Tokyo Eat Map Dream by Julian Hoffmann Anton

This animation of an “infinite map”—a “data dream”—depicts the density of restaurants in central Tokyo, with an imaginative twist: it’s morphed into a traditional Japanese ramen dish. This creative motion-graphics data piece merges elements of heatmaps, density maps, and contour visualizations into a single, flavorful fusion. Inspired by journeys through vibrant neighborhoods, by dining in unexpected bars and restaurants, and by blending reality with fantasy, I envisioned a 3D map as a dish—or perhaps it’s the dish as a map. Animated in a eternal loop, it reveals Tokyo’s culinary hotspots through the warm steam rising from the broth, immersed in ambient Japanese restaurant sounds—stirring viewers’ appetites for new flavors, evoking memories of past adventures, and igniting dreams of future travels.

This evolving data visualisation was initially made for the #30DayMapChallenge as a still visualization, then revisited, embellished, sonified and animated in March 2024 for a Digital Art Exposition.

GIS and Data Analysis: made in R
Data: OpenStreetMap Contributors 2021
Visualization: Blender, R, and Photoshop
Animation: Blender and DaVinci Resolve

Link: https://www.julian-hoffmann-anton.com/tokyo-eat-map-dream
Back-up link: https://youtu.be/aJnocpnWuSs