk points, designated landslide zones, erosion-control designated land, evacuation facilities, and forest-related information. Features include split-screen display, layer transparency, route search, KML export, and GPS location and address or facility search on the smartphone version.

Put risk points and evacuation facilities side by side in split-screen → draw a route with the route search → check whether that route passes through any risk point
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Walking courses across Nagano

A collection of walking courses compiled by the Health and Welfare Department of the Nagano Prefectural Government from 270 routes recommended by the prefecture's 64 municipalities, arranged by region and by municipality. Each course is classed as flat, slightly undulating, or undulating, with regional pages for Saku, Josho, Suwa and others.

Pick one "flat" and one "undulating" course → measure the elevation change on the GSI Maps → estimate where the boundary between the classes actually falls
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentHealth & Sport

Prefecture-wide Integrated GIS Gifu

A prefecture-wide integrated map site publishing Gifu's administrative and regional information online through maps and imagery. It falls under the prefecture's Information Systems Division, with operation and maintenance by the Gifu Prefectural Construction Research Center, and is used jointly by the prefecture and its municipalities. Layers across many fields, such as landslide hazard zones, can be displayed. Published maps may be copied and adapted provided the source is credited as "(c) Gifu Prefecture".

Read the condition for reuse — crediting the source → clip one map for your own inquiry → always record the source and the date you retrieved it in your report
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterOpen Data

Gifu Landslide Information Portal

The map view of the landslide information portal published by Gifu Prefecture, where designated landslide hazard zones, special hazard zones, and other risk points can be checked on a map.

Read the definitions that separate a hazard zone from a special hazard zone → find the boundary between the two on the map → reason about the gradient that justifies where the line falls
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterGIS

Links to municipal walking courses (Gifu Prefecture)

A page on which the Health Promotion Division of the Gifu Prefectural Government gathers entry points to walking courses created by the prefecture's municipalities — bridging to their courses rather than building its own.

Pick one course from a mountain town and one from a town on the plain → compare the climb per unit distance → write in your own words what makes a town walkable
MapOverview
Local GovernmentHealth & Sport

Shizuoka GIS — public GIS "Everyone's Hazard Map"

The resident-facing public GIS within Shizuoka Prefecture's integrated geographic information system, which comprises an internal GIS and a public one. In service since 1 April 2011 as "Everyone's Hazard Map", it carries road ledgers, urban planning maps, landslide hazard zone maps and much more, under a policy of opening as much of it as data as possible.

Overlay the road ledger with landslide hazard zones → separate roads usable for evacuation from those that are not → find a settlement with only one way out and write up the problem
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterOpen Data

Map Aichi (Aichi integrated geographic information system)

An integrated GIS in which Aichi Prefecture places its location-related geographic information on an electronic map for residents and businesses. Layers are grouped under headings such as living and safety, learning and leisure, and prefectural administration, and can be combined freely into your own map. It holds landslide hazard zones, storm-surge inundation projections, tsunami hazard zones, and flood history maps, and also publishes a red relief image map.

Overlay the flood history map with the storm-surge projection → look at where past floods and projected floods diverge → reason about that divergence from the history of how the land was reshaped
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Map Aichi Open Data Site

A site making the geographic information published on Map Aichi downloadable in machine-readable formats such as GIS-ready zipped shapefiles.

Confirm with data what you noticed on screen → download the shapefile and aggregate it in a GIS → write down where the visual impression and the numbers diverge
StatisticsMap
Local GovernmentOpen DataGIS

Mie Prefecture Map Information Service (Mie Click Maps)

A service in which Mie Prefecture publishes location-related information over base maps. GIS was introduced in fiscal 2002, the service has run as Mie Click Maps since fiscal 2013, and it was renewed in fiscal 2019. Multiple maps are available through a map gallery, and open data can be downloaded from the data catalogue. The map information is provided under CC BY 4.0.

Read the CC BY 4.0 terms first → settle on one map you want to use → work out the attribution wording for your own report
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISOpen Data

Mie Historical Highways Walking Maps

Walking maps published by "Mie no Rekishi Kaido", Mie Prefecture's cultural site, carrying course maps for walking the province's historical highways.

Choose one highway course → overlay it on a present-day road map → point out on the map where the old road has disappeared
MapOverview
Local GovernmentHealth & SportTourismCultural Heritage

Shiga Disaster Information Map

A disaster information map system published by Shiga Prefecture. The system includes a GIS data download page, from which data can be taken out in shapefile format.

Look at the inundation projections around Lake Biwa → check by elevation how the lake, the rivers, and the towns sit relative to each other → write what makes disaster preparedness distinctive in a prefecture with a great lake
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterGISOpen Data

Kyoto Prefecture–Municipality Joint Integrated GIS

An integrated GIS in which Kyoto Prefecture and every municipality within it publish their map information together through a single system, in service since 1 February 2008. Alongside shelter, AED, and emergency medical maps, it carries a wide range of location data including World Cultural Heritage sites and bear sightings. On smartphones and tablets, GPS centres the search for facilities on where you stand. Desktop, mobile, and smartphone versions are provided.

Put World Heritage sites and shelters on one screen → think about disaster preparedness where visitors gather → add bear sightings and read the boundary between people and wild land
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterTourismDaily Life & Welfare

Osaka Prefecture Map Information Service

A system in which Osaka Prefecture publishes urban planning information and cultural property information on a map for the prefecture excluding Osaka City and Sakai City. It is operated as part of the prefecture's project management.

Overlay land-use zoning with cultural property locations → find heritage sites where development pressure is strongest → think through how preservation and use can be reconciled
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISCultural Heritage

Hyogo Prefecture high-precision 3D geospatial data for the whole prefecture

Hyogo Prefecture was the first in Japan to publish high-precision 3D geospatial data (point clouds) at 1 m mesh covering its entire area, with finer 50 cm mesh data released for mountainous districts.

Open the point cloud for your own town → look for microtopography contour lines cannot show — terraces, scarps, abandoned river channels → put what those shapes are saying into the language of landforms
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISOpen DataEarth Science

Hyogo Prefecture designated road information (GIS)

Hyogo Prefecture publishes information on road categories under the Building Standards Act and related matters on an online map.

Look up the category of the road in front of your home → read the width and frontage conditions → explain how they decide the size of building permitted
MapStatisticsLaw & Policy
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Nara Prefecture Disaster Risk Information System

A system in which Nara Prefecture publishes disaster risk information such as landslide hazard zones on a map (formerly the landslide disaster prevention information system), managed by the erosion control and disaster prevention section of the prefectural land management department.

Overlay landslide hazard zones with settlement locations → connect them to the mountain terrain of Nara → ask why people have gone on living here
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterGIS

Wakayama Prefecture Geographic Information System

The prefecture's integrated map system publishing the geographic information Wakayama Prefecture holds. It includes 3D point cloud data and a 3D web viewer, and since 1 March 2023 point cloud data from airborne laser surveying covering roughly 65% of the prefecture's area has been released as open data. Layers such as privately owned forest areas can also be viewed.

Look at the shape of the marine terraces in the point cloud → connect it to the uplift of the Kii Peninsula → trace on the map where the same landform continues
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISOpen DataEarth Science

Tottori Geo Map

An inter-municipal integrated GIS launched in 2026 through cooperation between Tottori Prefecture and 13 municipalities within it. It carries data across many fields at once: tourism, events, childcare support, a bear sighting map, cultural properties, disaster preparedness, crime and accidents, public facilities, medical facilities, environment, and forests.

Display the tourism and disaster layers together → check where visitors at a busy spot would evacuate to → write down what is missing from disaster preparedness for people who are only passing through
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISTourismDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Tottori Web Map

A system in which Tottori Prefecture provides regional and administrative information online through maps. Alongside public facilities and municipal offices, hospitals and waste treatment facilities can also be found.

Lay out hospitals and municipal offices side by side → see how their distribution differs between mountains and coast → think about the reach of the facilities that hold daily life together
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Map on Shimane (Shimane integrated GIS)

A web GIS for searching and browsing administrative map information from Shimane Prefecture and its municipalities. Built as the prefecture's integrated GIS, it gathers map information from across the prefectural government — welfare, disaster preparedness, agriculture and forestry — and can display it over base maps or aerial photographs. Residents can also contribute map information of their own. The underlying topographic and road network data is published on Shimane data eye.

Overlay the welfare and disaster layers → look at how elderly care facilities relate to projected inundation → put into words what makes evacuation hard in hilly and mountainous districts
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterDaily Life & WelfareOpen Data

Okayama Prefecture-wide Integrated GIS

A prefecture-wide integrated GIS built by Okayama Prefecture and in service since April 2002. It publishes disaster information (shelters, suitable helipad sites, rainfall and water-level or tide gauges), seismic intensity maps, liquefaction risk maps, tsunami inundation projections, projected inundation areas, landslide hazard zones, land use, ground data, irrigation ponds, cultural properties, and EV charging facilities. An "Okayama Original Map" feature lets you build your own map over aerial photographs or base maps.

Display the irrigation ponds → overlay liquefaction risk → back up why Okayama has so many ponds with rainfall statistics
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterCultural Heritage

Landslide Portal Hiroshima

A portal run by the Erosion Control Division of the Hiroshima Prefectural Government that provides, on a map, landslide risk locations together with the hazard zones and special hazard zones designated under the Sediment Disaster Prevention Act.

View the hazard zones across the whole prefecture → overlay the distribution of weathered granite (masa soil) → work out why the 2014 and 2018 disasters struck where they did
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterGISEarth Science

Yamaguchi Prefecture Landslide Portal

A portal on which Yamaguchi Prefecture maps the landslide hazard zones and special landslide hazard zones it has designated on the basis of survey. Evacuation sites and facilities used by people needing assistance are shown alongside them.

Count the facilities for people needing assistance that fall inside a hazard zone → think about how long evacuation would take → check on the map where each of them would go
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterGISDaily Life & Welfare

Yamaguchi Prefecture Civil Engineering Disaster Information System

A system in which Yamaguchi Prefecture provides rainfall, water level, and landslide warning information on a map, together with rain gauges, water-level gauges, dams, simplified water-level gauges, and river surveillance cameras.

Compare rain gauges and water-level gauges on a day of heavy rain → measure how long upstream rain takes to show in downstream levels → learn how fast your own river responds
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterEarth Science

Tokushima Prefecture Comprehensive Map Service

The comprehensive portal for maps published by Tokushima Prefecture. It offers a range of maps in one stop and can display several of them stacked together. Locations such as emergency power equipment for use during disasters are included.

Pick two maps to stack → write down one thing that only becomes visible once they overlap → back that observation up with another source
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisaster

Kagawa Prefecture public GIS "BRIDGES"

An integrated map system published by Kagawa Prefecture. It offers layers for roads, disaster preparedness (inundation, landslides, seismic intensity maps, liquefaction risk projections), the Embankment Regulation Act, and municipal boundaries, and can use OpenStreetMap as a backdrop.

