Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Japan/Archive/May 2007

Japan-related stubs
I just added about a bazillion (okay, maybe only 20 or so) new stubs of which I previously hadn't been aware to the master list here. If you know of any others, please add them to the list. Please also reference the list if you need to find an appropriate stub (or stubs) with which to tag an article stub. ··· 日本穣 ? · Talk to Nihon joe 05:58, 28 April 2007 (UTC)

Update
There are several new stubs (just created today and yesterday) and a couple more that have been found, so please go here and refresh your memory as to which stubs are available. If you know of one that isn't listed there, please add it to the appropriate section. Thanks! ··· 日本穣 ? · Talk to Nihon joe 23:34, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Japanese name
Japanese name is (necessarily) a long page, and I may not have read it carefully enough. But I get the impression that some of what it says is wrong. Meanwhile, I'm very much aware that I have little or no expertise in these matters. I've blabbed on the talk page; see in particular this chunk thereof. If you can comment (e.g. "Shut up Hoary, ya ignoramus!") please do so there rather than here. -- Hoary 05:31, 2 May 2007 (UTC) ... PS I also have questions about Japanese grammar, on that article's talk page. -- Hoary 05:34, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

Law for Temporary Measures concerning University Management
I suggested that Japan-related article for ProD, so please be informed. --Futurano 22:18, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

Template:Japan Regions and Prefectures Labelled Map
If you have Prefectures of Japan on your watchlist, you've probably already discovered El Cid's Japan Regions and Prefectures Labelled Map, which displays a very nice map having names and links to each prefecture. This is a potential vandal magnet, so it's worth putting the template on your watchlist. That'll help us discover and undo "sneak" vandalism to Prefectures of Japan. Fg2 10:34, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Akita
I did some work on the article Akita, Akita but found there was a limit to my abilities here. Please see the article and its talk page. I left some material there about city mergers which needs to be converted from a list into readable copy. I moved it to the talk page so you experts could fix it up.  Jody B talk 22:21, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Han Categories
The list of han, though not complete, is starting to gradually turn from red to blue. Many of these articles are stubs, and need more work, and many han are simply not on the list. But, we're making progress and that's good.

My question is this - should we or should we not be categorizing Domains by geographical region? I ask before doing it because it seems like a consistency standard sort of thing, not the kind of thing which would work if some han are categorized differently from others. The prefectures are each categorized by region, and the provinces are categorized by which prefectures they roughly correspond to... I'd strongly suggest the regional approach for the domains, not the prefectural method, as that would involve approximations and shoving square pegs into round holes - han, provinces, and prefectures don't quite line up with one another, more often than not.

But what do you all think? We need to have a consensus on a standard way to do this so that all the domains can be categorized the same way. Thanks. LordAmeth 01:05, 5 May 2007 (UTC)


 * I think regional would be the least problematic method. ··· 日本穣 ? · Talk to Nihon joe 02:21, 5 May 2007 (UTC)


 * I don't see a big problem with regional. But maybe just a single nationwide category would be ok -- are there any useful criteria for how big a category should be before subcategorizing it? I guess there were about 300 han in the Edo period. A single category might do it, or would that be too big? Either way is fine by me. Fg2 03:10, 5 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Hm. If we're considering this solely based on size of cats, then you might be right. But for ease of searching by topics related to a given region... LordAmeth 08:19, 5 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Of course, that's a good point. Again, I have no preference. Either way will suit me just fine. Fg2 09:32, 5 May 2007 (UTC)

Category:Images of Japanese people
FYI: You can now tag some of your images with Category:Images of Japanese people -- a subcategory of Category:Images of Japan and Category:Images by subject (which seems to be under construction and could certainly use some more Japanese subcategories). &mdash; Komusou talk @ 15:53, 5 May 2007 (UTC)

Participant list
I've updated the formatting of the participant list in order to facilitate easier joining of the various task forces. Please go here and update your entry. If you are one of the inactive members listed at the very bottom, feel free to move yourself up to the active list using the new format. Please let me know if you have any questions. ··· 日本穣 ? · Talk to Nihon joe 23:17, 5 May 2007 (UTC)

Template for diet members
I'm thinking about adding information about Diet-members but would really like to have template like the ones that exist for american senators and other parliaments. But I am not very good a making templates, is there anyone that feels like volunteering for creating one? --Jonte-- 11:49, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

