Role of Maps and Public Street Signs in Wayfinding Behavior by Foreign Visitors

Abstract

In wayfinding behavior, individuals occasionally use public street signs to confirm their current position on the map and find their way. Foreign visitors, in particular, tend to rely on public signs in unfamiliar environments to ensure their position and location. However, few studies in cartography have dealt with the role of signs in wayfinding behavior of tourists and their relationship to maps. This study examined the current status of public street signs, maps, and related issues in wayfinding behavior by foreign visitors. We obtained data on public signs from our fieldwork in Shinjuku District, Tokyo. For the current study, information displayed on 187 signs was recorded, and locations of these signs were geocoded. Data analysis revealed that 65.7% of the signs included a map. In Shinjuku, public signs were unevenly distributed, and many signs were seen in the new urban area situated on the western side of the district. According to the typology of public signs, signs with maps were classified as guiding signs that are used to identify one’s current location and find one’s way. To prepare for the increase in the number of foreign visitors, most of the signs in Shinjuku displayed pictograms and multilingual annotations. The maps on the signs were aligned with the direction of the viewer to avoid problems caused by the alignment effect. Thus, the direction sign can be regarded as an environmental cue connecting the map and real-world space.