Overlay the seismic intensity map with liquefaction risk → look into how the ground of the Sanuki Plain was formed → consider how the abundance of irrigation ponds relates to the terrain
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterOpen Data

Ehime Urban Planning and Embankment Information Map

A site on which Ehime Prefecture provides information about urban planning and embankment regulation within the prefecture on an accessible online map.

Overlay land-use zones with regulated embankment areas → find slopes where development has advanced → explain why moving earth is regulated at all
MapStatisticsLaw & Policy
Local GovernmentGISDisaster

Ehime Sediment Disaster Information Map

An information map on sediment disasters published by the Public Works Department of the Ehime Prefectural Government, letting you check on a map where landslide risk lies.

Display the hazard zones in your town → check whether your route to school passes through one → look on the map for a route that does not
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterGIS

Kochi Prefecture Disaster Map

The disaster mapping published by Kochi Prefecture. It carries flood and landslide disaster maps, projected inundation areas for designated rivers, landslide hazard and special hazard zones, mountain-disaster risk districts, and designated erosion-control, landslide, and steep-slope areas — along with a three-dimensional hazard map.

View inundation depth in three dimensions on the 3D hazard map → write how the impression differs from the flat map → consider which of the two reaches which audience
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterGIS

Fukuoka Prefecture Geographic Information Service

A system through which Fukuoka Prefecture presents the varied information it holds on an online map for residents. Two base maps — Google Maps and the national digital base map — can be switched between. Thematic maps include prefectural institutions and prefectural facilities.

Compare the same place on the two base maps → write down the differences in detail and labelling → decide which one to choose for which purpose
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Saga Prefecture Disaster and Emergency Map

A site on which Saga Prefecture publishes its disaster and emergency information online through maps. The prefecture also runs a separate river system, "Suibo-kun", for water-level gauges and advance traffic restrictions.

Look at the inundation projections along the Ariake Sea → overlay the elevation of the reclaimed land → research what it takes to live on ground lower than the sea
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterGIS

Nagasaki River and Erosion Control Information System (NAKSS)

The river and erosion-control information system run by Nagasaki Prefecture. It provides rainfall, river level, and landslide information, dam data, flood risk distribution maps, and real-time camera images on a map, with a smartphone version also published.

Follow the flood risk distribution during rain → record the order in which the colours change → measure the lag from upstream to downstream yourself
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterEarth Science

Kumamoto Data Linkage Platform — Map Dashboard Service

A service launched on 1 April 2024 that brings disaster and tourism information onto a single map. Data held by the prefecture, municipalities, and private operators is displayed together, and it is operated jointly by Kumamoto Prefecture and its municipalities (21 of them in fiscal 2025). It follows the platform standards recommended nationally and exchanges data through APIs.

Stack tourism facilities and disaster information on one map → look for gaps between where travellers move and where they could shelter → write up the strengths and the difficulties of pooling data this way
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISTourismDisasterAPI AvailableOpen Data

Oita Prefecture Landslide Hazard Zone Information Internet Service

A system through which Oita Prefecture publishes online the maps showing the locations of landslide hazard zones and related areas.

Look at the hazard zones around the hot spring districts → research how volcanic landforms relate to geothermal heat → explain how the blessing and the danger come from the same ground
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterGISEarth Science

Kagoshima Prefecture Landslide Hazard Zone Map

A map showing the landslide hazard zones, special hazard zones, and landslide risk locations within Kagoshima Prefecture. The prefecture also publishes rainfall, water level, and weather information, along with the snake-curve diagrams that set the criteria for issuing landslide warnings.

Watch how the hazard zones line up along the edges of the Shirasu plateaux → find out what kind of deposit Shirasu is → explain geologically why the plateau edge is the dangerous part
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentDisasterGISEarth Science

Okinawa Prefecture Map Information System

A site on which Okinawa Prefecture publishes regional and administrative information online through maps, covering the locations of administrative institutions, prefectural housing, prefectural urban parks, municipal information, and tsunami inundation projections. GIS data download became available in fiscal 2020, and on 8 March 2023 a policy on using geospatial information within the system was adopted. A prefectural GIS open data catalogue is also provided.

Compare the tsunami inundation projections island by island → overlay the coral reef landforms → work out from the seabed why the projections differ between islands
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISOpen DataDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Municipal maps

49 resources

Sapporo City Map Information Service

The city's map service bringing together urban planning, roads, disaster information (shelters and evacuation areas), outdoor advertising, and district plans. It merged the previously separate urban planning service and the city disaster map, relaunching on 29 June 2018.

Overlay evacuation areas with district plans → consider how the grid street layout helps evacuation → then think again for the snow season
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Hanamaki Digital Map (Hanamaki City public GIS)

A portal through which Hanamaki City publishes urban planning, roads, sewerage, hazard maps, public facilities, and the locations of childcare support facilities online.

Look at how the childcare support facilities are spread → set that against the size of the municipality → consider what "nearby" means in a merged city
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & WelfareDisaster

Sendai Living Map

A site on which Sendai City provides facility information and disaster-related information on an electronic map. The city separately publishes an urban planning information service, and releases its land-number maps as open data in shapefile format.

Overlay the tsunami inundation projection with facilities → check whether any moved after the 2011 disaster → trace on the map where the town itself shifted
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Koriyama City Digital Tourism Map

A digital tourism map created by Koriyama City, built around high-quality 360-degree panoramic footage and video shot by drone so that the feel of each place comes through.

Watch the aerial footage to see how Lake Inawashiro and the Asaka Canal relate → trace on the map where the water was drawn from and to → connect it to the history of land reclamation
MapVideoOverview
Local GovernmentTourism

Saitama City Map Information

A service on which Saitama City publishes public facilities, daily life, urban planning, and landslide hazard maps. Past flood history can also be checked by clicking on the map.

Overlay flood history with today's housing land → find the low ground that was filled in → check whether the place names still carry a trace of it
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Chiba City Map (integrated GIS)

Chiba City's integrated GIS for publishing administrative map information accessibly. The city separately runs a map information system, in service since 1 April 2018, publishing road categories under the Building Standards Act, the certified road network, residence promotion areas under the location optimisation plan, regulated housing-development areas, and public control points.

Overlay the residence promotion areas with disaster risk → see whether where people are encouraged to live overlaps with where it is dangerous → think about how a city shrinks
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & WelfareDisaster

Chiyoda City Urban Planning Information Portal

A portal providing the urban planning that concerns Chiyoda City on an online map. The whole ward can be shown at once, or the display switched layer by layer. Since December 2025 it has also published GIS-based road ledger plans.

Look at the land-use zoning around the Imperial Palace → find where the height limits change → explain the shape of a city with an empty centre
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Chuo City Urban Planning Information Viewing System

A system letting users search Chuo City's urban planning information such as land-use zoning. Land boundary maps, road ledger plans, public control points, and cadastral survey histories can also be checked.

Look at the zoning of Ginza and Nihonbashi → search for surviving traces of the Edo street grid → confirm by overlaying an old map
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Minato City Urban Planning Information Service

A service providing Minato City's urban planning information on a map. Clicking a point brings up its details, including land readjustment and urban redevelopment projects. The ward separately gathers barrier-free and hazard maps under a "find by map" page.

Display the extent of a redevelopment project → compare aerial photographs from before and after → consider how fast a district can be replaced
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Shinjuku City Minna no GIS

A system on which Shinjuku City publishes layers such as road ledger plans, urban planning information including land-use zoning, and townscape planning information. It is viewable from smartphones and mobile phones too.

Display the townscape planning information → see how the rules differ between the high-rise district and the residential streets → put the gap within one ward into words
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Bunkyo City Urban Planning Map Search System

Bunkyo City's search system for urban planning information, with topographic maps, road network maps, and railway network maps, viewable from smartphones and mobile phones.

Locate the slopes on Bunkyo's topographic map → draw the line where plateau meets valley → look into what the names of the slopes are telling you
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Taito Map

The system through which Taito City publishes urban planning and other information on an online map. It covers ward facilities and parks, urban planning information such as land-use zoning, floor-area ratios and height districts, road administrators, route numbers and certified road widths, road categories under the Building Standards Act, and the AEDs available to the public within the ward.

Look at the zoning of Ueno and Asakusa → read how the temples and the entertainment districts sit in relation to each other → consider how a temple town became a city
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & WelfareTourism

Sumida Machizukuri Map

Sumida City's map providing urban planning and road information through GIS. The ward also publishes GIS data in shapefile format for urban planning such as zoning, development permission areas, landscape planning zones, ward housing, designated road maps, flood history for roads and parks, and buried cultural property information.

Look at the flood history data → read the shape of the lowland between the Sumida and Ara rivers → confirm by elevation where the water gathers
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterOpen DataCultural Heritage

Koto Map (Koto City public GIS)

The public GIS through which Koto City publishes the ward's map information online.

Confirm by elevation how far the below-sea-level zone extends → read the shapes of the canals and reclaimed land → look for the devices that make living with water possible
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Shinagawa MAP (integrated map information service)

A service on which Shinagawa City publishes administrative and regulatory information online through maps and imagery, relaunched on 20 January 2021. Address search brings up information for a given plot at once, and zoning designation maps and road ledger plans are available. It can also generate your own guide map.

Compare zoning on the bay side and inland → trace the course of the old Tokaido → check where the traces of the post town survive
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Meguro Map Information Service

Meguro City's published map information service, spanning many themes: district maps, designated road maps, current-condition road ledger plans, development permission areas, landscape formation standards, locations where narrow-road widening has been completed, barrier-free maps, and urban planning facility maps. It works from desktop and smartphone alike.

Look at where narrow-road widening has been completed → compare with where it has not → consider how many decades it takes for a street to widen
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Machi Map Ota

The system through which Ota City publishes administrative information on an online map. Urban planning information such as land-use zoning and map information on road categories under the Building Standards Act are available, with desktop and dedicated smartphone versions.

Look at the zoning around Haneda → measure the distance between the airport and housing → research how noise and land use relate
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Setagaya iMap (electronic map information service)

A service in which Setagaya City uses GIS to present public facilities, urban planning information, and sightseeing spots on an electronic map, adapting its display for smartphones and tablets. The ward separately publishes over thirty GIS datasets as open data — public facilities, AEDs, cultural properties and more — downloadable as Esri Shapefile, CSV, or KML, with GeoJSON and REST APIs.

Download the cultural property data and map it → check whether the sites line up along the Kokubunji scarp → consider how the springs there shaped where people lived
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISOpen DataAPI AvailableCultural HeritageTourism

Shibuya City Map Information System

The system through which Shibuya City publishes administrative information on an online map. Alongside urban planning information in GIS form, it publishes road ledger plans, ward passage plans, route maps, land boundary determinations, and road area confirmations. The ward also advances open data publication through SHIBUYA OPEN DATA.

