Beware of Tokyo Maps

One of the frustrating things I found in Japan were their maps. Tokyo is a big, dense place so it is very hard to get around, even if you have an address and know where you are going. So what they are very good about are having lots of maps around that are very detailed. Nice works guys.

The downside is that unlike maps I'm used to (always having north at the top) the maps in Japan are oriented in the direction that you are facing. For example, if you are looking at a map that has been mounted facing south, then the orientation of the map will have the top of the map pointing south. Make sense? Check out the two photos below that I took at the Imperial Gardens about 20 yards away from each other. It might look as if I've rotated the photo since the "you are here" mark is so close in them both but that is not the case. Notice the direction North arrow. This messed with my head the whole time I was there.