About
The trusted local guidebook, digitised — map-first, reference-grade, made for travellers.
The lobby map
For decades, infomapJAPAN was the free printed map-magazine you picked up in hotel lobbies across Japan. Folded into a coat pocket on the way out the door, it was the first thing many travellers reached for when they arrived in a new city — a clear, map-first guide to where things were and how to reach them. That map at the heart of every issue is what people remembered, and what they came to trust.
The format was simple on purpose. No clutter, no hard sell — just dependable orientation and the practical detail you actually needed on the ground. Over the years that quiet reliability became the magazine’s signature, and it remains the standard we hold ourselves to today.
Reborn for 2026
In 2026 we rebuilt infomapJAPAN as a website — the same trusted voice, now fast, responsive and accessible on whatever device is in your hand. The archive was carefully restored rather than discarded, and the original URLs were preserved and 301-redirected so that nothing is lost. If you bookmarked a page years ago, it still leads where you expect.
Moving from paper to the web means the guide can finally keep pace with the country it describes. Schedules, routes and seasonal events change; a living site can change with them in a way a printed sheet never could.
How we write
Our guides are practical and reference-grade. We cover destinations, transport, festivals and culture in plain language, with the concrete details that help you make a decision — not a wall of adjectives. Each guide is kept current for 2026 and grounded in widely trusted sources such as the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).
We would rather tell you one thing that is true and useful than ten things that merely sound good. Map-first, reference-grade is not a slogan; it is how every page is built.
Who it’s for
infomapJAPAN is made for independent travellers planning a trip to Japan — the people who want to understand a place, find their own way around it, and spend their time well. Whether it is your first visit or your fifth, the aim is the same: clear orientation and trustworthy detail, without the noise.
A note on accuracy
We work hard to keep everything current, but travel details change — prices, timetables, opening hours and event dates can all shift without much warning.
Please verify prices and schedules with official sources before you go. Treat our guides as a reliable starting point, not a substitute for the latest published times.
Where to start
Two doors lead into the rest of the site. The Special Articles collect our in-depth, reference-grade guides to destinations, transport and culture. The Maps carry forward the map-first identity that started it all — the quickest way to get your bearings before you set out.