View the terrain around Shibuya Station by elevation → confirm that the station sits at the bottom of a valley → work out where the water goes in heavy rain
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISOpen DataDaily Life & Welfare

Nakano Data Map (Nakano City public GIS)

A site on which Nakano City publishes administrative and community information accessibly on maps — road categories under the Building Standards Act, parks, public toilets, cycling, published land prices, urban planning and more. The map information is free to download and use as open data.

Overlay the published land price map with distance from the station → form a hypothesis about what sets the price → test it by adding land-use zoning
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISOpen DataEconomy & IndustryDaily Life & Welfare

Suginavi (Suginami City official electronic map service)

The electronic map service Suginami City officially operates, handling digital map data and ground elevation survey data. The ward has run both an internal integrated GIS and a public GIS for residents; from fiscal 2026 it begins operating a single unified GIS combining the two.

Look at the ground elevation data → find the low ground along the Zenpukuji and Myoshoji rivers → check it against the record of past floods
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisaster

Toshima City Map Information System

The system through which Toshima City lets users check the ward's varied information on a map using GIS — public facilities, childcare facilities, nearby play areas, parks, emergency medical institutions, community cat activity, and ground survey data such as borehole logs. The ward's use of GIS has been recognised as a leading example of statistical utilisation.

Overlay childcare facilities with play areas → draw a circle for how far a child can walk → consider what families outside that circle need
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & WelfareEarth Science

Kita City Map (detailed edition)

The system through which Kita City of Tokyo provides the ward's map information online. The ward separately publishes land-use zoning search and urban planning maps on the web.

Look at the shape of the lowland between the Ara and Sumida rivers → colour it by elevation → confirm what the levees are protecting
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Arakawa City Map Information

The system through which Arakawa City publishes regional and administrative information on an online map. The ward also issues "Guide Map Arakawa", marking public facilities and government offices on a 1:8,000 map alongside the ward's history, outline, and transport routes.

Find on the map where the small factories cluster → overlay the rivers and railways → consider why a town of makers grew up here
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & WelfareEconomy & Industry

Doko-Navi Itabashi

A system letting users find facility locations on an electronic map in Itabashi City. Clicking an icon brings up the facility's information and a link to its website. Part of what is published here is also offered as open data in CSV form.

View the distribution of facilities by type → look for what is missing far from the stations → check by overlaying the bus routes
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISOpen DataDaily Life & Welfare

Itabashi Town-Walking Maps

Walking maps compiled by Itabashi City from a cultural and tourism perspective. The ward also issues a tourism guide map.

Choose a course through what was a post town on the Nakasendo → see on the map where today's street diverges from the old highway → photograph the traces that remain
MapOverview
Local GovernmentTourismHealth & SportCultural Heritage

Nerimap Map Information

The system through which Nerima City publishes information useful in daily life — ward facilities, roads, parks — on a map. Categories span ward offices, health and welfare, hospitals and AEDs, environment and cleaning, transport, disaster preparedness, children, schools, culture and learning, community, parks and sports, farm plots, urban planning, road networks, and landscape zones. It was relaunched on 3 December 2024 with a new URL.

Display the farm plot layer → find where fields survive among the housing → research why urban agriculture held on in Nerima
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & WelfareEconomy & Industry

Adachi Map Information Service

A service on which Adachi City publishes administrative and regulatory information online using maps and imagery, managed and operated by the ward's information systems division.

Look at the shape of the land between the Ara, Naka, and Ayase rivers → colour it by elevation → put into words what makes disaster preparedness hard in a ward ringed by rivers
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Katsushika Electronic Map

A service through which Katsushika City provides online the ward map information it has built with its GIS. Land-use zoning, building coverage ratios, and floor-area ratios can be looked up.

Look at the distribution of coverage and floor-area ratios → compare older and newer residential districts → explain what sets the density of a neighbourhood
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Edogawa Map

A service through which Edogawa City provides the ward's map information online, usable from smartphones. The ward separately runs a designated road information service for urban planning and the Building Standards Act, and publishes map data as open data.

Confirm by elevation that most of the ward lies below sea level → research the thinking behind its wide-area evacuation policy → measure the distance to where residents would go
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterOpen DataDaily Life & Welfare

Yokohama City Administrative Map Information Service (i-Mappy)

The collective name for five systems through which Yokohama City publishes regional and administrative information on maps. The core system, i-Mappy, publishes urban planning decisions such as land-use zoning together with restrictions under the Building Standards Act. Study began in fiscal 2000, publication followed in fiscal 2002, and coverage has expanded since.

Overlay land-use zoning with the hill terrain → look at how Yokohama's yato valleys are used → explain land use in a city built on slopes
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Guide Map Kawasaki

Kawasaki City's public GIS for residents, presenting public facilities, tourism, welfare, and disaster information accessibly on maps. Layers include land-use zoning and regulations, flood hazard maps, road and waterway ledgers, public control point networks, and a geological map collection.

Open the geological maps → read the landforms the Tama River built → explain from terrain and history why the industrial belt lines the river mouth
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterTourismDaily Life & Welfare

Sagamihara Map Information (public web GIS)

Sagamihara City's public GIS for viewing and printing the city's map information online. Urban planning information such as land-use zones and planned urban roads can be checked from the urban planning designation maps, and several layers can be printed together.

Compare land-use zoning in the built-up area and in the mountain districts → consider what it means for a designated city to contain mountains → look for where the administrative lines and the terrain lines diverge
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Yokohama City Walking Maps (Health and Social Welfare Bureau)

Walking course maps compiled by the Health and Social Welfare Bureau of Yokohama City, ranging in character from a route along the old Tokaido to forest trails and waterside walks.

Choose the old Tokaido route → compare its course with today's National Route 1 → find on the map where the highway was rerouted
MapOverview
Local GovernmentHealth & SportTourismHistorical Maps

Niigata e-Map (Niigata City map information service)

A GIS Niigata City publishes for residents, visitors, and businesses. Public facilities, disaster information, roadside land values, and urban planning can be checked on the map, with search by address or facility name and measurement of distance and area. The city offers its GIS data as open data under CC BY 2.1 Japan and publishes 1:2,500 topographic map data.

Look at elevation around the Shinano and Agano rivers → find the below-sea-level zones on the map → connect them to where the drainage pumping stations stand
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISOpen DataDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Matsumoto Digital Map (Matsumoto City public GIS)

Matsumoto City's public GIS. GPS on a smartphone or tablet brings up the map around where you stand, with facility and route search nearby. The city separately produces walking maps for 35 districts under its "citizens walking" campaign, noting local features such as wells, wayside shrines, and historic sites.

Display what is within walking distance of where you stand → overlay the wells and wayside shrines → consider how springs and the paths people take relate
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISHealth & SportCultural Heritage

Shizu Map (Shizuoka City geographic information system)

An integrated GIS gathering the geographic information Shizuoka City holds — locations of public facilities, designated urban planning and disaster areas, and tourism and welfare facilities. It carries twenty categories including public facility locations, hazard maps, and neighbourhood association areas. Published on 31 January 2025, its geographic information is offered as open data usable without formality.

Display the neighbourhood association areas → overlay the hazard map → work out district by district who would call on whom
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISOpen DataDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

Hamamatsu City Map Information Site

The map site through which Hamamatsu City publishes its urban planning map, road maps (route certification, current-condition plans, designated roads), and land-number maps. Water and sewer pipe information has since been added.

Look at how far the water and sewer networks reach → find where the built-up edge stops → consider the problems of a very large merged municipality
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Nagoya City Urban Planning Information Service

Nagoya City's GIS publishing urban planning information online through maps and imagery. Alongside land-use zones, height control districts, and fire-prevention districts, it carries urban planning base maps, photo maps, aerial photographs from 1955 to 2005, and earthquake risk assessment maps.

Compare the 1955 and 2005 aerial photographs of the same place → read how the built-up area spread after the war → find the traces of land readjustment on the map
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISHistorical MapsDisaster

Kyoto City Map Information Service

A service letting users view and print urban planning and townscape information for Kyoto City on a map. It entered service on 18 March 2026, taking over from the city's former urban planning information search portal.

Display the townscape layer → see where the rules on height and colour change → explain what it takes to protect a view
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISCultural HeritageDaily Life & Welfare

Map Navi Osaka

Osaka City's map information site, providing the city's map information — urban planning among it — online.

Overlay land-use zoning with the traces of canals and moats → find what the "city of water" has filled in → gather the clues still left in place names
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Sakai City e-Atlas

A site on which Sakai City publishes regional and administrative information online through maps. The city also releases map data at information level 2500 as the product of public surveying under the Survey Act.

Locate the Mozu Tumulus Cluster on the map → overlay the surrounding land use → consider what it means for a World Heritage site and a city to sit side by side
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISCultural HeritageOpen Data

Kobe City Information Map

The system through which Kobe City publishes its administrative information on maps, covering evacuation sites, hazard maps, AEDs, gathering places for older residents, and elementary school districts. Urban planning information such as land-use zones and planned roads and parks can also be searched here.

Overlay elementary school districts with gathering places for older residents → measure whether they are within walking distance → rethink what walkable means in a city of slopes
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterDaily Life & WelfareHealth & Sport

Okayama City Map Information

Okayama City's guide to the map information it publishes online, from which the city's maps — urban planning among them — can be reached.

Find the boundary between the built-up area and the reclaimed land → research the history of filling in Kojima Bay → write how it relates to land use today
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGIS

Hiroshima Map Navi (Hiroshima City integrated GIS)

The integrated GIS Hiroshima City introduced for residents, letting them obtain public facility, urban planning, and disaster information efficiently online. It has been in service since 1 October 2012.

View the built-up area spread across the delta → overlay the distributaries of the Ota River with the town's growth → explain the shape of a city the river made
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisasterDaily Life & Welfare

G-motty (regional map information portal for the Kitakyushu area)

A regional information portal built on a GIS created jointly by five local governments — Kitakyushu, Nogata, Yukuhashi, Kawara, and Kanda. It went live on 22 October 2013, and Kurate joined in fiscal 2016, bringing the total to six. Since fiscal 2019, base maps, topographic maps, and urban planning summary maps have been provided free of charge.

View the same layer across municipal boundaries → check whether the level of detail changes from one to the next → write down what is gained by doing this jointly
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISOpen Data

Fukuoka City Web Map

The map site through which Fukuoka City publishes its map information online.

Find on the map the old boundary between Hakata and Fukuoka the castle town → overlay the Naka River → research why one city came to have two centres
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Isahaya Digital Map (map information service)

A service letting users view Isahaya City's administrative information such as road ledger maps, together with public facilities, on a map. Topographic maps, Google Maps, or aerial photographs can be chosen as the backdrop.

