Saturday, August 09, 2008

Google Street View of Tokyo

This is just amazing. Check out a street level view of thousands of streets in Tokyo from Google Maps.

It's hard to know where to start. Here's a random example of the Tokyo International Forum building near Tokyo station.

Screen shot of Google Maps shoing Tokto International forum building

The interface allows you to rotate the viewpoint for a full 360 degree view of the street. Click on the arrows to continue along the road.

Judging by the state of one building site very near my office, some of the photos are very new and have been taken in the past month or two. However some streeets are lined with cheery blossom from the springtime. It's a shame they don't put the date on them because in a few years so much will have changed.

This is the famous Shibuya crossing. The station is behind you in this view.

Where's your favorite place in Tokyo?

Update: Google are going to redo all the street view images with the camera at a reduced height to counter privacy complaints from people with low walls.