Why do Japanese streets hardly have names?

Japan is a strange country with many mysteries, in which unnamed roads also make foreigners confused when looking for an address.

The role of road naming

Most street names in Vietnam are named after their own names, and in the US and many Western countries people use numbers, but do not name but can still find their way, Japan is an exception.

A Japanese neighborhood.(Internet photo).

First, naming a road will help us have an exact address to help find a better location. Naming the road has become a cultural feature of each country.

Therefore, international will immediately define the set of values ​​that Vietnam is pursuing. What cultural message they contain, or to meet administrative and geographic requirements in a convenient way even for foreigners.

Japanese street

Reasonable planning makes it easy to find your way.(Illustration).

If you come to Japan for the first time, foreigners or Vietnamese will feel uncomfortable because they are used to the streets with names. And when asked the name of the street, Japanese people will be surprised!

Because in Japan, they named after each block (instead of the road). This is not a new thing in Japan but from ancient times, becoming a unique interesting feature of the country.

So there is no street name in Japan?

In Japan, big roads still have names.(Illustration).

Actually there is! but very few and only big roads (called Hongo, called Kasuga) have names, and small roads do not. Each block is surrounded by small roads, so the address will become extremely simple.

Block zones. (Illustration).

Based on the cutting paths, it is divided into a district (equivalent in Vietnam) into smaller zones.

For example, Hongo is divided into 5, 6 smaller parts. The Nezu area is smaller, so only split in half, Nezu 1, Nezu 2.

The main roads are named.(Illustration).

Each block is divided into zones and numbered.(Illustration).

In Hongo 2 again divided into 1, 2, 3 . Then in Hongo 2-1, Hongo 2-2 . again, is to the house number. When you want to find a specific number of houses, you will have to search in that block yourself.

It sounds difficult not only to get specific details to your home address, but it is actually quite easy to know the block.

Each block is further divided.(Illustration).

You just need to note that Japan does not number house in order (ie 1 will be close to 2, 2 will be close to 3 .) but numbered according to construction time.

Knowing this will prevent you from being embarrassed when you see house # 1 in front of you but you don't see house number 2 looking anywhere!

Moreover, the address will be simpler, avoiding the hassle and complexity as well as having to think of names for the road.

Thus, instead of naming both the troubled streets and alleys, the name of the whole neighborhood was called in Japan.

If you understand the naming address in Japan, you will easily find the address without a headache.(Illustration).

There is no vertical branch or labyrinth, this is also due to planning in Japan, so you can be assured because you are not afraid of being lost if you know exactly which block you want to find.

With naming rules like in Japan, young people can use maps on the computer. Old people see maps outside. Or when there is no machine, people see the map outside to find it.

One point worth noting is that Japanese people also do not use names of celebrities to name their roads (unknown reasons).

In Korea and North Korea, there is also such a naming method, but in Korea, two systems, an old system and a new Western numbering system are used in parallel.