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Note that it's for maps aimed at foreigners, a lot of which are westerners. They're not removing or going to remove the symbol from temple themselves. Also, to
by glandium 10y ago
Note that it's for maps aimed at foreigners, a lot of which are westerners. They're not removing or going to remove the symbol from temple themselves.
Also, to be truthful, a lot of foreigners wouldn't know what the svatiskas on maps point to.
- kalleboo 10y ago> Also, to be truthful, a lot of foreigners wouldn't know what the svatiskas on maps point to. Exactly. This is the main reason for the change. The changes were based on surveys where they asked foreigners "if you saw this symbol on a map, what do you think it would mean?". Not "is this offensive?" You can find a PDF of the survey results online, it also included stuff like hotel symbols which foreigners thought meant hospital or helipad.
- DashRattlesnake 10y agoHonestly, one of the things I liked about visiting Japan was that I had to adjust my preconceptions a little to accommodate a developed culture with a non-western foundation. Changing things to adapt to western preconceptions takes that away a little bit.
- dyim 10y agoThese seem like little UX things :) . It'd be tough to imagine changing their core cultural tenets in order to accommodate tourists.
- DashRattlesnake 10y agoBut in this case, that little UX thing forces the understanding that a symbol that is taboo and has an offensive meaning in your home country is understood totally differently in Japan.
- 794CD01 10y agoThat means it's bad UX. "Make me think" is a totally different book.
- sosborn 10y agoGod forbid we use this as a chance to educate people on the long history of this particular symbol.