— THE JAPANORAMA TOURNAMENT —
RACE ACROSSJAPAN
Early AccessA virtual journey across Japan, played from your desk on real map and timetable data. Every prefecture starts locked, and you cannot leave one until you complete a challenge inside it. Trains, subways and ferries run on their real schedules, and the challenges pay for your tickets. Everyone rides from the same starting time, one attempt each, and the fastest journey wins.
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SEE IT IN MOTION
A look at the journey
HOW THE TOURNAMENT WORKS
Join. Unlock. Earn. Arrive.
- 01
Join when it suits you
The tournament stays open until its closing date, and you set off whenever you like. One thing to know before you click: joining starts your attempt, and you only get one.
- 02
The bottom of Japan to the top
You start at Nishi-Oyama in Kagoshima, the southernmost station on Japan's JR network, and you finish at Wakkanai on the northern tip of Hokkaido, the northernmost. In a straight line that is about 1,850 km.
- 03
Claim Japan prefecture by prefecture
Every prefecture starts locked, Kagoshima included, and you cannot leave a locked one, on foot or on any ride. Complete a challenge inside it and it is yours. A train may carry you into a locked prefecture but never through one, and the finish counts only once Hokkaido is unlocked too.
- 04
Earn your fare
You cannot ride for free. Challenges — photograph a given subject, work out where a picture was taken — pay in coins. Beyond the coins you start with, those payouts are your only income, and they buy your tickets.
- 05
Beat the clock
Everyone leaves the same station at the same date and time, so you are all offered the same departures. Reach the destination in the fastest time to win.
WHAT PLAYING IT IS LIKE
Real schedules, real fares
Real timetables
Trains, subways and ferries move on their published schedules. Miss a connection and you wait for the next one.
A map you unlock
A chip on screen names the prefecture you are in and whether it is locked, and the map shades the ones you have unlocked. Plan each hop border by border.
Fares you have to earn
New coins come from one place only: the challenges you take on. And the faster the service, the dearer the seat — the express gets you there sooner, if you can pay for it.
The same start for everyone
Everybody sets off from the same station at the same date and time, so the times mean something.
Watch it back
Once the tournament closes, every entrant's journey can be replayed on the map: the trains they caught, the challenges they stopped for, and the moment they arrived.
Nothing to install
It runs in your desktop browser and it is free to play. Make an account and you can be at the starting station in minutes.
EARNING YOUR FARE
The challenges you will be offered
Scavenger hunt
You are handed a few kinds of subject to find and photograph. Cover enough of them to pass, and every extra subject you bring back pushes the grade higher.
GeoGuessr
A few rounds of street-level photos of a spot on the map, taken facing away from the landmark itself so you cannot simply recognise it. Place your guess — the closer it lands, the better you score.
Find & frame
Two parts: track down a nearby place from its clues, then stand where an existing photo of it was taken and line the same shot up again.
Walking tour
Cross into neighbouring regions and tick off one given kind of place in each — a park in one, a post office in the next.
Field trip trivia
Walk to a landmark and study its dossier when you arrive, for as long as you like. Then face a closed-book quiz on it against a short clock: every answer has to be right.
Postcard match
Tour a few landmarks pinned on the map without their names. Each one tells you its story when you arrive, never its picture. Then match the postcards to their pins before the clock runs out.
Retrace your steps
Take a curated walk that starts nearby, then put its waypoints back in the order you passed them, against the clock.
QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
FAQ
How do I pay for the tickets?
With the coins you start with, and then by doing challenges. They pay more the harder they are, and they are the only income in the game. You need one in every prefecture anyway to unlock it, so the choice is which ones to take, and whether to earn a little more for a faster train.
What does a locked prefecture mean?
You cannot leave it: not on foot, and not on any train, ferry or taxi. Complete one challenge anywhere inside it and it stays unlocked for the rest of your journey. A ride may end in a locked prefecture, but it cannot pass through one.
Is it free to play?
Yes — Worldboard is free to play. Members play ad-free and can run the in-game clock at up to 80×, so a long ride passes in moments; you can become a member any time from the shop.
Am I racing other people at the same time?
No. You travel alone, whenever you like, any time before the tournament closes — you are racing their times, not their avatars. GeoRace also has live races against other players outside tournaments.
What if I don't finish?
After the tournament closes you can keep playing your game for fun — it simply no longer counts towards the results.
How long does it take?
Expect four to eight hours of play, depending on the journey you take and how much time you spend earning fares. You can stop and pick your game back up later, as long as you finish before the tournament closes.
JAPAN IS THERACETRACK
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FREE TO PLAY · RUNS IN YOUR BROWSER · ONE ATTEMPT EACH