A literary map of A Handbook for Travellers in Japan (Murray’s Handbooks, 1901) by Basil Hall Chamberlain and W. B. Mason — the classic Meiji-era guide that led foreign travellers the length of the empire, from Yezo to Formosa.
Our aim is to visualise the amazing journeys they mapped: every numbered route in the handbook plotted stop by stop — railway lines, steamer coasts, mountain roads and temple approaches — so you can follow the paths a traveller of 1901 was invited to take.
Select a route from the sidebar, or tap an amber pin on the overview to expand it. Each stop opens with the handbook’s own words and a note on what stands there today.