Android Offline Maps / GPS for walking

I know this has been asked several years ago but I'm looking for the best Android apps to allow me to navigate around on foot, that don�ft require a data connection.

It seems google maps can no longer cache in Japan as this was removed some releases ago, I have Maps with me but wondered what else there is.

If possible would like navigation as well and option to add points of interest.

Lastly when I view google maps on my browser I get some English, but via Android I get all Japanese - any idea how to rectify this?

Thanks

I use MapsWithMe and then download the Japan map

I just tried that app, and I don't know about other places around the world, but the Japan map seems to be utter garbage, completely unusable.

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Android
For a list of free OpenStreetMaps offline apps.

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Otherwise, iPhone has http://www.mapfan.com/mobile/iphone/index.html which works great offline.

I don't mean to be all negative today, but openmaps for Japan is even worse than that last map. While it marks parking lots, individual toilets and random buildings, it's missing most Tokyo town names and block numbers.

I would recommend Osmand. It allows you to download/pre-load various types of maps, including Google Maps. I've been pre-loading it (for the last several months) with a vast amount of location favorites and Google Maps (at multiple zoom levels) for my upcoming Japan trip, and so far, its been great for me. It even does offline routing and POI searches.

Hopefully, it'll be what you are looking for.

Osmand. It allows you to download/pre-load various types of maps

Well that was disappointing - after a rather arduous installation process, the only map available to download for Japan seems to be the same useless map that MapsWithMe uses.

Sorry I don't have something more positive to contribute - I've been looking for an offline map too, and will report if I find anything.

I've been using Maps With Me just fine in Japan. However, I also have used an app called OruxMaps (Android only I think) to download from Google Maps and I use that a lot also.

Yes, through the 'Offline Data Manager', all of the downloadable maps are from whatever-that-source-is.

But if you go into 'Settings' then to 'Online Maps', you will find the 'Map source settings'. Go to the 'Tile map source' drop-down and select "GoogleMaps". Make sure that 'Online maps (tiles)' and 'Use Internet' are both checked. You'll see that this is also where you can select additional map sources to overlay and/or underlay the base map, with adjustable transparencies.

Now, while your device has access to the internet, go to the Map and locate (via manual scrolling, coordinates search, etc.) the area that you want mapped. As you'll notice, the Osmand app will display the Google Map tiles of any area that is in the screenview of your device. Every tile that is displayed will actually be downloaded/cached onto your SD card (or internal memory, if you choose). You can zoom in and out to download tiles from different zoom levels.

And if you want to download multiple zoom level maps all at once, instead of manually scrolling around for hours, it is very simple. Find the area that you want mapped. 'Zoom out' until the full area is displayed on the screen of your device. 'Long press' any area on the screen... a lat./long. coordinates box will pop up. Click on the box and a list of options will pop up. Select 'Download map'. At this point you will a slider that lists your current zoom level on the left and the maximum available zoom on the right. The further you slide the bar to the right, the more zoom levels you will download (and the more MBs or GBs of free space you'll need). Press the 'Download' button and it will download everything at once.

Make sure that you have a lot of free space if you plan on caching vast amounts of area at multiple zoom levels. My cache folder for Osaka and most of Tokyo is around 9-10GBs.

I'm currently in Japan and using MapsWithMePro for my android device. I find that it's a big improvement over the regular free MapsWithMe. Granted it costs a small fee, but being able to pin locations (and I believe a faster response time) makes traveling with it easy. I also use oMaps on my iPhone (jailbroken) but it has seemed to disappear out of cyberspace (it used Zenrin maps, which I think was not properly licensed)

One suggestion I would make is to always have paper maps for areas that just seem to interfere with signals or construction zones that detour you off your path.

I have printed many of the maps (that I believe Uji made?) from this site, and when I am lost or confused, I have found people are more than willing to help you out when you point to the location you are trying to get to.

Good luck to you.

Older versions of Google maps included offline map usage as a "lab" option. Once Google made that option "regular" they restricted its use to certain regions (i.e. prevented it in others) due to licensing issues of the maps (which they buy from third parties). This affects Japan and numerous other places in the world.
One option is to go back to an older version of Google maps.

Going to Japan soon and been searching for a good android map. All seem like trash when most don't offer japan, and require a 3rd party app for caching. The one below came out recently and holds some promise. Anyone in Japan care to try it out? Reviews seem good for android.

MapFactor: GPS Navigation from the Google Play store. And it's free....

Why waste time looking for applications that do not work when it is so easy to rent a wireless router in Tokyo. I have google map in my pocket and all applications that operate at 100% with a device that cost me 8900 yen for 30 days + 900 yen for a charger. And it works allover Japan. If you want the website address: https://www.wifi-hire.com/ryokin.html
The company is located in Shinjuku.

Are you joking right???? That is 100$... nice try to advertise your product dude, but asking "why does anyone want a free map caching when you can have a router for just 100$" sounds funny to say the least!

I haven't tried any of these so don't come complaining to me if they are rubbish. I am just providing some more options that may or may not work.

iOS

http://www.gogonavigator.com/gogonavi_04_eng.php
http://www.enfour.com/iphone/apps/gm/findtokyo.html

Android

Locus Map
MapFactor: GPS Navigation

Ok, so if Open Street Maps isn't much use, offline Google maps using any Android app capable of this:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.robert.maps

Otherwise, just spend the ~$100 for a used iPhone and use Mapfan for iPhone:
http://www.mapfan.com/iphone/plus/mfiphone.html
which pretty much has the entire country offlined (1.7GB). It was able to correctly located and map obscure graveyards in Saitama with the address.

Are you joking right???? That is 100$... nice try to advertise your product dude, but asking "why does anyone want a free map caching when you can have a router for just 100$" sounds funny to say the least!

Because generally speaking, Japan is poorly covered by the free offline map apps and/or they require tedious and resource heavy map caching to be of any use. That may be no problem for you, but that's probably already beyond the abilities of the average user.

And to be fair, the poster was listing renting a router as an alternative for those that don't want to go through that trouble of using offline maps (and although new to me, the link points to be a particularly low cost service). So yes, $100 is a lot more than free, but time is money and not everyone values them both equally.