I had this crazy, yet somewhat fun Idea for a bit of a sidequest in my Japanese studies today. I'm rather interested in what can be achieved memory wise in a short amount of time ever since learning about anki and mnemonics and the like...

Years ago I heard that some London taxi drivers have to obtain whats called "the knowledge" aka "know every street in london backwards or you can't work for us". So I thought it might be fun to memorize Tokyo so that when I go there next year I'll know where I am!

Whilst having a drink with 彼女 I thought of a fast way to do it. Using anki, Memorize the location of all the suburbs in Tokyo and how to read their names (bonus points for production!). Then, Memorize all the streets but don't memorize where they are or which street they connect to, instead, just learn which suburb they're in. That way, no matter where you are if you just look at a street sign you'll know which suburb you're in and which suburbs surround it. If you had a compass you could functionally get anywhere with this knowledge

You'd also memorize the major road networks and how the connect to each other. That way you could effectively make you're way around the entire city utilizing the main roads and highways.

Now I know you could just use a map or a GPS... but...

Where the hells the fun in that??

I'm GOING to do this... starting right after I finish KO2001 in about a month.

[Katsuo]

Only major roads tend to have names here.

Most people move around by train, so I'd suggest memorizing the Yamanote line stations.

Great idea! Thanks I'll put trains on my list

What Katsuo said. Addresses are different in Japan.

A typical Tokyo address is 2-7-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo [or more properly 東京都千代田区丸の内2-7-2). This means that the location in question is in Tokyo, in Chiyoda-ku (do learn the ku), in the Marunouchi section of Chiyoda-ku, in the 2nd chou of Marunouchi, in the 7th choume (block), at the second location around the block.

Street names don't come into play at all for addresses.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_addressing_system for lots moe info.

Google Maps will show you locations in Japan and Tokyo just as well as it does anywhere else. Use it to explore.

For people who use iknow, there is a Yamanote line list:

http://smart.fm/lists/48443-jr

I haven't studied these yet but I did memorize the 47 prefecture names in kanji as a fun way to get a little more familiar with Japanese geography.

Umikuma Wrote:What Katsuo said. Addresses are different in Japan.

A typical Tokyo address is 2-7-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo [or more properly 東京都千代田区丸の内2-7-2). This means that the location in question is in Tokyo, in Chiyoda-ku (do learn the ku), in the Marunouchi section of Chiyoda-ku, in the 2nd chou of Marunouchi, in the 7th choume (block), at the second location around the block.

Street names don't come into play at all for addresses.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_addressing_system for lots moe info.

Google Maps will show you locations in Japan and Tokyo just as well as it does anywhere else. Use it to explore.

Very informative I shall take this into account and revise my plan.
I definately am going to get some geography on a larger scale down pat too.

An idea I had that's related more to writing and research than to personal navigation is using flickr/Google Street View to acquire pictures and stick them into Anki, too, when you're memorizing geography (and I'm personally less interested in bird's eye views and prefer the spatial/associative aspect you seem to be going for), so you'll have some street level perspectives on these places. Perhaps pictures of the signs themselves? (Or the stations). Of course, if you want something dynamic and nuanced like the 'the knowledge', you need to stay up to date and keep an eye on the transient, interstitial areas, of which the aforementioned stations are a part.

Someone posted a picture of a person doing Google Street View from a bicycle--I could actually see them doing this for Japan, especially, as this seems more appropriate to maintaining privacy (avoiding peeping over those fences) and more in keeping with the oft-traveled routes (rather than roving through those districts that are located in low pedestrian/ busy traffic areas and unused to 'nosy' busy traffic).

Katsuo Wrote:Most people move around by train, so I'd suggest memorizing the Yamanote line stations.

I have this crazy idea of making an anki deck with each station's jingle on the question side and I have to remember the station's name.

Codexus Wrote:

Katsuo Wrote:Most people move around by train, so I'd suggest memorizing the Yamanote line stations.

I have this crazy idea of making an anki deck with each station's jingle on the question side and I have to remember the station's name.

That is awesome!

The only related jingle I know is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dryanse

Which reminds me, I need to change my ringtone from Chakushin Ari's to the above. I still shiver every time my phone rings but I'll be cursed if I try to change it.

Codexus Wrote:

Katsuo Wrote:Most people move around by train, so I'd suggest memorizing the Yamanote line stations.

I have this crazy idea of making an anki deck with each station's jingle on the question side and I have to remember the station's name.

That's pretty brilliant!
A friend and I actually got really thrown off while we were traveling through Tohoku recently... There was a station somewhere in Aomori that had a jingle that started off really similar to either Hachioji or Takao and it totally threw us off. haha.

But yeah - learning the names of train lines/stations would get you a better start, especially in Tokyo. Heck, even though cars are more prominent where I live people still don't give directions by street names (there are none - save for like major national/prefectural highways... and really big streets in say, Kofu), it's all done by landmark... occasionally by intersection name... but even then they'll still toss in "There will be a grocery store on your right... " or something along those lines to go with it.

wow I had a minor idea of how crazy finding your way around in Japan was but I didn't know it was this crazy!

I guess if every street had a name and that name was all in kanji no one would really know how to read them all correctly so they couldn't realiably tell anyone how to get anywhere? Or they just found another way to do things?

I love the idea of using street view! And landmarks are also a plus. The stations have jingles? I want that Anki deck! Let me know if you make it.

Umikuma Wrote:What Katsuo said. Addresses are different in Japan.

Yes, much more logical to go from the general to the specific, as they do in Japan, than from the specific to the general, as in the US. US mail sorters (who sit at machines all day and route mail -- how utterly boring but necessary) have to be trained to read from the bottom up as a result of the US order.

[Katsuo]

mezbup Wrote:I love the idea of using street view!

"Google Earth" (the free application) gives an incredible rendition of Tokyo because most buildings in the central area have now been modeled.

In the Layers panel you need to checkmark "3D Buildings".
There are controls in the corner of the picture to change the viewing angles, but I find it better to use the keyboard and mouse, i.e.

Zoom in & out = scroll wheel
Change vertical angle = "shift key" + scroll wheel
Change horizontal angle = "command key" + scroll wheel
(on a Mac)

You need a fairly fast Internet connection and computer for it to work well.

Katsuo Wrote:

mezbup Wrote:I love the idea of using street view!

"Google Earth" (the free application) gives an incredible rendition of Tokyo because most buildings in the central area have now been modeled.

In the Layers panel you need to checkmark "3D Buildings".
There are controls in the corner of the picture to change the viewing angles, but I find it better to use the keyboard and mouse, i.e.

Zoom in & out = scroll wheel
Change vertical angle = "shift key" + scroll wheel
Change horizontal angle = "command key" + scroll wheel
(on a Mac)

You need a fairly fast Internet connection and computer for it to work well.

Oh wow! Most of where I live is probably still 2D and will be forever. Nice tool to have to aid me in my quest