diff --git a/cpp/route_guide/helper.cc b/cpp/route_guide/helper.cc
index 8c04489837f..3e104963176 100644
--- a/cpp/route_guide/helper.cc
+++ b/cpp/route_guide/helper.cc
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@
  *
  */
 
+#include <algorithm>
+#include <cctype>
 #include <fstream>
 #include <iostream>
 #include <sstream>
@@ -64,9 +66,109 @@ std::string GetDbFileContent(int argc, char** argv) {
   return db.str();
 }
 
+// A simple parser for the json db file. It requires the db file to have the
+// exact form of [{"location": { "latitude": 123, "longitude": 456}, "name":
+// "the name can be empty" }, { ... } ... The spaces will be stripped.
+class Parser {
+ public:
+  explicit Parser(const std::string& db) : db_(db) {
+    // Remove all spaces.
+    db_.erase(
+        std::remove_if(db_.begin(), db_.end(), isspace),
+        db_.end());
+    if (!Match("[")) {
+      SetFailedAndReturnFalse();
+    }
+  }
+
+  bool Finished() {
+    return current_ >= db_.size();
+  }
+
+  bool TryParseOne(Feature* feature) {
+    if (failed_ || Finished() || !Match("{")) {
+      return SetFailedAndReturnFalse();
+    }
+    if (!Match(location_) || !Match("{") || !Match(latitude_)) {
+      return SetFailedAndReturnFalse();
+    }
+    long temp = 0;
+    ReadLong(&temp);
+    feature->mutable_location()->set_latitude(temp);
+    if (!Match(",") || !Match(longitude_)) {
+      return SetFailedAndReturnFalse();
+    }
+    ReadLong(&temp);
+    feature->mutable_location()->set_longitude(temp);
+    if (!Match("},") || !Match(name_) || !Match("\"")) {
+      return SetFailedAndReturnFalse();
+    }
+    size_t name_start = current_;
+    while (current_ != db_.size() && db_[current_++] != '"') {
+    }
+    if (current_ == db_.size()) {
+      return SetFailedAndReturnFalse();
+    }
+    feature->set_name(db_.substr(name_start, current_-name_start-1));
+    if (!Match("},")) {
+      if (db_[current_ - 1] == ']' && current_ == db_.size()) {
+        return true;
+      }
+      return SetFailedAndReturnFalse();
+    }
+    return true;
+  }
+
+ private:
+
+  bool SetFailedAndReturnFalse() {
+    failed_ = true;
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  bool Match(const std::string& prefix) {
+    bool eq = db_.substr(current_, prefix.size()) == prefix;
+    current_ += prefix.size();
+    return eq;
+  }
+
+  void ReadLong(long* l) {
+    size_t start = current_;
+    while (current_ != db_.size() && db_[current_] != ',' && db_[current_] != '}') {
+      current_++;
+    }
+    // It will throw an exception if fails.
+    *l = std::stol(db_.substr(start, current_ - start));
+  }
+
+  bool failed_ = false;
+  std::string db_;
+  size_t current_ = 0;
+  const std::string location_ = "\"location\":";
+  const std::string latitude_ = "\"latitude\":";
+  const std::string longitude_ = "\"longitude\":";
+  const std::string name_ = "\"name\":";
+};
+
 void ParseDb(const std::string& db, std::vector<Feature>* feature_list) {
   feature_list->clear();
+  std::string db_content(db);
+  db_content.erase(
+      std::remove_if(db_content.begin(), db_content.end(), isspace),
+      db_content.end());
 
