Without ever setting foot in a neighborhood, Google Inc.'s Street View service allows anyone to take a tour by computer.
Type an address into the program and in an instant you are virtually whisked to the desired spot in any of 12 cities in Japan, including Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka. Launched Aug. 5, the service, operated by Google's Japan unit, uses photos taken from cars cruising the streets.
The U.S. parent, owner of the world's most visited Internet search engine, began the service in the U.S. in May last year. It's now available in Australia and some European countries.