Devlog: Tokyo Map (Offline Interactive Travel Map)

Note: the transcript auto-labeled multiple “speakers,” but it’s just me.

Context / Why I started it

I was planning a second trip to Tokyo (I’d already been once), and I wanted a simple interactive map I could carry around. Goal: see all my “places I want to hit” clustered by neighborhood so I can sanity-check routes and density at a glance.

What I built (the idea)

• A locally saved, single HTML file I could keep on my phone.
• Pins for each point of interest, where each pin includes:
  • metadata
  • images
  • links (per location)

Data / Inputs

• Pulled a lot of map GeoJSON data.
• Used APIs to pull location data + images/descriptions (I think it was Google Maps, but I need to confirm before I say that publicly).

Result

It was a “nice little tool,” and honestly pretty cool to see everything visualized like that–feels like it should be great for travel. There are probably better replacements already (maybe not free).

What actually happened

I started it only a couple days before leaving, so I didn’t have time to polish it…and I didn’t end up using it. Yeah.

If I revive it later (quick notes)

• Confirm/record exact data sources (especially the images/descriptions pipeline).
• Start earlier next time so it’s not “cool concept, zero finish.”
• Quick win: add a basic “near me / next stop” mode + offline-friendly caching so it’s actually used in-motion (not just admired).