Map of aerial photographs then and now
Overlay old aerial photographs on today's photograph and compare them anywhere in Japan. Move the map and see what the town you live in or a place you remember looked like in the past.
Eras with a dashed border become available when you zoom in further.
Source: GSI Tiles (aerial photographs by era / aerial photographs by fiscal year / latest nationwide photographs)
Locations near here
These are comparison pages with commentary near the place shown on the map. They change as you move the map.
What you can do with this map
- Move the map to overlay and compare old aerial photographs with today's photograph anywhere in Japan
- Use the "Then ⇔ now" slider to change the blend of the two photographs little by little
- Use the era buttons to switch to the photograph of the period you want to see
- Use the "Compare side by side" button to place photographs from different eras on the left and right
- Use the "View today as a map" button to switch today's photograph to a map and check the place by place names and station names
- Enter an address or place name in Japanese to move there
- Use the "Go to my location" button to move to the area around where you are now
The place and era shown, and whether the view is split side by side, are reflected in the page URL. Copy the URL to share the same view as it is.
For places you want to compare closely along with commentary, elevation, and changes in land prices, start from the Find a location page.
Eras and coverage of the photographs
The areas covered by old aerial photographs differ from era to era. Outside the coverage, the map shows a pale plain fill meaning there is no photograph.
| Era | Main coverage |
|---|---|
| c. 1928 | Around the City of Osaka only |
| c. 1936-1942 | Around Tokyo's 23 wards, the City of Osaka, and other areas |
| 1945-1950 | Around major cities across Japan |
| 1961-1969 | A wide area across Japan |
| 1974-1978 | Almost all of Japan, including mountain areas |
| 1979-1983 | Mainly urban areas |
| 1984-1986 | Mainly urban areas |
| 1987-1990 | Mainly urban areas |
| FY2007 | Only the areas photographed in that fiscal year |
| Today | All of Japan |
Even within one era, the time of photography and the color of the photographs (black and white or color) differ by place. The eras and coverage are based on what GSI Tiles provides.
All photographs come from GSI Tiles. For details, see Sources and data.