The Atlas of Japan, Natural Features and Built Territory​

The Atlas of Japan gathers 164 colorful maps showing the diversity of the Japanese territory using a very expressive and accessible graphic style.

Volcanoes, cities, islands

Shōmitsu Nippon Chizu, The Atlas of Japan, was published by Nippon Shoin in Tokyo in 1956. The atlas consists of 164 maps, in full color, some on double sheets. The table of contents is a very intuitive map separating the Japanese territory into different regions detailed in the following sheets. The maps detail the specificities of the natural and built territory. The atlas is a complete overview of geological and natural features, administrative divisions, principal cities, seaports, rivers, straits, hot springs, mountains, volcanoes, roads, railroads and forests. The main cities are represented as well as the major geological sites of Japan such as the famous Mount Fuji.
The specificity of some maps is their graphic representation. First of all, the relief is shown by hachures, gradient tints, contours and spot heights. In addition to the elevation chart, depths are shown by isolines, soundings and bathymetric tints. But even more impressive, some topographic elements go beyond the map frame, producing a new immersive dimension.