Tokyo, Japan is one of the most populated and busy cities in the world. With the huge population and small amount of land, Tokyo is often seen as overcrowded. Specifically in Tokyo, there is a lively city called Shibuya. This map,¹ along with many other maps of Tokyo, represents Tokyo as a place that tourists like to go to. It highlights the places that tourists would find most useful and interesting, such as the train station and hotels. It makes it seem like Shibuya revolves around tourism. The map represents places where people can find restaurants, entertainment, and shopping. These kind of tourist places and activities are often associated with younger tourists. Therefore, it is assumed that Shibuya is full of young people. With the entertainment destinations, such as clubs and bars, the age range for Shibuya would probably be 20-30 years old. There are plenty of 20-30 year olds who have children, so what is there for children to do in Tokyo/Shibuya? How is the city managed? It should be a necessity to show where people can get help if needed. This map also does not show where people live. A huge population (and small amount of land, similar to New York) means that there should be apartments where residents can live. Even though there are a lot of tourists, where do the workers live? This map forgets to show that there are local Japanese working and living in Tokyo. The map shows that the different shopping districts, hotels, dining, and places for entertainment are seen to be close together. This means that the land is scarce and everything should be relatively expensive. Also with the train station and exits shown in the map, it is assumed that the people in Tokyo relies heavily on public transportation. And with big shopping districts represented in the map, a lot of walking is necessary. This could discourage the elderly from visiting Tokyo. 




My alternative map highlights places that may not be often included in maps for tourists. I did not highlight shopping districts so instead, I made points of interest more specific instead of general. Japan is such a small country and Tokyo is a large city where people work. Maps shouldn't just represent the places for tourists to go to. I marked places for everyone, people of all ages, can go to. These places include different schools, clubs, police station, hospital, apartments, convenience store, and other small stores. My map goes against the tourists maps. It does not represent the shopping districts, or more specifically the big and expensive department stores. There are many people, tourists included, who would want to know where the local residents go to (or maybe they're looking to move to this area). What schools are around? Where do people go in case of an emergency? I also marked the National Stadium since the 2020 Olympic Games will be held there. Part of being a tourist is learning about culture and customs, which is why I included schools and apartments. I also included small stores, ones that are kid friendly. Kiddy Land and Adores are generally targeted at children. And places like Club Quattro are for the adults. If I had just marked places like clubs, bars, and other entertainment venues, some people would assume that Shibuya is just for the young adults, which can make it a "dirty" city. With this map, I wanted to show that Tokyo can be for almost everybody. It should not be just limited to the young adults and the attractions for tourists. In a way it does cover up the night life and the dirtiness that some people view Shibuya. But I wanted to show other places in Shibuya that represents innocence and a community by marking places such as schools, apartments, and the police station and hospital.

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1.Spacey, John. Map of Shibuya: Understand Shibuya in 90 Seconds. 25 May 2012. Japan Talk. Web. 31 January 2014

2. Japan Guide. "Shibuya." Web. 17 March 2014

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