The website, DQN Today, describes itself as a crowdsourced guide to help house hunters avoid neighborhoods inhabited by “stupid parents who let their children play on roads and parking lots.” It is populated by maps visualizing the dorozoku, or “road tribe,” a term that applies to people who block the way or wreak havoc in public.

Residents who find noise unbearable have found an outlet in the website, which collects anonymous gripes about neighbors and pins every grievance on an interactive map, creating an elaborate record of the irritating sounds and sights of Japan.

Since then, it has grown exponentially as it has stirred debate, especially over what experts say appears to be society’s growing intolerance for the sounds of children at play.

While many on social media have lauded the website for shedding light on the problem of noise, some parents find its approach troubling and fear a growing divide between families with children and neighbors who cannot stand them.

But some parents become defensive over complaints about their children, making it difficult for others to approach them with concerns, he said.

“In the past, parents apologized and discipline their kids,” he said.

The mapping site does not permit comments directly targeting private residences or schools, but it does allow references to unattended children playing on nearby roads, noting that it was ultimately the responsibility of parents and schools to supervise children at all times.

Over the years, residents in various parts of the country have campaigned against the construction of nursery schools, even as parents have called for more affordable day-care options.

Experts see a growing intolerance toward children at play as some in the country’s aging population become less familiar with the sounds of small children.

Over the years, residents in various districts have campaigned against the construction of nursery schools, even as parents have called for more affordable day care options and economists are worried that people in Japan, which has the oldest population, aren’t having enough babies.