Google Street View in Japan took a new angle on its service last week and chose to feature extensive footage of several outdoor wonders from the Japanese landscape. The project features 360-degree tours of Okubo-mabu mineshaft and the Akiyoshi-do limestone caverns. The idea is that users of Google Street View can explore the Japanese countryside from the safety and comfort of their homes. It provides an interesting educational opportunity that few who don’t live in Japan or near the wonders could afford.

Google commissioned several photography crews to capture the images and it sounds like this will not be the last time we see projects like this from the technology giant. Just this week Google introduced Street View to South Africa. Interesting views which are already available from Africa include Kruger National Park and Blyde River Canyon. Google Street View is currently available in more than 50 US cities, areas of Australia, large cities in Japan, and many parts of Europe.

Google Street View was launched in 2007 and has becoming more popular every year since. The natural wonders projects it is currently featuring in Japan and Africa are just the first segments of an ongoing effort to feature more than just street views.