By now most of you have probably noticed the small variations in address formats in different countries. But did you know that some of these are actually rooted in distinct perceptions of space?
This short video we found on youtube explains this concept, and a few other cultural differences.
46 comments so far
Wow! I never understood the Japanese addresses, but now they make sense. What a great cultural lesson.
I love this practical philosophy .... it's not about streets and blocks, it's about life in general and POV. I'm mostly very down to earth.....
I'm going to check his site for other insightfulness ...
Interesting! Thanks for sharing your find.
That's how Japanese postal code work.
cool!
Thanks for much for making sense of the addresses for me. I like the Japanese concept.
intresting video nevver new that
Wow that is such a cool video, interesting concepts.
Oh, this is so interesting. I loved it!
Excellent! Next time I get an email from a grumpy public television viewer who insists there is no such thing as global climate change, I'm going to respond "Don't forget ... the opposite is also true" and send a link to video :-)
love it! thanks for posting this. Whoever picks the stuff for this does a great job. It is always very interesting.
so cool! i love this kind of stuff :P and to learn these interesting things
now I know why I was confused when I saw a map of tokyo )))
That's really amazing!
Very interesting. It sure does make you think or should I say it is making me think.
Cool video! That was really interesting, thanks a lot!
wow! Cool clip, interesting information. The speaker doesn't "lecture", but spreaks in a very conversational tone, which makes it even more fun to watch. I'll have to look for his other videos, too. Glad to finally be able to make sense of the japanese addresses.
Thanks for posting this!
Very interesting video! Thank you.
I stole this video from you...it's just too cool! I still however have some confusions about Japanese addresses :)
I think I would still be lost if trying to find a house in Japan, but this is a fascinating tutorial on practical and philosophical! Love it.
Very interesting video! Thanks for sharing with us :D
How would the naming-the-blocks-not-the-streets work when it comes to driving (or walking/biking) directions?
When i was in Japan i never found a shop i've searched - it's to complicate - LOL...
Thank you for posting this. Really interesting stuff.
I saw the map shown at the end in a shop in New Zealand ;o)
That was really neat! Thank you for sharing! I'm going to have to check out more of sivers.org!
Thank that is neat!
very interesting,i never tried to find out the meaning of "x-xx-xx" in japanese address before.
Very interesting! I would love to understand the Finnish system as well. The 17 B 29 thing :-)
Cool, again learned something through Postcrossing!
Very interesting video! Thanks!!!
Very educational! I'd like to see more posts about interesting facts like these!
That was great! I've never thought of such misunderstandings.
Too cool!
Very interesting and instructive video. Thank you for it!
From what I can recall, addresses in Venice (Italy) follow the Japanese approach: the city is divided into districts ("sestriery" as there were originally six) and each house is identified by a number and the name of the district: "1249 San Marco" for instance, often without mention of the road. That makes kind of sense as there are few roads and many canals!
So glad to hear this bit of info. Thanks for sharing. Another reason for loving Postcrossing.
bkoonce: it is often difficult! you can give directions using landmarks, or number of stoplights. actually, major roads do have names. also, where i used to live, all the neighborhoods had tiny maps posted on telephone poles, showing the name and numbers of the blocks. and almost 100% of cars are equipped with navigational systems. i didn't drive but my cell phone also had a navi system. best way, of course, is to have someone show you the way!
Thank you so much for sharing these information. It is cool to actually learn stuff by ones hobby! :)
Nice! :)
Thanks for the lesson! :D
That was really well explained! Thanks!!
This is so funny, I knew that already, mostly because I was in Japan, but was surprised the explaination came from Derek Sivers ^_^ since I associate him with something else.................
What an interesting and informative video. Thanks for sharing.
That was very informative and much appreciated! Thanks for sharing that!
分かりやすかったよ♪日本とアメリカの住所は大きく違うんだね^^
Thanks~~
Thank you! That explains a lot
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