Look at the shape of the Isahaya Bay reclamation in aerial photographs → find the pre-reclamation shoreline on an old map → confirm by area how much land was added
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDaily Life & Welfare

Kumamoto City Map Information Service

A service letting users view Kumamoto City's administrative information — urban planning maps, route network maps and the like — along with public facilities on a map. Topographic maps, Google Maps, and aerial photographs can be chosen as the backdrop, and Street View is available.

Look at the terrain around Kumamoto Castle in aerial photographs → overlay where the 2016 earthquake did most damage → consider how the ground and the damage relate
MapStatistics
Local GovernmentGISDisaster

Statistics & open data

13 resources

e-Stat (Portal Site of Official Statistics of Japan)

Cross-search government statistics. The first stop for "numerical evidence" in your inquiry report.

①Search → ②table → ③definition/method → ④cite the source (table no., year)
Statistics
Open DataAPI Available

Statistics Bureau (MIC)

An entry to the background and disclosures of base statistics such as the National Census.

Read the survey purpose/definition → identify the necessary table → cite with source (table name, year)
OverviewStatistics
Open Data

RESAS (Regional Economy & Society Analyzing System)

Visualizes population, industry, tourism, and more by prefecture / municipality with maps and graphs. Strong for forming "why?" questions about regional differences.

Trends seen = hypothesis → confirm the same indicator on e-Stat etc. → look for reasons in maps/primary sources
StatisticsMapOverview
GISOpen DataTourismEconomy & Industry

data.e-gov (Open Data)

A catalog to find ministerial open data at the "dataset level".

Dataset → confirm provider/update frequency → land on charts that can be reproduced with the same procedure
Statistics
Open DataAPI Available

MLIT Data Platform

Cross-search and visualize MLIT-related data.

Catch the trend with visualization → confirm indicator definitions/units → align conditions for regional comparison
Statistics
Open DataGIS

Bank of Japan | Statistics

Money, prices, foreign exchange, and flow of funds — core numbers for the Japanese economy, published officially by Japan's central bank with time-series search and an API. Sound evidence for tracing long-run change.

Pick an indicator (prices / FX / financial) → fix the period and series → align definitions with another central bank (FRED) or the IMF for comparison
Statistics
Open DataAPI AvailableEconomy & Industry

Agency for Natural Resources and Energy | Comprehensive Energy Statistics

Japan's official figures on energy supply and demand, published as primary information. Covers renewables, fossil fuels, electricity, and consumption — indispensable evidence for climate and energy-policy inquiry.

Pick an indicator (power mix / final consumption / CO2) → align units and years → place it against the same indicator in IEA to put Japan in perspective
Statistics
Open DataEarth ScienceEconomy & Industry

NIES | Environmental Numerical Database

Official numerical readings on Japan's environment — air, water, greenhouse gases, and chemical substances — published as a primary source. Operated by the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) for research and education use.

Pick an environmental indicator (air / water / GHG) → fix the station and period → compare with JMA climatological data or international bodies (WHO / IPCC) to explain "how the environment is changing"
StatisticsResearch
Earth ScienceOpen Data

ESRI (Economic and Social Research Institute, Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office think tank that officially publishes Japan's quarterly GDP, leading indicators, and the Annual Report on the Japanese Economy. Lets you verify the primary source behind policy discussions and serves as a starting point for policy-economy inquiry.

Open the quarterly GDP or leading indicators → confirm the quarter and base year → align definitions with BOJ and MIC stats to check consistency of the business-cycle picture
StatisticsResearch
Open DataEconomy & Industry

GBIF Japan Node (JBIF)

Japan's window for GBIF, the international framework for sharing biodiversity information. Publishes distribution and specimen data from Japanese museums and research institutions globally. Connects local nature observation to the same-species data worldwide.

Search the observed species' scientific name → view distribution points in Japan → trace from JBIF to GBIF global and compare the worldwide distribution
StatisticsResearch
Natural ScienceOpen DataAPI Available

NIID (National Institute of Infectious Diseases)

The national institute that officially publishes surveillance of infectious diseases, pathogen information, and outbreak predictions. A primary source for treating infectious diseases as "a social phenomenon checkable with data" rather than emotion.

Pick the disease of interest and view weekly surveillance → check trends by age and region → cross-reference MHLW statistics and WHO GHO to explain Japan's position
StatisticsResearch
Open DataHealth & Sport

National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (IPSS)

The Japanese national research institute that publishes the official projections of future population, household structure, and social security. A primary reference when discussing aging, low fertility, or regional demographic change.

Open the latest population projection → read the assumptions (fertility / mortality / migration) → compare with other countries (e.g. UNDP) and put into words "which assumption differs and why"
StatisticsResearch
Open DataDaily Life & Welfare

Japan Dashboard (Economy, Finance, Population, and Everyday Life)

An official dashboard jointly built by the Cabinet Office, the Digital Agency, and the Cabinet Secretariat that exposes about 1,000 indicators at the prefecture and municipality level. Indicators span population, economy, social security, education, living, social infrastructure, and local public finance — and can be viewed on a map, compared across regions, plotted as two-indicator relationships, or trended against four indicators side by side. Functions as a single entry point to Japan's regional differences that pairs well with e-Stat and RESAS.

Pick one indicator inside a theme that matters to you (population, healthcare, education…) → read regional differences on the map or the peer-comparison view → re-pull the same indicator on e-Stat or RESAS with matched definition and year, and cite it as the source of record
StatisticsMapResearch
Open DataGISDaily Life & WelfareEconomy & Industry

Historical primary sources

52 resources

NDL Digital Collections

Old maps, classics, books, magazines. Direct access to primary sources.

Confirm "date / creator / purpose" → record citations with page numbers
Primary Source
Cultural HeritageOpen DataHistorical Maps

Japan Search

A national integrated platform, with the National Diet Library at its core, that cross-searches digital materials of museums, libraries, archives, and universities. Themed "Galleries" are also rich.

Narrow with search term + era/place → confirm metadata (holding/rights) → record the source
Primary SourceOverview
Cultural HeritageOpen DataAPI AvailableOfficial Video

NDL Search

For materials not in the Digital Collections, search "holdings" and head to a library.

Confirm holding institutions → decide how to obtain (browse/copy/Digital Collections) → reach the primary
Primary SourceOverview
Cultural HeritageOpen Data

Research Navi (NDL)

A "how to research" guide by theme from the NDL. Bibliographies, field-specific guides, and reference lists are abundant — usable as a starting point for teachers researching materials for inquiry lessons.

Read the "how to research" of the relevant theme → extract keywords / references and execute
Teacher
Overview
Open Data

National Archives Digital Archive

Browse Japan's public records as primary sources. A basis for institutional and political history.

Confirm date/issuing authority → extract the citation → expand to related laws/minutes to follow causality
Primary Source
Cultural HeritageOpen DataOfficial Video

Japan Center for Asian Historical Records (JACAR)

Modern records of Japan and Asian relations. The catalog is powerful.

Keyword → catalog → narrow by subject/year → record citation info (record ID, etc.)
Primary Source
Cultural HeritageOpen Data

Kobe University Newspaper Article Library

Full-text search of newspaper articles from Meiji to early Showa. Trace public opinion, events, and social conditions in modern history.

Note the headline/date/tone → cross-check with the same day's gazette/public records → reduce interpretive bias
Primary Source
Cultural HeritageOpen Data

NHK Archives | Broadcasting Cultural Assets

An official archive that traces the history of broadcasting. From programs, chronologies, and themes, build an entry to background understanding and primary sources (footage).

Narrow by era → theme → program → extract "when/where/who/what happened" → cross-check with other sources
VideoOverviewPrimary Source
Cultural Heritage

NHK Archives | Japan News (primary)

Footage that recorded society of the time as a primary source. Read it including the perspective of reporting (what is shown, what is not).

Record date/place/narration → summarize the footage's claim in one sentence → fact-check with newspapers, gazette, statistics of the era
Primary SourceVideo
Cultural Heritage

Tokyo Metropolitan Archives | Digital Archive

An entry to primary sources (public records) on the administration, policy, and urban formation of Tokyo. Trace modern municipal/social/economic change with evidence.

Description of the record group → confirm date / issuing authority / use → record citation → cross-check with related sources, newspapers, gazette
Primary SourceOverview
Cultural HeritageOpen DataLocal Government

Comprehensive Database of Archaeological Site Reports in Japan (Nabunken)

Cross-search excavation reports and reach the primary source (the report) that provides the evidence.

Narrow by region × era × type → read survey overview / figures / find context → record citation
Primary SourceResearch
Cultural HeritageOpen Data

e-National Treasures (e-Museum)

Ideal for practicing reading images as primary sources.

Confirm production year/material/provenance → describe 3 elements of the image → compare with contemporary sources
OverviewPrimary Source
Cultural HeritageKids' Entry

National Film Archive of Japan | Collection Search

Japan's sole national film institution, preserving domestic films and newsreels. Its official search makes the holdings available as a primary source for reading the "way society was seen" at the time of production.

Narrow by period / theme → record production year, maker, and material → ask "why was this footage preserved?" and cross-reference with same-period newspapers and the Official Gazette
Primary SourceVideoOverview
Cultural Heritage

National Museum of Japanese History (Rekihaku) | Databases

A cross-disciplinary database suite from an Inter-University Research Institute dedicated to Japanese history and folklore. Folklore, archaeology, old documents, and modern history are all searchable — use it together with integrated-resource-studies (khirin) for maximum depth.

Pick a database by theme / period → record creation date and holding information → expand to related primary sources (NDL, JACAR, National Archives)
Primary SourceResearchOverview
Cultural HeritageOpen Data

khirin (National Institutes for the Humanities | Integrated Resource DB)

The official cross-search portal centred on the National Museum of Japanese History, covering university, museum, and municipal historical resources. IIIF-enabled image comparison, combined with the Rekihaku DBs, makes it a core entry point for Japanese history research.

Cross-search by person / place / period → compare images in a IIIF viewer → trace back to the source institution's page to confirm provenance and rights
Primary SourceResearch
Cultural HeritageOpen DataGIS

Imperial Household Archives (Imperial Household Agency)

The Imperial Household Agency's official archive holding imperial and agency documents, gyobutsu (imperial treasures), and premodern records. A starting point for tracing the primary sources of the modern imperial institution and court rituals.

Decide the period (Meiji / Taishō / Shōwa) and theme → identify records via the catalogue → confirm access procedures and conditions in advance
Primary Source
Cultural Heritage

NIJL | Kokusho (Japanese Classics) Database

The current entry point integrating databases such as the New Database of Pre-Modern Japanese Works, run by the National Institute of Japanese Literature. High-resolution images of manuscripts, printed books, and illustrated books — a shared base for classical Japanese literature and historical research.