Attack on Pearl Harbor FARC
Just wanted to let you know that there is a FAR on Attack on Pearl Harbor. The main problem with the article is that it has a very US-centric point of view, so some contributors from here (to the article or the debate) would be very welcome. The Land 18:23, 6 May 2007 (UTC)


 * I reposted this over on the Japanese military history task force talk page. ··· 日本穣 ? · Talk to Nihon joe 18:44, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

The National Art Center, Tokyo
A user appears to have copied and pasted the article The National Art Center, Tokyo to National Art Center, Tokyo, as a result of which the edit history has been lost. I have no objection to the new title, but the edit history must be preserved. (I started the article.) Can someone straighten it out? Fg2 20:12, 6 May 2007 (UTC)


 * I undid the edits, returning The National Art Center, Tokyo to an article and National Art Center, Tokyo to a redirect (the status quo before the apparent copy and paste) and invited the user to file a move request. So perhaps no action will be necessary. Fg2 20:42, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

Help with Some Martial Arts Biographies?
Hello, I've already notified the martial arts group, but could you please help us improve some martial arts biographies that relate to Japanese/Okinawan practitioners? The ones I'm particularly interested in are Seikichi Iha, Katsuya Miyahira, Shinpan Gusukuma, Anko Itosu, Sokon Matsumura, Satunuku Sakugawa, and more! Thank you in advance. Tkjazzer 22:58, 6 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Also, I am trying to recruit people to help write this article: Shorin-ryu Shido-kan. Thanks! Tkjazzer 23:22, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

Prefecture maps are confusing
Hi, I just wanted to say that the prefecture maps are confusing because they don't show anything but the prefecture's boundaries. For example, this map of Osaka is confusing, it's hard to see what's around it - how big is Osaka Bay? Where does it end? Where are the cities located? I think it'd be better to have a map like this one of Tennessee, which shows cities, rivers, highways, and surrounding states. --AW 19:34, 9 May 2007 (UTC) 
 * I agree. Those maps (originally generated from here) kind of suck.  I much prefer the maps in use in the Japanese Wikipedia, such as this one.  Some, but not all, of the WP-JA maps are in the Commons; I'd recommend using those when available, and uploading the remaining ones when necessary (I believe all of Lincun's images are appropriately licensed).  Amake 06:57, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Hear hear. maybe this should be a project for the wikiproject, replace them with better maps. I don't know how to make maps or upload them, this is just something I noticed when I was reading about Japanese baseball. --AW 15:52, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I went ahead and replaced the old map images in the infoboxes with Lincun's maps. The ones you were complaining about remain in many of the articles, but as part of the cities & towns section where it's actually helpful.  Amake 14:01, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

New user Fg3
At 8:44 today (May 11, 2007) someone created a new user account with the name Fg3, then redirected the user page and user talk page to mine. It's not me. Fg2 09:26, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 * The latest edit also is completely different from the edit summary. I suggest you take one of the courses of action recommended at Usernames. Dekimasu よ! 09:34, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I also broke the redirects on your behalf. Dekimasu よ! 09:38, 11 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Thanks for your help and suggestion. I'll report the name; didn't know about that page. I also left a note at User talk:WhisperToMe; the edit Fg3 did to Japanese name is a removal that User:WhisperToMe has been undoing. Fg2 09:46, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 * In that case, I should note that there was also vandalism to the image involved, replacing the character's name with some text that was... less than complimentary. I reverted that as well. Dekimasu よ! 09:52, 11 May 2007 (UTC)


 * The user has been blocked indefinitely. Thanks for telling me about the inappropriate names page. Fg2 10:38, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

