I sent Japanese address as below:

https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/geocode/json?address=福岡市南区長住二丁目２２番４２号&key=XXXXXXXXXX

“福岡市南区長住二丁目２２番” is real address, but “４２号” is fictional.

Then, I received two results.
One of them has “日本、〒811-1362 福岡県福岡市南区長住２丁目２２”.
The other has “日本、〒815-0075 福岡県福岡市南区長丘２丁目２２−４２”.
Note that the town name differs by one letter.

My expected result is first and second is unexpected.
To make matters worse, unexpected result comes at the beginning of the result array.

To add more information, “福岡県福岡市南区長丘２丁目２２−４２” is real address, and is that of Nagaoka Elementary School.

Why does API return town with one letter difference?

I requested another town witch has another town with one letter difference as test, but I can’t get another town with one letter difference.
I suspect that this is special issue for “長丘” and “長住”.

Does anyone know cause of this?

I paste full result.

{
  "results": [
    {
      "address_components": [
        {
          "long_name": "４２",
          "short_name": "４２",
          "types": [
            "premise"
          ]
        },
        {
          "long_name": "２２",
          "short_name": "２２",
          "types": [
            "political",
            "sublocality",
            "sublocality_level_4"
          ]
        },
        {
          "long_name": "２丁目",
          "short_name": "２丁目",
          "types": [
            "political",
            "sublocality",
            "sublocality_level_3"
          ]
        },
        {
          "long_name": "長丘",
          "short_name": "長丘",
          "types": [
            "political",
            "sublocality",
            "sublocality_level_2"
          ]
        },
        {
          "long_name": "南区",
          "short_name": "南区",
          "types": [
            "political",
            "sublocality",
            "sublocality_level_1"
          ]
        },
        {
          "long_name": "福岡市",
          "short_name": "福岡市",
          "types": [
            "locality",
            "political"
          ]
        },
        {
          "long_name": "福岡県",
          "short_name": "福岡県",
          "types": [
            "administrative_area_level_1",
            "political"
          ]
        },
        {
          "long_name": "日本",
          "short_name": "JP",
          "types": [
            "country",
            "political"
          ]
        },
        {
          "long_name": "815-0075",
          "short_name": "815-0075",
          "types": [
            "postal_code"
          ]
        }
      ],
      "formatted_address": "日本、〒815-0075 福岡県福岡市南区長丘２丁目２２−４２",
      "geometry": {
        "location": {
          "lat": 33.5570182,
          "lng": 130.3964644
        },
        "location_type": "ROOFTOP",
        "viewport": {
          "northeast": {
            "lat": 33.5583993802915,
            "lng": 130.397728980292
          },
          "southwest": {
            "lat": 33.5557014197085,
            "lng": 130.395031019709
          }
        }
      },
      "place_id": "ChIJGSSCE1yRQTURBQxuwuifLjA",
      "plus_code": {
        "compound_code": "H94W+RH 日本、福岡県福岡市",
        "global_code": "8Q5GH94W+RH"
      },
      "types": [
        "street_address"
      ]
    },
    {
      "address_components": [
        {
          "long_name": "２２",
          "short_name": "２２",
          "types": [
            "political",
            "sublocality",
            "sublocality_level_4"
          ]
        },
        {
          "long_name": "２丁目",
          "short_name": "２丁目",
          "types": [
            "political",
            "sublocality",
            "sublocality_level_3"
          ]
        },
        {
          "long_name": "長住",
          "short_name": "長住",
          "types": [
            "political",
            "sublocality",
            "sublocality_level_2"
          ]
        },
        {
          "long_name": "南区",
          "short_name": "南区",
          "types": [
            "political",
            "sublocality",
            "sublocality_level_1"
          ]
        },
        {
          "long_name": "福岡市",
          "short_name": "福岡市",
          "types": [
            "locality",
            "political"
          ]
        },
        {
          "long_name": "福岡県",
          "short_name": "福岡県",
          "types": [
            "administrative_area_level_1",
            "political"
          ]
        },
        {
          "long_name": "日本",
          "short_name": "JP",
          "types": [
            "country",
            "political"
          ]
        },
        {
          "long_name": "811-1362",
          "short_name": "811-1362",
          "types": [
            "postal_code"
          ]
        }
      ],
      "formatted_address": "日本、〒811-1362 福岡県福岡市南区長住２丁目２２",
      "geometry": {
        "bounds": {
          "northeast": {
            "lat": 33.5503503,
            "lng": 130.397096
          },
          "southwest": {
            "lat": 33.5493958,
            "lng": 130.3964826
          }
        },
        "location": {
          "lat": 33.5497659,
          "lng": 130.396701
        },
        "location_type": "GEOMETRIC_CENTER",
        "viewport": {
          "northeast": {
            "lat": 33.5512220302915,
            "lng": 130.398138280292
          },
          "southwest": {
            "lat": 33.5485240697085,
            "lng": 130.395440319709
          }
        }
      },
      "place_id": "ChIJ3du0wlCRQTURG1JrdEY488g",
      "types": [
        "political",
        "sublocality",
        "sublocality_level_4"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "status": "OK"
}