In this paper, we describe characteristics of streets in Japan and France using an image map questionnaire.
Nowadays, in developed countries like Japan and France, two contradictory aspects in the street space could be found. One is a functional homologousness regarding motorization, and the other is a cultural heterogeneity as a public space.
This space in Japan and in France might be different from a semiotic point of view. “TORI” in Japanese and “RUE” in French is translatable designation of street (signifiant). But each designation might have different meaning (signifie).
The image is focused to describe a cultural meaning of street space. The image is not just a copy of perception, but it is an expression of meaning of the object. Then, the image map questionnaire that asks images of streets is used as an investigation method.
To analyze data from questionnaires, we propose “Matrix Ordonnable (orderable matrix)” as an analyze method that was developed by J. Bertin. In “Matrix Ordonnable”. the numerical data of matrix is replaced by the pictorial figure. That lets us visually review relations of all data. Comparing to reading a numerical statistical matrix, “Matrix Ordonnable” : visualized matrix is assumed to reduce the time to recognize all relations of data in the matrix.
As a result, characteristics of streets in Japan and France could be explained by common elements of images. Some particular equipments or peculiar uses in each culture are not only representative factors to explain the street space in Japan and France. We find also an ambiguous distinction among the streets in Japan. In France, there is a clear distinction between spaces for automobile and for pedestrian. However, Japanese street space does not have such a binary distinction, but polythetic distinction.
This characteristic could be also found when we observe a hierarchy of street on map. The streets in Japan can be presented with using tree scales of map. On the other hand, in case of France, we can see them by two scales of map. Therefore, Japanese street space is pointed out by multiply layered maps.
The analysis by the “Matrix Ordonnable” let us observe basic elements with which streets spaces are composite. Even if replacing numerical data to pictorial figure lost the stringency of the data, this method enables us to observe and to search visually useful information from data.