Search by title / author / period → verify the text via images → check linked transcriptions / annotations and note overlap with other holding institutions
Primary SourceResearch
Cultural HeritageOpen Data

NWEC | Women's Information Archive (WINET)

A public archive aggregating women's history, gender policy, and related statistics. Lets you search primary sources, policy papers, and statistics in one place — essential entry point for gender and family-history inquiry.

Decide the period and theme (education / labour / policy) → pull primary sources and statistics in parallel → confirm rights at the original provider
Primary SourceStatisticsResearch
Open DataDaily Life & Welfare

Okinawa Prefectural Archives

A public archive holding records of Okinawa from the Ryūkyū Kingdom through the US administration and post-reversion periods. Easy to pair with US NARA holdings on Japan, making it a strong primary-source entry point for modern Okinawan history.

Decide the period (Ryūkyū / US administration / post-reversion) → search digitised materials → cross-reference with US-side records at NARA for the same period
Primary SourceInternational
Cultural HeritageMultilingualLocal Government

Kyoto Prefectural Library and Archives (Rekisaikan)

A prefectural archive that comprehensively handles Kyoto's old documents, historical maps, administrative records, and publications. A "place-rooted primary-source" starting point for regional history and cultural-heritage research.

Decide the area and period → identify old documents / maps in the catalogue → confirm on-site viewing or reproduction terms
Primary SourceOverview
Cultural HeritageLocal Government

National Archives of Japan | Tsukuba Branch

A large-scale repository of the National Archives of Japan for modern public records. Alongside the Tokyo main branch, an essential archive for modern Japanese political and administrative history, used mostly by universities and researchers.

Identify records via the National Archives catalogue → confirm whether they are held at Tokyo or Tsukuba → book access and review rules in advance
Primary Source
Cultural Heritage

NIDS (National Institute for Defense Studies) | Military History Research Center

The Ministry of Defense's official research institute preserving former Army / Navy war records and publishing contemporary security studies. With JACAR, lets you reach primary sources of military and war history.

Narrow by period and unit / region in the catalogue → build context with published war histories → cross-search digitised material in JACAR
Primary SourceResearch
Cultural Heritage

NARA (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration)

The U.S. national archives. Publishes over 200 million digitised pages, including not only U.S. primary records but also documents on Occupation-era Japan and the U.S. military — vital for Japanese history research. Use the dedicated catalogue to search.

Decide the period and theme (Occupation / military / diplomacy) → find record IDs in the catalogue → cross-check with Japanese counterparts (JACAR / Diplomatic Archives)
Primary SourceInternational
English

Bundesarchiv (German Federal Archives)

Germany's federal archives. Holds federal-level records from the Imperial, Weimar, Nazi, East / West German, and contemporary periods. Essential primary-source entry for 20th-century German and international-relations history.

Decide the period (Empire / Weimar / Third Reich / post-war) → locate holdings via online catalogue → cross-reference with other national archives for a multilateral view
Primary SourceInternational
EnglishMultilingual

Archives nationales (France)

The national archives of France. Holds central-government records from the Ancien Régime through the Republic and modern period; invaluable for French Revolution, colonial, and diplomatic-history primary sources.

Decide the period and theme → locate holdings via the SIV online catalogue → for Revolution / colonial topics, also consult each overseas archive in parallel
Primary SourceInternational
Multilingual

National Archives of Japan | Related links (World archives directory)

The official directory of world national archives maintained by the National Archives of Japan. Cross-trace counterparts by country / region — a hub for international comparison and multilateral history research.

Pick the target country → check the archive's search language and classification → cross-reference with Japanese counterparts (NAA / Diplomatic Archives / JACAR)
OverviewPrimary SourceInternational
EnglishMultilingual

British Library

The national library of the UK. Holds a world-class collection including manuscripts, maps, and codices, and publishes many digitised materials. Strong as a primary-source entry point for world history, cartographic history, and bibliography.

Search by theme / material type → check high-resolution images → record shelf numbers and rights, and note overlap with other national libraries
Primary SourceInternational
Cultural HeritageEnglishHistorical Maps

DigiVatLib (Vatican Library Digital Manuscripts)

The Vatican Apostolic Library's digital manuscripts and rare books. Medieval European, Byzantine, and Asian-related materials are viewable in high resolution — first-rate primary sources worldwide.

Search by shelfmark (MS number) → follow gatherings in the high-resolution viewer → read alongside related manuscripts and transcription editions
Primary SourceInternational
Cultural HeritageMultilingual

Trove (National Library of Australia)

A public cross-search portal centred on the National Library of Australia, covering AU / NZ records, newspapers, images, and maps. Rich in colonial, Pacific-War, and Indigenous-related primary sources.

Narrow by topic / period / media type → verify scanned image and OCR of newspaper articles → build a multilateral view alongside Japanese contemporaneous sources
Primary SourceInternational
English

DigitalNZ

Run by the National Library of New Zealand, this portal cross-searches cultural materials from NZ museums, archives, and libraries. Also handles Māori culture, settler history, and war-related materials.

Narrow by topic / provider → trace back to source institutions → build a multilateral view with Trove (AU) and US / UK counterparts
Primary SourceInternational
English

National Library of Korea

Korea's National Central Library. Digitisation of primary sources on modern Korean and Joseon history is advancing, with many Japanese-language materials as well. Essential for bidirectional inquiry into Japan–Korea relations.

Search by period and language (Hangul / Hanja / Japanese) → view digitised materials → cross-check with Japanese counterparts (NDL / JACAR / Diplomatic Archives)
Primary SourceInternational
Multilingual

HathiTrust Digital Library

A shared digital library run by U.S. research-library consortia. Makes public a vast body of full-text-searchable digital materials, mostly out-of-copyright books. A standard base for researchers worldwide to cross-reference primary and secondary sources.

Search by title / author → confirm whether full text is available → record place / year of publication and source library when citing
Primary SourceResearchInternational
EnglishOpen Data

Project Gutenberg

A pioneering project that digitises and freely publishes out-of-copyright books worldwide. Over 70,000 classics and landmark works available in full text. Useful for confirming originals when using scholarly translations.

Search by author and language → confirm the edition (first / critical) → read alongside modern Japanese translations to trace historical phrasings
Primary SourceInternational
EnglishMultilingualOpen Data

JSAI | Japanese Society for Archival Institutions

A meta-link list covering all of Japan's prefectural and municipal archives, records offices, and historical-materials repositories. The shortest path to your own region's archive.

Find your own regional archive from the list → check its holdings and opening hours → go directly to the primary sources of your local and municipal history
Primary SourceOverview
Cultural HeritageLocal Government

ColBase (National Museums Cross-Search)

Cross-search of four national museums, two research institutes, and Sannomaru Shozokan.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
Primary Source
Cultural HeritageMultilingual

Tokyo National Museum — Image Search

Image search of artifacts held at the Tokyo National Museum.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
Primary Source
Cultural Heritage

Intangible Cultural Heritage Database (TOBUNKEN)

Comprehensive database of Japan's intangible cultural properties from the Tokyo National Research Institute.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
Primary Source
Cultural Heritage

ADEAC (Digital Archive of Local History)

Local history digital platform covering 188 institutions, 1.11 million catalog records, and 300,000 content items.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
Primary Source
Cultural HeritageLocal Government

Linguistic Atlas of Japan (NINJAL)

300 maps showing geographic distribution of dialects, published as PDFs.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
MapPrimary Source
Cultural Heritage

Grammar Atlas of Japanese Dialects (NINJAL)

300 maps showing the geographic distribution of grammatical features in Japanese dialects, as PDFs.

Load the layers you need → read the spatial pattern → explain 'why' with related data
Map
Cultural Heritage

Historical Place Name Map (CODH)

CODH's GIS map linking historical place names to modern geography.

Load the layers you need → read the spatial pattern → explain 'why' with related data
Map
GISHistorical Maps

Historical Place Name Data (NIHU)

Historical place name dataset from the National Institutes for the Humanities.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
Primary Source
Open DataHistorical Maps

GeoShape Repository — Historical Place Name Integrated Search

Integrated search across historical place name datasets using the GeoShape spatial data repository.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
Primary Source
GISHistorical Maps

Historiographical Institute (UTokyo) — Database

Scholarly databases from the University of Tokyo's Historiographical Institute — the core of Japanese historical research.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
Primary Source
Cultural Heritage

Historiographical Institute — Japanese History Terminology Glossary

Japanese historical terminology with English translations, compiled by UTokyo's Historiographical Institute.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
Glossary
Multilingual

Library of Congress

The largest library in the world — primary sources, digital collections, and research guides.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
InternationalPrimary Source
English

DPLA (Digital Public Library of America)

Cross-search digital collections from US libraries, archives, and museums in one portal.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
InternationalPrimary Source
English

Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (German Digital Library)

Germany's national digital library portal cross-searching cultural and scientific heritage institutions.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
InternationalPrimary Source
EnglishMultilingual

Classical Japanese Dataset (CODH)

Classical works including The Tale of Genji, Essays in Idleness, and Tales of Ise, released for elementary–high school education.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
Primary Source
Cultural HeritageOpen Data

Waseda University — Classical Japanese Literature Database

Comprehensive database of classical Japanese texts from Waseda University Library.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
Primary Source
Cultural Heritage

Kyoto National Museum — Collection Database

Search the collection of the Kyoto National Museum online.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
Primary Source
Cultural Heritage

Ainu Folklore Library (Upopoy National Ainu Museum)

25 audio recordings in Saru Ainu dialect by speaker Ueda Toshi, with PDFs, MP3s, and picture books.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
Primary Source
Cultural HeritageOfficial Video

Civic primary information

13 resources

e-Gov Laws Search

Confirm laws and ordinances as primary information. Effective dates and revision history are crucial.

Article → effective date → revision history → also follow referenced/delegated provisions to construct the whole picture
Law & PolicyPrimary Source
Open DataAPI Available

Diet Records Search

Trace "who said what, on what basis".

Bill name/keyword → extract debate points → cite with speaker, meeting name, date and time
Law & PolicyPrimary Source
Open Data

Internet Edition of the Official Gazette (Kanpou)

Primary source for "when and what was officially announced" in Japan — notifications and public notices. Since April 2025 the electronic edition is the authentic, official version; recent issues are freely readable online.

Search by date → read the notification/notice → chronologize the "when" of institutional change → cross-reference with Diet Records and e-Gov Laws
Law & PolicyPrimary Source
Open Data

e-Gov Public Comment

From solicitation of opinions → results → laws and notifications. Trace the flow of policy formation.

Case → opinion summary → read results → connect to the final law/notification to grasp the flow
Law & Policy
Open Data

Courts of Japan | Case Law Search

Trace points of contention and reasoning.

Points of contention → judgment reasons → summarize the conclusion in one sentence → look for similar precedents to compare
Law & PolicyPrimary Source
Open Data

MOFA | Diplomatic Archives

Japan's official archive preserving diplomatic records and treaty originals from the Meiji era onwards. A primary source you can go to directly, for the evidence behind modern international relations, security, and treaties.

