Implementing a Multilingual Historical Map with MapLibre GL JS + Rekichizu
Following the multilingual support (Japanese, Hiragana, English) added to the historical map service “Rekichizu,” this article introduces how to implement a map with language switching using MapLibre GL JS. What is Rekichizu? Rekichizu is a web service that lets you browse maps of the late Edo period (around 1800-1840) in a modern design. Multilingual support was added in November 2025, and the following three styles are provided. Language Style URL Japanese https://mierune.github.io/rekichizu-style/styles/street/style.json Hiragana https://mierune.github.io/rekichizu-style/styles/street/style_hira.json English https://mierune.github.io/rekichizu-style/styles/street/style_en.json Simple HTML Version Here is an example implemented with plain HTML + JavaScript without any framework. The display language is switched based on a GET parameter (?lang=en). ...