[steven]

It's pretty bad if you're not used to it. Some streets have numbers... but that won't really help you too much as a lot of streets have the same number (even in the same general area). Not only that, but the same street will change numbers part way down the road... or the street (judging by the number) breaks up and starts again.

I think that instead of street numbers, there are intersection names. Most major intersections will have a name. The problem, however, is that smaller intersections (like on unusually small roads) don't have any names. Intersection names generally coincide with the machi / cho name (which is like a town or village... basically a way to break up a city into smaller sections).

Unfortunately, those intersection signs are usually pretty small and not lit at night time... and they're also in kanji. If you are from the area, you've probably heard of the town (even though you may have not known where it was up to the point of you seeing the sign) so you can read it. If you haven't heard of it before, you might not be able to read it (even as a Japanese). The same kanji/combinations of kanji can sometimes be read different ways, making communicating your location a little more difficult.

When you get into the mountains, it becomes infinately harder as signs are usually even smaller (if they exist) and roads seem to go all over the place. Some roads stop being roads in the winter time (due to snow of course), and that makes navigating moutains that much more difficult.

That is my interpretation of it anyways... some areas are easier to figure out than others in Japan... that's for sure. I'm sure I've missed a lot in my explanation. They have navigation systems now, and if you don't have one you're pretty much screwed trying to get somewhere you haven't been before-- I know a few people who don't have one and they are usually older people who are just masters at navigating their way around (because they are professional drivers or do a lot of driving for work).

PS: I've heard some areas actually have street names.