Narrow by theme (treaties / diplomatic negotiations / post-war settlement) → distinguish treaty text from annexes → cross-reference with Diet Records and the Official Gazette to reconstruct the policy-making trail
Primary SourceLaw & Policy
Cultural Heritage

UN Treaty Collection

The official database maintained by the United Nations for multilateral treaties and bilateral agreements. Adoption date, entry into force, and full state-party lists are available as primary information for international law. Mostly English, but navigable through treaty names and state-party tables.

Search by treaty name → record adoption date, entry into force, and ratification status → cross-reference against Japan's Diplomatic Archives and e-Gov Laws to trace domestic implementation
Law & PolicyPrimary SourceInternational
Open DataEnglishMultilingual

EUR-Lex (Official access to EU law)

The unified official portal to search EU law, treaties, and case law. Lets you trace how EU regulations and directives correspond to member-state domestic law — a starting point for comparative legal-system inquiry.

Search regulations by theme (data protection / environment / trade) → read preamble and operative text → align with Japan's related laws (e-Gov Laws) and organise the correspondence
Law & PolicyInternationalPrimary Source
EnglishMultilingualOpen Data

WIPO Lex (IP laws and treaties worldwide)

WIPO's official database that cross-searches national IP laws and international treaties. A primary source for international comparison of copyright, patent, and trademark.

Narrow by country and right (copyright / patent / trademark) → confirm treaty membership → contrast with Japanese law (Copyright Act / Patent Act)
Law & PolicyInternational
EnglishMultilingualOpen Data

ICJ (International Court of Justice)

The UN's principal judicial organ. Publishes judgments, advisory opinions, and filings in their original texts. Lets you read the intersection of inter-state disputes and international law in primary-source form.

Pick a case → compare the judgment with separate opinions → if Japan is a party or interested state, read alongside the Diplomatic Archives
Law & PolicyPrimary SourceInternational
EnglishMultilingual

UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies

The official database of the UN treaty bodies monitoring implementation of human rights treaties. Cross-search state reports, committee observations, and individual-communication decisions by treaty and country.

Narrow by treaty / country / session → contrast state reports, observations, and concluding observations → for observations on Japan, cross-reference MOFA / MHLW response documents
Law & PolicyInternational
EnglishMultilingualOpen Data

NDL — Japanese Law Index

The National Diet Library's index to historical and current Japanese laws and ordinances.

Confirm the current version date → look up the article number → trace amendments to understand 'why it changed'
Law & Policy

Nagoya University — Historical Law Database

Database of historical Japanese laws compiled by Nagoya University — for tracing legal change over time.

Confirm the current version date → look up the article number → trace amendments to understand 'why it changed'
Law & PolicyResearch

Academic

21 resources

CiNii Research

Build a "trail" from abstracts, keywords, and references.

Abstract → keywords → follow references → drop down to primary sources/statistics to verify
Research
Open Data

J-STAGE

Useful for academic verification. Cross-disciplinary.

Read the methods (data/method) → confirm conditions of the conclusion → consider whether you can apply it to your own question
Research
Open Data

CODH (Center for Open Data in the Humanities)

Learn the ideas of digitizing sources and metadata.

Read metadata (creation method/scope) → confirm terms of use → memo the procedure for re-analysis
ResearchStatisticsPrimary Source
Open DataCultural Heritage

Issue Brief (NDL)

High-quality issue summaries. From here, drop down to primaries.

Read the issue summary → reach primary sources from the citations → prepare your claim and counter-evidence as a set
ResearchOverview
Open Data

arXiv (Preprint Server)

A world-standard open-access preprint server for physics, mathematics, and computer science, where researchers post their latest papers directly. Operated by Cornell University, with free full-text access.

Search by keyword → check submission date / field / author → remember it is preprint, then compare with the final version in a peer-reviewed venue (J-STAGE / CORE etc.)
ResearchInternational
Open DataEnglish

PubMed (Biomedical Literature Database)

The world's largest literature-search system for medicine and life sciences, run by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Over 30 million records, freely searchable.

Narrow with MeSH terms → always check peer-review status and the journal → read the abstract and branch to related works → cross-reference with Japanese literature (CiNii / J-STAGE)
ResearchInternational
Open DataEnglishAPI AvailableHealth & Sport

Zenodo (CERN Research Data Repository)

An international repository operated by CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), offering free preservation and sharing of research data, papers, and software — with DOIs automatically minted so the records are citable.

Search by keyword → always check the licence → record DOI and creators from the metadata → for citation, judge whether the form is reproducible
ResearchInternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishAPI Available

DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals)

A non-profit, curated whitelist of peer-reviewed open-access journals from around the world. A reliable starting point that lets you avoid predatory journals when searching open-access literature.

Narrow by discipline / language → read each journal's peer-review policy → place it beside J-STAGE (Japan) to see your field's major open-access venues
ResearchInternational
Open DataEnglishMultilingual

NICT (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology)

A national research institute under MIC publishing research outcomes and official data on radio propagation, space weather, multilingual information, and cybersecurity. The space-weather forecast pages are also useful for earth-science inquiry.

Enter by theme (space weather / radio / multilingual) → check observations and publications → combine with JMA and NASA Earthdata to describe phenomena from multiple angles
ResearchStatistics
Natural ScienceEarth ScienceOpen Data

RIKEN | Research & Open Data

RIKEN, Japan's comprehensive science research institute, publishes research outcomes, press explanations, and open data. Lets you follow the frontiers of basic science through primary materials and official videos.

Check press releases and related papers in your field (physics / life / AI) → look for any open datasets → cross-reference adjacent research on arXiv / PubMed
ResearchStatisticsVideo
Natural ScienceOpen Data

Institute of Statistical Mathematics (ISM)

A core institution of Japanese statistical science. Handles research and published data on the Study of the Japanese National Character, statistical learning, and data science. An official reference for how statistical inquiry is structured.

Check the project list → explore long-term data such as the National Character Study → examine the validity of sampling and inference methods you plan to use
Research
Open Data

NINJAL (National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics)

The core institution of Japanese-language research. Publishes official data on corpora, dialects, and linguistic atlases. A research base for Japanese-language and linguistic inquiry into vocabulary, grammar, and usage.

Pick a theme (dialect / lexicon / grammar) and dataset → check corpus scope and caveats → cross-check with Kotobank and your own field observation
GlossaryResearchStatistics
Open Data

RIETI (Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry)

An independent administrative think tank under METI, publishing policy data, discussion papers, and statistical analyses. A first reference for policy and economic-history research.

Read recent discussion papers by theme → check whether underlying data is public → use alongside Cabinet Office ESRI and BOJ statistics as primary policy evidence
ResearchStatistics
Open DataEconomy & Industry

Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency (FRA)

Japan's official fisheries research agency, in charge of stock assessment, fishing-ground environment, and marine-biology surveys. Lets you read local fisheries and ecosystems as primary information from both ocean and food angles.

Find stock-assessment reports by sea area / species → confirm survey year and method → overlay with MAFF statistics and JCG ocean information to describe industry–ecosystem links
ResearchStatistics
Natural ScienceOpen Data

bioRxiv / medRxiv (Life-science & medical preprints)

The life-science preprint server bioRxiv (run by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) and the medical preprint server medRxiv (BMJ / Yale / Cold Spring Harbor). The international standard for fastest access to pre-peer-review papers.

Search by field → note explicitly that results are "pre-peer-review" → confirm the final version on PubMed / published journal before citing
ResearchInternational
Open DataEnglishHealth & Sport

SSRN (Social-science preprints)

An international working-paper / preprint platform centred on social sciences (economics, law, policy, management). Lets you catch the global frontier of policy-oriented research early.

Pick a sub-network by topic → check the version (draft or post-peer-review) → prefer DOI and published version when citing
ResearchInternational
Open DataEnglishEconomy & Industry

CORE (Worldwide open-access paper search)

Run by the UK Open University, one of the world's largest open-access paper aggregators. Access to over 30 million full texts — lets you quickly find papers across disciplines with text available.

Search terms → filter to items with full-text PDF → confirm the source repository → trace the published version via DOI
ResearchInternational
Open DataEnglishAPI Available

ORCID (Researcher identifier)

An international registry that assigns a unique ID to each researcher, linking works and outputs to the person unambiguously. Lets you follow a researcher's record across name changes and common names.

Search by author name → confirm whether the ORCID matches the same person → read the works list and affiliation history to understand a paper's context
ResearchInternational
EnglishAPI Available

iNaturalist

Over 230 million biodiversity observation records worldwide. Citizen science platform linked to GBIF.

Confirm the current version → trace the original document or amendment → cross-reference with related primary sources
StatisticsResearchInternational
Open DataAPI AvailableMultilingual

Association of Japanese Geographers

Official academic society for geography in Japan — journals, research, and educational resources.

Identify the research question → read the abstract and keywords → trace references back to primary sources
Teacher
ResearchMaterials & Guidance

Geological Society of Japan

Official academic society for geology — journals, field guides, and educational content.

Identify the research question → read the abstract and keywords → trace references back to primary sources
Teacher
ResearchMaterials & Guidance
Earth Science

International comparison

33 resources

UNdata

A starting point for international comparison. Confirm definitions → re-pull Japan's figures from e-Stat.

Confirm indicator definition/unit → fix the countries and period for comparison → re-pull Japan with the same definition
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishMultilingual

World Bank Open Data

A representative source of national development indicators. Beware of missing values and estimates.

Read missing/estimate notes → see the same indicator across multiple years → fact-check causality with primary sources
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishAPI AvailableEconomy & Industry

OECD Data

Stronger when you can also explain "why these comparison countries".

Write the rationale for selecting comparison countries → confirm definitions/methods → compare with conditions aligned
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishEconomy & Industry

IMF Data

The more you can read assumptions (currency, base year, etc.), the stronger your analysis.

Confirm assumptions (currency / base year / seasonal adjustment) → align indicator meaning before interpretation
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishAPI AvailableEconomy & Industry

NASA Earthdata

An entry to handle global-scale data.

Decide variable / resolution / period → confirm uncertainty → verify with ground observation or statistics
InternationalStatistics
Earth ScienceNatural ScienceOpen DataEnglishAPI Available

IEA Data and Statistics

The International Energy Agency (IEA) publishes official country-level data on energy supply and demand, the power mix, and CO2 emissions. A standard reference for comparing policies across developed economies, and strong evidence for climate and energy inquiry.

Pick an indicator (power mix / CO2 / final consumption) → align the compared countries and base year → bring it next to Japan's figures from the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy using the same definition
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishEarth ScienceEconomy & Industry

FAOSTAT (UN Food and Agriculture Organization)

Official statistics run by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), covering global agricultural production, food security, land use, and forests. Commodity-by-commodity long-run time series let you compare food and farming across the world.