What's this book? Is it reliable?
Can someone take a look at the Amazon page for this book and let me know a rough translation of the title and whether the book appears to be a reliable source? If it is, it might contain some important information on the development of the game Donkey Kong. Thanks for any help, — Brian ( talk ) 06:08, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 * The title means roughly "That is begun with Pong." Judging from the short description given, it sounds as if this is a professional, academic source. The first line of that description translates very roughly to "The author has concerned himself with the business world of video games for over 30 years, and this is a reevaluation of various questions which need to be answered about the field." LordAmeth 06:34, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the quick translation. I may just pick it up, then, as it apparently goes into some territory the English-language sources don't regarding the development of Donkey Kong. — Brian ( talk ) 07:04, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Jo-ha-kyū
Hello all. I've finally created an article for Jo-ha-kyū (序破急), a concept which runs through many of the traditional Japanese arts. I've written what I can based on the writings of Zeami, and on other theatre-related sources. However, as this applies just as much to kendo, tea ceremony, and a great many other arts, it would be wonderful if someone more experienced in those fields could add more about the term's application to those fields. LordAmeth 09:53, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Dokdo
A new naming dispute has arisen at talk:Dokdo. We'd like for everyone to participate & get as many opinions as possible. Thank you. (Wikimachine 23:27, 15 May 2007 (UTC))


 * Meh. I'm through with that article. It's nothing but a sinkhole time waste. ··· 日本穣 ? · Talk to Nihon joe 00:13, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 * There's no way I'm getting involved in that one. It's unresolvable, IMO. Cla68 06:45, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I had intended to close this when the time came, because I do a lot of work at WP:RM, but then I realized that my association with this WikiProject makes it impossible. Still, I'd like to be on record as of the opinion that the request should never have been opened. There was no rationale other than that time had passed since the last RM, and there was no indication that what little consensus there was before had changed. ArmedBlowfish is offering to ruminate on the title as part of an earlier mediation effort, so hopefully that will prove productive. Dekimasu よ! 06:32, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Category:Generals whose names sound like car brands
A user added Toyotomi Hideyoshi to Category:Generals whose names sound like car brands. The category had only one other entry, apart from itself. I removed Hideyoshi from it. Fg2 10:33, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Is that a joke? Shouldn't that category just be deleated? MightyAtom 13:14, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I think it should be deleted. Setting aside any issues of possibly being offensive or seeming frivolous, at the very least, the category is subjective. -- Kyok o  13:36, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Well, the category doesn't exist (it's a red link), so the point is moot. :-) ··· 日本穣 ? · Talk to Nihon joe 06:32, 17 May 2007 (UTC)


 * It was speedily deleted. Two articles were in the category (Hideyoshi and one other) and it was categorized into itself. That's it. See Categories for discussion/Log/2007 May 16. Fg2 06:49, 17 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Yeah, I saw that after I commented here. (^_^) ··· 日本穣 ? · Talk to Nihon joe 21:57, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Requesting help in locating images for article
The text for the article Michael Brown Okinawa assault incident is more or less complete but the article has only one picture, and it's under a fair use rationale. I don't have the Japanese ability to go looking for non-copyrighted pictures that could be used to support the article. If anyone could help, it would be greatly appreciated. Images of such things as the Naha (Okinawa) district court building, Gushikawa, the Tengan River, a map showing the locations of US military bases in Okinawa, the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly, or Okinawan governor Keiichi Inamine would all be appropriate for the article and greatly appreciated. Cla68 06:44, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Thank you!
I would just like to show my appreciation for the creation of the D&D(band) article ^_^209.91.61.251 09:28, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

List of Japanese flags
I have started the list of prefecture flags in this list, so if we can add more here, then we could cancel the merge request. User:Zscout370 (Return Fire) 20:35, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

A weird vandalism is taking place
thi user http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/71.0.107.150 seems to have some sort of weird jihaad going on. He/she keeps changing articles (a lot of them are Japan and Japanese mythology/folklore related) so that words like person/man/woman are changed into human/human male/human female and the like. Seems like an acute case of otherkinness. I don't have the time (sorry...) to hunt down and revert the irrelevant changes, so I thought I'd bring this up here, in case someone else can do it. 213.172.246.122 20:11, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

"dialect" vs. "-ben"
There are a few articles about Japanese dialects (Category:Dialects of Japan) in addition to the main Japanese dialects article. Some of the individual articles are named "x-ben", while some are named "x dialect". I think the latter is better, but it wasn't in the WP:MOS-JA so I thought I'd ask first. What do you think? Amake 07:32, 21 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I'd definitely be in favor of "x dialect". For someone unfamiliar with Japanese, that'd be the obvious choice of wording, and for the initiated, there's always redirects. I'd say we have to keep the broader public in mind here, and avoid hermetic wording. TomorrowTime 08:22, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

