GPS navigation in Japan

[TGO]

Does anybody here know where I can find Japanese maps for GPS navigation?

I've tried TomTom, Garmin, Navigon, Blaupunkt and several more. Many of them are providing maps for a huge part of the world - but none of them includes Japan. I find that strange - what's the reason? I can buy maps of e.g. Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Congo, Angola, Mexico and Chile - all less developed countries compared to Japan - but no Japanese maps are available - I don't get it?

I can read and write hiragana and katakana, but would prefer something working in romanji - or most simple, just to be able to add a Japanese map to a GPS device that I can buy at home.

Is there anythin working for Google Maps Navigation where I can download the maps from home? Downloading the maps in Japan will cost a fortune in data...

Thank you in advance!

[Nyororin]

Garmin maps can be found here.

As for the others - they aren`t sold in Japan, so I imagine there is some sort of licensing issue. Pretty much all the maps used for navigation in Japan (including the Garmin one) are made by Zenrin. For companies that do not sell in Japan and do not often have their devices used in Japan (due to the difficulty of bringing a foreign car to the country), I imagine that the costs of licensing or producing a map independently would simply be too high.

You will most likely be much better off buying a small inexpensive unit in Japan - there are tons to choose from. It will also likely be in the same price range as purchasing maps of the country. The Garmin maps are 15,000yen and up. You can buy the absolute cheapest models of GPS for about that. (Although quality would obviously suffer tremendously.)

You may find it easiest to do something like you want to by buying a Garmin in Japan - already loaded with the Japanese maps - and purchase additional maps for locations outside of Japan. Garmin is considered one of the cheapy crappy GPS makers, and do not sell well in Japan, so are quite inexpensive. (Hi-res, 3D maps are the norm these days here.)

[TGO]

Thanks for all your help!

I already own a European Garmin GPS, so I guess I would be able to install the Japanese maps on my device?

Would it be possible to continue to operate my device in my own native language while using maps of Japan or can the Japanese maps only be operated in Japanese? I can read and write hiragana and katakana but I almost know no kanji. So I guess I'm not skilled enough in Japanese to operate a "Japanese-language-only" device.

Best regards

[siokan]

The price is high.
Japan map | UUD - Japan GPS Navigation and Topographic Map for Garmin

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by TGO

Thanks for all your help!

I already own a European Garmin GPS, so I guess I would be able to install the Japanese maps on my device?

Would it be possible to continue to operate my device in my own native language while using maps of Japan or can the Japanese maps only be operated in Japanese? I can read and write hiragana and katakana but I almost know no kanji. So I guess I'm not skilled enough in Japanese to operate a "Japanese-language-only" device.

Best regards

These days, most of the major Japanese GPS systems have an English option, including English voice navigation.

You may be able to install the maps on your device, but... Let me be honest - it would be near useless. I have seen devices designed for the European market with Japanese maps on them, and, well, it just doesn`t work. There is no way to input an address, and anywhere outside of inner city Tokyo, for some reason, they do not even HAVE the majority of the roads. The main roads are shown, but it is as if there is no zoom data at all outside of Tokyo.

You can see an example of what I mean on the link I posted - To be specific;

Zoomed in Tokyo with most residential streets and business information.

Compared to near where I live - the third largest metropolitan area in Japan.

They are both zoomed in the same amount, in an equally crowded city area. Garmin is close to useless outside of Tokyo - to the point that they even call it a "City navigator". I know someone who bought one assuming that it would be useful in such a big city as where I live, only to find that there were no businesses listed outside of Tokyo and Osaka, and that the main roads they DID have didn`t even line up in some cases.

You may find that if you leave Tokyo at all, the expensive Garmin map may be completely useless anyway.
And that is before the address issue. As the address systems are so different, you cannot do an address search if the system is not designed for use in Japan. You`ll need to find the address on a regular map, and then find it manually on the GPS... Not the most intuitive system. I`ve never heard of anyone sticking with it for more than a week at most.

[TGO]

Thanks for the warning. I see what you mean, that Garmin thing is just awfull; what a disappointment it must be for those who bought it!

What is the best Japanese GPS product on the market at this moment? (with option for english language) and would be great if it could be used as a mobile devise when walking around on foot in Japan.

[20MM]

You can find a Garmin nuvi in English for Japan here and it has GARMIN maps, not that non-sense that doesn't even work correctly:

Yokota.freeforums.org - View topic - New Garmin GPS 4.3 and 5 inch with saved FAVORITES loaded!

Take a look at this link which explains why this is the best option when compared to all of the other gps and non-garmin maps:

Yokota.freeforums.org - View topic - ◄♦♦♦♦◙♦♦♦♦► Before you buy any GPS look here! ◄♦♦♦♦◙♦♦♦♦►

http://yokota.freeforums.org/download/file.php?id=195

http://yokota.freeforums.org/download/file.php?id=346

http://yokota.freeforums.org/download/file.php?id=109

[sweetokyo]

Originally Posted by TGO

Does anybody here know where I can find Japanese maps for GPS navigation?

I've tried TomTom, Garmin, Navigon, Blaupunkt and several more. Many of them are providing maps for a huge part of the world - but none of them includes Japan. I find that strange - what's the reason? I can buy maps of e.g. Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Congo, Angola, Mexico and Chile - all less developed countries compared to Japan - but no Japanese maps are available - I don't get it?

I can read and write hiragana and katakana, but would prefer something working in romanji - or most simple, just to be able to add a Japanese map to a GPS device that I can buy at home.

Is there anythin working for Google Maps Navigation where I can download the maps from home? Downloading the maps in Japan will cost a fortune in data...

Thank you in advance!

I'm calling Garmin tomorrow about this situation, because i'm going to Japan in March. I've been trying to search for Japan maps/navigation systems also and its difficult, for some reason. I'll update you on what they say. Anyway, I'm pretty sure this map includes Japan.
Old version-
Amazon.com: Garmin MapSource WorldMap (CD-ROM): GPS & Navigation
New version-
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=662&ra=true

I heard that it is good enough to navigate, but not extremely detailed. You can read the reviews on it. One customer said, "I've used it in London, Cambridge, Paris, Tokyo and Munich." So, i guess it does have Japan.

A good gps navigation system is the Shake!350. It has the address, phone numbers, and POI's in English.

[20MM]

I tried that method and payed dearly for them and now I have 3 US Garmin's in a drawer that I don't use from trying that UUD map. If you want you can have those maps for free just contact me. They are junk.

The bad part about them is they will steer you down the wrong road every now and them causing you to make a detour for an hour or more.

I recommend you take a look at the Japanese Garmin's, they speak in English and the accuracy is spot on. The have telephone search, address search and a few hundred saved favorites pre-loaded already like all the places you want to go.

Here's a link: BestGPSforJapan.freeforums.org • Index page