🗾 A 3D visualization of Japan’s urban migration (2000–2020)
Inspired by many videos and news reports about the depopulation of rural Japan, I created this 3D map to illustrate the shifting population patterns. In some villages, there are now almost no inhabitants left.
Japan’s total population has remained relatively stable during this period, going from 126.8 million to 126.3 million. However, the map shows the movement of people from the countryside to urban centers over two decades.
This map was initially planned for the “Time and Space” and “A New Tool” categories of the hashtag#30DayMapChallenge, as I used Blender to create and render it. After a busy week, though, it fits perfectly with today’s “3D” theme 😄
The yearly population data comes from the WorldPop dataset for the respective years.