Narrow by commodity and country → check definitions (production / harvest / planted area) → put it next to MAFF (Japan) with the same definitions and units, and explain "where Japan stands"
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishMultilingualAPI AvailableEconomy & Industry

WHO Global Health Observatory

Official global data on health, disease, health workers, and infectious disease, published by the World Health Organization (WHO). Clearly mapped to SDG 3, making it the baseline for health- and medical-policy inquiry.

Pick an indicator (life expectancy / disease incidence / health-worker ratio) → compare across regions and income groups → match it against Japan's MHLW statistics and infectious-disease surveillance
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishMultilingualHealth & Sport

ILOSTAT (International Labour Organization)

Official global statistics from the UN specialized agency ILO — labour, employment, wages, and gender. Lets you compare working conditions across developing and developed countries on a single platform.

Pick an indicator (unemployment / wages / hours / female-participation rate) → narrow down the compared countries → match definitions against MIC and MHLW Japanese statistics for comparison
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishEconomy & Industry

UN Comtrade (Trade Statistics Database)

Official trade statistics compiled by the UN Statistics Division from member-state governments, covering trade volumes and values by country, commodity, and partner. Lets you verify bilateral relationships and global-economic structure as numbers.

Pick commodity (HS code) and target country → read export/import quantities and values → cross-reference with Japan's customs statistics (MOF) and the partner country's own statistics
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishAPI AvailableEconomy & Industry

IPCC Reports (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)

The consolidated scientific assessment reports on climate change by the IPCC, published together with the governments-approved "Summary for Policymakers". The most trusted international evidence for climate-change inquiry.

Start from the "Summary for Policymakers" of the latest Assessment Report (AR) → descend into the figures in supporting chapters → link them to Japan's own observations from JMA and NIES
InternationalResearchLaw & Policy
Earth ScienceOpen DataEnglish

FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis — Economic Data)

The official database run by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, visualizing more than 800,000 economic time series. Lets you compare U.S. and world economic indicators across decades on one interface.

Search by indicator name (GDP / unemployment / CPI / interest rate) → fix the period → align with Japan (Bank of Japan / e-Stat) using the same definition for comparison
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishAPI AvailableEconomy & Industry

UNCTADstat (UN Conference on Trade and Development)

Official international statistics on trade, investment, and maritime shipping published by UNCTAD, covering developing countries as well. Enables international comparison that includes the Global South, not just advanced economies.

Pick an indicator (trade / maritime / investment) with country and year → align definitions with UN Comtrade → cross-check with Japan's trade statistics (MOF / JETRO)
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishEconomy & Industry

IAEA PRIS (Power Reactor Information System)

The IAEA's official database of nuclear reactor operation, shutdown, and construction worldwide. Essential for international comparison of energy policy and nuclear safety.

Narrow by country / reactor type / operational status → take yearly operating records → put them next to IEA and ANRE data for international comparison of the power mix
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishEconomy & Industry

UNHCR Refugee Data Finder

The UN Refugee Agency's central database of official statistics on refugees, IDPs, and stateless persons worldwide. An international baseline for handling refugee issues with numbers rather than emotion.

Pull indicators by country of origin / host / year → confirm causes (conflict / persecution / climate) with treaty-body documents → contrast with Japan's admission situation (ISA / MOJ)
InternationalStatisticsLaw & Policy
Open DataEnglish

Eurostat (EU Statistical Office)

The EU's official statistics office, publishing standard statistics with definitions aligned across member states. The standard entry point for intra-EU comparisons and for comparisons with the EU, covering economy, population, and environment.

Pick an indicator and member states → confirm the EU-standard definition → pair with e-Stat (Japan) using aligned definitions
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishMultilingualAPI AvailableEconomy & Industry

BIS Statistics (Bank for International Settlements)

Official statistics on international finance, FX, and credit published by the BIS, often called "the bank of central banks". Useful for visualising cross-border capital flows and financial imbalances.

Pick a theme (cross-border credit / FX / credit gap) → fix sample countries and period → cross-check with BOJ statistics, FRED, and IMF Data
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishEconomy & Industry

ADB Open Data (Asian Development Bank)

Open data published by the ADB on economy, development, poverty, and climate in Asia-Pacific. A usable international-organisation dataset for comparisons across East / Southeast / South Asia.

Pick region / country / indicator → align definitions with World Bank data and national statistics → overlay with Japan's ODA and trade data to read relationships with neighbours
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishEconomy & Industry

AfDB Data Portal (African Development Bank)

The AfDB's official data portal on Africa's economy, population, infrastructure, and climate. A starting point for international comparison of African countries.

Pick country / indicator → align definitions with World Bank / UNCTAD / UNDP → overlay with Japan's Africa-related ODA data to read the relationship
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishEconomy & Industry

ECLAC / CEPALSTAT (Latin America and the Caribbean)

The official economic and social statistics database for Latin America and the Caribbean, published by ECLAC. Gives comprehensive coverage of data that is often missing when comparing Japan with LAC.

Pick country and indicator → check consistency with IMF / World Bank data → contrast with Japan's Latin-America-related statistics (JETRO)
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishMultilingualEconomy & Industry

U.S. Census Bureau

The U.S. federal statistical agency in charge of population and economic censuses. Publishes the decennial census, the American Community Survey (ACS), and business statistics. A reference point for comparison with Japan's population and economic censuses (MIC).

Pull values at state / county level for your indicator → align definitions with Japan's census → be conscious of federal / state / county scale differences when comparing
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishAPI AvailableEconomy & Industry

UK ONS (Office for National Statistics)

The UK's official statistics office, publishing the census, labour, prices, and GDP in one place. A model of European-standard statistics, usable as a comparison point for Japan.

Search by indicator → read methodology → pair with e-Stat (Japan) and Eurostat for comparison using aligned definitions
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishEconomy & Industry

Destatis (Federal Statistical Office of Germany)

The English / German portal of Germany's federal statistical office. Publishes official census, economic, population, and environmental data. Under the EU statistical system, consistent with Eurostat.

Pick indicators in the English edition → view state-level data under federalism → cross-check with Eurostat's same indicators and pair with Japan
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishMultilingualEconomy & Industry

INSEE (French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies)

INSEE's English / French portal. Publishes the census, labour, prices, and regional statistics. In addition to EU standards, handles social indicators specific to the French community.

Pick indicators in the English edition → be conscious of region / département divisions → use Eurostat in parallel for international comparison
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishMultilingualEconomy & Industry

ISTAT (Italian National Institute of Statistics)

Italy's national statistical institute. Publishes official data on population, economy, and society. As a Southern European model case, it helps confirm diversity within Europe.

Pick an indicator → check regional (regione) differences → put alongside Eurostat and Japanese statistics to discuss the Southern European model
InternationalStatistics
EnglishMultilingualEconomy & Industry

Statistics Canada

Canada's official statistical agency (English / French bilingual). Publishes statistics on population, economy, labour, and Indigenous matters. A federal and multicultural country's data — suggestive when compared to Japan.

Pull indicators by province → pay particular attention to Indigenous-statistics definitions → use alongside Japanese counterparts
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishMultilingualEconomy & Industry

ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics)

Australia's official statistical agency. Publishes statistics on population, economy, society, and environment. As a Southern Hemisphere developed-country dataset, it helps read common ground and differences with Japan via geography and climate.

Pull indicators by state / territory → read the methodology → pair with Japan with geographical-condition differences in mind
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishEconomy & Industry

KOSTAT (Statistics Korea)

Korea's official statistical agency. With a well-maintained English portal, it is an easy neighbour to pair with Japan for population, economy, labour, and family comparisons.

Pick an indicator → confirm definition in the English version → pair with e-Stat (Japan) and DGBAS (Taiwan) for East-Asian international comparison
InternationalStatistics
Open DataEnglishMultilingualEconomy & Industry

DGBAS (Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Taiwan)

Taiwan's official statistical agency. Publishes data on national income, labour, prices, and households. Usable for East-Asian comparison with Japan and Korea as official statistics.

Pick an indicator → confirm publication language (Chinese / English) → pair with KOSTAT (Korea) and e-Stat (Japan) to construct an East-Asian view
InternationalStatistics
MultilingualEconomy & Industry

National Bureau of Statistics of China

China's official statistical agency. The English edition publishes major macro indicators. A starting point for referencing the dynamics of a very large economy in primary form.

Pull macro indicators from the English edition → check consistency with IMF / World Bank data → be mindful of political and institutional differences in statistical practice
InternationalStatistics
EnglishMultilingualEconomy & Industry

MIC Statistics Bureau | Foreign-government statistical agencies (link directory)

A directory maintained officially by Japan's Statistics Bureau (MIC) linking to statistical agencies in countries around the world. Works as a comprehensive hub for navigating national statistical offices in international-comparison inquiry.

Pick the target country → open its statistical agency's English / local-language page → confirm definition alignment with e-Stat before comparing
OverviewInternational
Multilingual

GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)

An international public platform integrating over 2.3 billion species-distribution and specimen records provided by museums and research institutions worldwide. Used alongside the Japan node (JBIF), it lets you verify species distributions on a global scale.

Search by scientific name → view the global distribution map → cross-check with JBIF to read Japan's position and differences with surrounding regions
InternationalStatisticsResearch
Natural ScienceOpen DataEnglishAPI Available

IUCN Red List

The official Red List of threatened species worldwide, run by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Centralises assessment categories, distributions, and threat factors per species — the international standard for conservation inquiry.

Search by scientific name or region → record the assessment category and threat factors → cross-reference with the Japanese MOE Red List to compare global and domestic positioning
InternationalStatisticsResearch
Natural ScienceEnglish

Teachers' commons

14 resources

NITS | In-school Training Video Series

A series of short training videos produced by the National Institute for School Teachers and Staff Development (NITS) for use in in-school training. Specialists explain class management, lesson design, and student guidance. New teachers can use them for self-study; experienced teachers use them as material for school-based professional development.

Pick one video by a concern you have → after watching, write down one action you can try in your own class → share it with a colleague and iterate with short reflections
Teacher
Lesson PlansMaterials & GuidanceVideo

MEXT | Special Needs Education

The Special Needs Education portal of the Ministry of Education. The official primary source that gathers the system, policy, handbooks, and practice cases. A set of resources that lets new teachers cover everything from classroom accommodations to individual instruction plans in one place — directly tied to daily practice.

Start from the overall framework → open the handbook for the relevant grade and type of disability → apply the individual education support plan / instruction plan template to your own case
Teacher
Lesson PlansLaw & PolicyOverview
Open Data

MEXT | Courses of Study (with commentaries)

Primary information containing the Courses of Study for elementary, middle, and high schools together with the official "commentaries". The essential resource for experienced teachers who want to re-read the big directions of instruction.