I've now moved all "-ben" articles to " dialect". Amake 01:21, 22 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Just another vote in favor of "dialect". Our guidelines are pretty clear we should use English when possible. — Brian ( talk ) 01:35, 22 May 2007 (UTC)


 * I agree that "x dialect" is the best option here. We don't need to put anything in the MOS-JA, though, as this would be covered by the "use English" part, IMHO. ··· 日本穣 ? · Talk to Nihon joe 22:32, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

Tokyo subway
Can someone help with the correct annual number of subway passengers in Tokyo here? Thanks. Yury Petrachenko 09:29, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

Suggestions for inclusion?
I'm not sure to whom I'd direct this, but... I'd recommend adding the article Miyuki Miyabe to the project. Thanks-- SGilsdorf 15:52, 21 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Thank you for pointing that one out. With so many articles out there, it's next to impossible to get them all tagged as belonging to the project. In future, all you need to do to tag an article as belonging to the project is to add or  to the talk page. Domo. LordAmeth 17:56, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

Requesting Information.....
My question to anyone who may know the answer is, when the Leaves of the Japanese Maple Tree are falling, in the fall season,is the Lotus Flower still in bloom? I have been researching the seasons of Japan and this is a topic of my research. It has been a difficult question to answer as I am not familiar to Japan and I have no local contacts. If anyone could answer this question it would be greatly appreciated. --Brett 23:02, 22 May 2007 (UTC)
 * You should be able to find answers in this article: kigo. TomorrowTime 06:16, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

Akebono
The Akebono article keeps being blanked for lack of sources. XinJeisan 21:42, 23 May 2007 (UTC)
 * The blanking seems excessive to me as well, but it is being done by more than one editor. Can you clarify the basis for the removals? "Attributed" and "able to be attributed" are two different things. For that matter, WP:A is not policy and there don't seem to be any WP:BLP concerns in the sections that were removed. I am inclined to agree with you here, but it seems that Nihonjoe wasn't. Dekimasu よ! 07:29, 25 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Anyways, I added some outside references to the article as well. The main editor blanking the page seems to think that WP:A is policy.  Although I am sure he is acting in good faith, Akebono seems kind of important to me, and, at the same time, there is no longer any gossip or inuenndo in the article like there was a few months ago, so I am unsure of any major problem that won't be corrected slowly over time. XinJeisan 10:36, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

Reference library
In order to facilitate access to reference materials for use in citations for Japan-related articles, I have created WikiProject Japan/Reference library. Please add any potential reference titles you have using the format on that page. I think this will give us another great tool for referencing articles. especially since some things are more easily referenced using offline sources. ··· 日本穣 ? · Talk to Nihon joe 01:45, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

Where was Takuya Kimura born?
Was Takuya Kimura born in Chiba or Tokyo? This edit changed "Shibuya" to "Chiba", and the sentence looks awkward now.

Some English sources (such as IMDB) say he was born in Tokyo. Japanese Wikipedia says Chiba.--Endroit 16:16, 24 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Japanese Wikipedia says that he is from Chiba (probably meaning that he regards Chiba as his hometown,) and that he was born in Tokyo, brought up in Minoh, Osaka until just before enteing primary school, after which he lived in Chiba. --Dwy 17:15, 24 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Thank you Dwy, I changed it to "Tokyo" per Japanese Wikipedia (ja:木村拓哉), as you suggested. This was my edit.--Endroit 05:49, 25 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Which reminds me of something I'd been meaning to ask. Categorization_of_people says that the "people from XYZ" categories are not supposed to be used for birthplaces, but, for the area in which they are associated.  I.E., Shizuka Arakawa was born in Tokyo, but, her page has her being from Sendai.   The rationale is that "place of birth is rarely notable".  Most of the Japanese-related articles that have "people from XYZ" categories seem to be focussed on the opposite (probably due to the emphasis on (and, availability of) 出身 in Japanese sources).  Is this worth a mention in the WP:MOS-JA, or is it WP:CREEP that we should just avoid? Neier 22:46, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

Wako
Just wanted to make people aware of a discussion at a page on Japanese pirates CES 00:14, 30 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I have started a poll, please participate if you have an opinion. Thanks CES 01:05, 1 June 2007 (UTC)