+  Parser parser(db_content);
+  Feature feature;
+  while (!parser.Finished()) {
+    feature_list->push_back(Feature());
+    if (!parser.TryParseOne(&feature_list->back())) {
+      std::cout << "Error parsing the db file";
+      feature_list->clear();
+      break;
+    }
+  }
+  std::cout << "DB parsed, loaded " << feature_list->size()
+            << " features." << std::endl;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/cpp/route_guide/route_guide_db.json b/cpp/route_guide/route_guide_db.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9d6a980ab7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp/route_guide/route_guide_db.json
@@ -0,0 +1,601 @@
+[{
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 407838351,
+        "longitude": -746143763
+    },
+    "name": "Patriots Path, Mendham, NJ 07945, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 408122808,
+        "longitude": -743999179
+    },
+    "name": "101 New Jersey 10, Whippany, NJ 07981, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 413628156,
+        "longitude": -749015468
+    },
+    "name": "U.S. 6, Shohola, PA 18458, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 419999544,
+        "longitude": -740371136
+    },
+    "name": "5 Conners Road, Kingston, NY 12401, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 414008389,
+        "longitude": -743951297
+    },
+    "name": "Mid Hudson Psychiatric Center, New Hampton, NY 10958, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 419611318,
+        "longitude": -746524769
+    },
+    "name": "287 Flugertown Road, Livingston Manor, NY 12758, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 406109563,
+        "longitude": -742186778
+    },
+    "name": "4001 Tremley Point Road, Linden, NJ 07036, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 416802456,
+        "longitude": -742370183
+    },
+    "name": "352 South Mountain Road, Wallkill, NY 12589, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 412950425,
+        "longitude": -741077389
+    },
+    "name": "Bailey Turn Road, Harriman, NY 10926, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 412144655,
+        "longitude": -743949739
+    },
+    "name": "193-199 Wawayanda Road, Hewitt, NJ 07421, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 415736605,
+        "longitude": -742847522
+    },
+    "name": "406-496 Ward Avenue, Pine Bush, NY 12566, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 413843930,
+        "longitude": -740501726
+    },
+    "name": "162 Merrill Road, Highland Mills, NY 10930, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 410873075,
+        "longitude": -744459023
+    },
+    "name": "Clinton Road, West Milford, NJ 07480, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 412346009,
+        "longitude": -744026814
+    },
+    "name": "16 Old Brook Lane, Warwick, NY 10990, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 402948455,
+        "longitude": -747903913
+    },
+    "name": "3 Drake Lane, Pennington, NJ 08534, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 406337092,
+        "longitude": -740122226
+    },
+    "name": "6324 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11220, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 406421967,
+        "longitude": -747727624
+    },
+    "name": "1 Merck Access Road, Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889, USA"
+}, {
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+        "latitude": 416318082,
+        "longitude": -749677716
+    },
+    "name": "78-98 Schalck Road, Narrowsburg, NY 12764, USA"
+}, {
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+        "longitude": -748416257
+    },
+    "name": "282 Lakeview Drive Road, Highland Lake, NY 12743, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 402647019,
+        "longitude": -747071791
+    },
+    "name": "330 Evelyn Avenue, Hamilton Township, NJ 08619, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 412567807,
+        "longitude": -741058078
+    },
+    "name": "New York State Reference Route 987E, Southfields, NY 10975, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 416855156,
+        "longitude": -744420597
+    },
+    "name": "103-271 Tempaloni Road, Ellenville, NY 12428, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
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+        "longitude": -744820157
+    },
+    "name": "1300 Airport Road, North Brunswick Township, NJ 08902, USA"
+}, {
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+    "name": ""
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+        "longitude": -746784970
+    },
+    "name": "211-225 Plains Road, Augusta, NJ 07822, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 415830701,
+        "longitude": -742952812
+    },
+    "name": ""
+}, {
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+        "latitude": 413447164,
+        "longitude": -748712898
+    },
+    "name": "165 Pedersen Ridge Road, Milford, PA 18337, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 405047245,
+        "longitude": -749800722
+    },
+    "name": "100-122 Locktown Road, Frenchtown, NJ 08825, USA"
+}, {
+    "location": {
+        "latitude": 418858923,
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+    },
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+}, {
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+        "longitude": -748484944
+    },
+    "name": "650-652 Willi Hill Road, Swan Lake, NY 12783, USA"
+}, {
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+        "longitude": -743977337
+    },
+    "name": "26 East 3rd Street, New Providence, NJ 07974, USA"
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+    "name": "100 Mount Pleasant Avenue, Newark, NJ 07104, USA"
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