Open the "commentary" for the target grade and subject → extract the goals and contents → align them with your school's yearly plan and put gaps into words
Teacher
Materials & GuidanceLaw & PolicyPrimary Source
Open Data

NIER | Curriculum Research Center

The national educational research institute aggregating research outcomes and practical materials on curriculum, instruction, and assessment. New teachers learn from the practice case collections; experienced teachers use evaluation criteria and reports to situate their own teaching academically.

Search practice cases by subject × unit → extract integration of teaching and assessment → reflect in your own lesson design
Teacher
Lesson PlansMaterials & GuidanceResearchOverview
Open Data

MEXT | Textbook System (Authorization & Adoption)

The Ministry of Education's official explanation of how textbooks are produced and selected in Japan. Read authorization criteria, the adoption system, and research surveys as primary sources. A resource for experienced teachers to re-situate "the textbook I use now" from the standpoint of the system.

Pick one authorization criterion and read it → check which ones your own textbook satisfies → compare with the structure of another publisher's textbook to widen your range of instruction
Teacher
Materials & GuidanceLaw & PolicyOverview
Open Data

NIER | National Assessment of Academic Ability

Official questions, commentary, and analysis reports from Japan's national academic assessment. Experienced teachers can benchmark where students stumble against nationwide data and refine their own instruction.

Open the commentary for the relevant subject/grade → extract misconception patterns → mirror the item type on your own quiz and adjust instruction
Teacher
Materials & GuidanceResearchStatistics
Open Data

NIER | Education Research Information Database

A cross-searchable metadata database of educational research maintained by NIER — practice research, teaching materials, and survey reports. Useful for experienced teachers who want to rebuild instruction on top of prior knowledge.

Search by inquiry theme → narrow by year/institution → reach the primary source and secure one citable piece of evidence
Teacher
Materials & GuidanceResearchOverview
Open Data

Yamakawa & Ninomiya ICT Library (ywl.jp)

A textbook-aligned ICT teaching-materials library jointly operated by Yamakawa Shuppansha (Japanese history / world history) and Ninomiya Shoten (geography). Videos, slides, worksheets, and statistical materials are organised by subject and unit — a go-to teaching hub for social-studies teachers who need to quickly supply "the one extra resource" a daily lesson is missing.

Pick textbook publisher (Yamakawa / Ninomiya) and unit → grab the presentation materials and worksheets as a pair → swap in your own school's local material at one point for your grade level
Teacher
Lesson PlansMaterials & GuidanceVideo

Teikoku-Shoin | Periodicals for Social-Studies Teachers

A group of free teacher-facing educational journals from Teikoku-Shoin delivering lesson-research examples, latest scholarship, and practice reports across geography, history, and civics. The family includes the education magazine "Kizahashi", the elementary-school "Children and Maps", the junior-high "Shakaika no Shiori", and the high-school "ChiReKo" — particularly strong support for geography teachers' materials research.

Read the journal for your school level first → imitate just one teaching sequence from a lesson-research example → note where each new scholarly topic fits in your annual plan and reuse it later
Teacher
Lesson PlansMaterials & GuidanceResearch

Library of Congress | Teachers

The Library of Congress's teacher-facing page on using primary sources. Publishes primary materials for history, social studies, and literature together with questioning examples and lesson procedures. Useful both as source material for new teachers and as a reference model for experienced teachers designing inquiry-based lessons.

Pick a "Teaching with Primary Sources" case by grade and theme → mimic how questions pair with sources → redesign for your own unit and rebuild with Japanese primary sources (NDL / JACAR)
Teacher
Lesson PlansMaterials & GuidancePrimary SourceInternational
EnglishCultural Heritage

Rekkodan Historical Old Roads Group (Taro Miyata)

A community-based group led by old-road researcher Taro Miyata, centred on field surveys, guided walks, lectures, and conservation around old roads in the Tama Hills and beyond. It is a strong model for turning terrain, tradition, and archaeological remains into local fieldwork.

Read the activity schedule and group profile → map the walking area, terrain, traditions, and remains → redesign it as a small “reading history from roads” fieldwork plan for your own region
Teacher
Materials & GuidanceOverview
Cultural HeritageTourismHealth & Sport

Kamakura Old Roads and Historical Heritage Group

A civic group that keeps running walks and lectures around Kamakura old roads near Machida. Its documented walks connect local heritage, safety, and community learning, making it useful for teachers designing off-campus local-history inquiry.

Read the activity report → extract route, safety planning, and local-history points → compare old roads with today’s town blocks on a map
Teacher
Materials & GuidanceOverview
Cultural HeritageTourismHealth & Sport

Yanai Nipponbare Kaido Council

A local council using Edo-period roads through Yanai for community building. Its maintenance work, guide signs, guidebook, and walking activities show how residents can care for and teach from old roads.

Check road names and sections → read the activity record → redesign the old road from the three angles of conservation, guidance, and classroom use
Teacher
Materials & GuidanceOverviewMap
Cultural HeritageTourismHealth & Sport

Japan Heritage: Gin no Bashamichi / Koseki no Michi

The official site for the Japan Heritage route connecting the Bantan region through ore-transport roads. Lectures, guides, and field events show how several municipalities can treat a historic route as a shared learning resource.

Read the full route → separate port, mines, towns, and transport roles on a map → turn it into a lesson on industrial history and movement through terrain
Teacher
Materials & GuidanceOverviewMap
Cultural HeritageTourism

The AI inquirer's commons

16 resources

MapConductor React SDK Sample Collection

27 samples that run on the same code while only the underlying map engine is swapped. Google Maps, MapLibre, Cesium and Leaflet each have their own way of being written; here you can watch an attempt to bring those differences under one notation. Camera moves, tilt, synchronised maps and raster overlays are laid out side by side. Japanese, English and Spanish.

Open one place in several engines → put three differences into words → trace where each difference comes from (projection, tiles, camera)
MapOverviewInternational
GISAPI AvailableEnglishMultilingual

GSI Map Vector — Style Samples (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)

Official samples showing how the same map data changes appearance when only the style file is swapped. Six variants, including a road-emphasis map, a railway-emphasis map, and a hiragana map designed for younger pupils. Japanese.

Open all six over the same place → write down what each one emphasises and omits → pick the elements your own question needs
MapOverview
GISOpen Data

GIS Open Educational Resources (University of Tokyo, CSIS)

A systematic, Japanese-language GIS practical course covering QGIS, GRASS, Python, web GIS and VR in numbered exercise units. A separate high-school subset is ready to use in geography classes.

Pick the exercise closest to your question → follow it through to the end → repeat the same steps with data from your own area
Teacher
OverviewResearchLesson Plans
GISOpen Data

PLATEAU Streaming Service Tutorials

Japanese-language tutorials for using Japan's national 3D city models in web maps, with separate procedures for five data types including building models, terrain models and aerial imagery.

Check whether your town has data → overlay the terrain model with the building model → describe how elevation relates to where buildings stand
MapOverviewStatistics
GISOpen DataAPI Available

Geolonia Maps Cookbook

A Japanese-language recipe collection for map implementation — changing map styles, adding markers, finding coordinates from an address — each written as a short, goal-oriented procedure.

Choose the recipe nearest to what you want → run it as-is → swap in your own data and check the result
MapOverview
GISAPI Available

MapLibre GL JS — Official Examples

The official example collection for an open-source vector map library. 3D terrain, heatmaps, clustering and camera control each get their own page with working code you can read directly.

Open the 3D terrain example → vary the tilt and vertical exaggeration → apply the same technique to a region you care about
MapOverviewInternational
GISAPI AvailableEnglish

CesiumJS Sandcastle — Live Demo Gallery

The official demo collection for a 3D globe and 3D terrain library, in a live format where you edit the code in the browser and see the result immediately.

Open a terrain demo → change the viewing height and tilt → note the relief you could not see on a flat map
MapOverviewInternational
GISAPI AvailableEnglishNatural Science

ColorBrewer 2.0 — Choosing Map Colours

The standard tool for choosing colours for choropleth maps. Set the number of classes and it proposes schemes, with toggles to check colour-vision accessibility, greyscale printing and projector display.

Decide class count and colour family → check it under colour-vision conditions → be able to state in one sentence why you chose it
MapOverviewInternational
GISEnglish

shadedrelief.com — Terrain Rendering Technique

Tutorials and a gallery on rendering terrain, published by a former cartographer at the US National Park Service. It sets out concretely how to place light, apply colour and judge exaggeration in order to carry three-dimensional form onto paper and screen — a starting point for thinking about how terrain colour is decided.

Read one method for building relief → compare the same area under different light directions → describe what each direction reveals about the landform
MapOverviewInternational
GISEarth ScienceEnglish

Thematic Cartography Guide

A structured guide to thematic map types, when to use each, and how to make them. It covers visual hierarchy, colour use and classification — the groundwork for arguing something with a map.

Choose the map type you want to make → read the recommended practice → audit your current map against it
OverviewGlossaryInternational
GISEnglish

rayshader — Terrain Maps from Elevation Data

An R package that turns elevation data into shaded and 3D terrain maps. Light direction, water surfaces and texture layering are specified in code, with many worked examples included.

Reproduce one published example → swap in elevation data for your own area → record how changing exaggeration changes the impression
MapResearchInternationalOverview
GISEarth ScienceEnglish

GeoDataViz Toolkit (Ordnance Survey)

Map design guidance published by Britain's national mapping agency: a checklist of design principles, recommended colour palettes including colour-vision considerations, and the colour values behind its basemaps.

Read the design principles → audit your own map against all eight → keep a note of what you changed and why
MapOverviewInternational
GISEnglish

Atlas of Design (NACIS)

A biennial collection of maps selected from an open international call, each accompanied by a short note from its maker explaining what the chosen treatment was meant to achieve.

Pick three maps that catch your eye → look for a device they share → choose one thing to carry into your own map
MapInternationalOverview
GISEnglish

Stamen Map Styles (Toner / Terrain / Watercolour)

Three contrasting styles built from the same map data: high-contrast black and white, relief with natural vegetation colour, and a watercolour treatment. It shows how far appearance can shift with purpose.

View one place in all three → consider what each is asking you to read → choose the one that fits your question
MapOverviewInternational
GISEnglish

Taiwan Historical Maps (Academia Sinica)

A system for overlaying a century of Taiwanese historical maps, with independent opacity for each layer. Maps from the Japanese colonial period are included. Traditional Chinese.

Overlay two sheets from different periods over the same place → separate what changed from what did not → reason about the change from terrain and institutions
MapPrimary SourceInternational
GISMultilingualHistorical Maps

UNVT (United Nations Vector Tile Toolkit)

Tooling for producing, styling and serving vector tiles, published in connection with UN geospatial work. It includes implementations for delivering maps where power and connectivity are limited.

Run one of the styling tools → produce two different looks from the same map → consider which situation calls for which
MapOverviewInternational
GISOpen DataEnglish