Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Japan: Difference between revisions

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! [[/Archive/2006|2006]] !! Archive by Month: !! &nbsp; !! &nbsp; !! [[/Archive/March 2006|March]] !! [[/Archive/April 2006|April]] !! [[/Archive/May 2006|May]] !! [[/Archive/June 2006|June]] !! [[/Archive/July 2006|July]] !! August !! September !! October !! November !! December

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! 2007 !! Archive by Month: !! January !! February !! March !! April !! May !! June !! July !! August !! September !! October !! November !! December

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== [[Wikipedia:Proposed deletion|Proposed deletion]] of [[:Akiyama Dam]] ==

[[File:Ambox warning yellow.svg|left|link=|alt=Notice|48px|]]

The article [[:Akiyama Dam]] has been [[Wikipedia:Proposed deletion|proposed for deletion]]&#32;because of the following concern:

== Template:Japanese art history ==

<blockquote>'''Tagged as Unreferenced and unimproved for more than 13 years. No other language has a reliably sourced article from which to translate. No reliable sources online Google; no hits on Google news, books, or scholar. Run of the mill, small dam.'''</blockquote>

While all constructive contributions to Wikipedia are appreciated, pages may be [[WP:DEL#REASON|deleted for any of several reasons]].

In a moment of spontaneity, I have stolen the French art history template and converted it to be used for Japanese art. I have already added it to the page [[Japanese art]], but nowhere else yet, as I am eagerly awaiting input and opinions.

You may prevent the proposed deletion by removing the {{Tlc|proposed deletion/dated}} notice, but please explain why in your [[Help:edit summary|edit summary]] or on [[Talk:Akiyama Dam|the article's talk page]].

Please see the discussion I have begun at [[Template talk:Japanese art history]], and add your comments there, not here, for the sake of continuity and simplicity.

Please consider improving the page to address the issues raised. Removing {{Tlc|proposed deletion/dated}} will stop the [[Wikipedia:Proposed deletion|proposed deletion process]], but other [[Wikipedia:deletion process|deletion process]]es exist. In particular, the [[Wikipedia:Criteria for speedy deletion|speedy deletion]] process can result in deletion without discussion, and [[Wikipedia:Articles for deletion|articles for deletion]] allows discussion to reach [[Wikipedia:Consensus|consensus]] for deletion.<!-- Template:Proposed deletion notify --> [[User:Bearian|Bearian]] ([[User talk:Bearian|talk]]) 18:31, 7 July 2025 (UTC)

Thank you very much. [[User:LordAmeth|LordAmeth]] 23:23, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

:This was redirected. [[User:Bearian|Bearian]] ([[User talk:Bearian|talk]]) 09:40, 12 August 2025 (UTC)

:Looks good to me. I like it. (^_^) ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 19:06, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

== Requested move of [[Your Party]] ==

== WikiProject Japan template use ==

his project hasn't been notified, and it's easier just to leave you a note here than to work out how to do it formally: there's a discussion at [[Talk:Your Party (disambiguation)#Requested move 28 July 2025]] which may interest members of this Wikiproject. [[User:PamD|<span style="color: green">'''''Pam'''''</span>]][[User talk:PamD|<span style="color: brown">'''''D'''''</span>]] 22:42, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Question: which articles need to have the template added? I've been reading Japan-related articles the last few weeks, and sticking on a template when it was missing (excluding those who had any child project templates). But do the templates need to be on all pages? For instance, all [[Yokohama#Wards|wards of Yokohama]] have a page, should all these pages have the template? Or just the parent page? Either is fine by me, I just wanted to know. [[User:Ninja neko|Ninja neko]] 18:10, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

== Requested move at [[Talk:Yakyū-kyō no Uta#Requested move 31 July 2025]] ==

:Any article related to Japan, except for those you already mentioned, should be marked and assessed (see above). ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 19:05, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

[[File:Information.svg|30px|left]] There is a requested move discussion at [[Talk:Yakyū-kyō no Uta#Requested move 31 July 2025]] that may be of interest to members of this WikiProject. <span style="border-radius:7px;background:#800080;padding:4px 6px 4px 6px;color:white;">[[User:Royiswariii|<span style="color:white;">ROY is WAR</span>]]</span> [[User talk:Royiswariii|'''''Talk!''''']] 01:42, 6 August 2025 (UTC)

== [[Wikipedia:Proposed deletion|Proposed deletion]] of [[:Seven mysteries of Echigo]] ==

::Thanks for answering my question :) I'll keep sticking on the template whenever I come across a Japan-related article. [[User:Ninja neko|Ninja neko]] 18:29, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

[[File:Ambox warning yellow.svg|left|link=|alt=Notice|48px|]]

The article [[:Seven mysteries of Echigo]] has been [[Wikipedia:Proposed deletion|proposed for deletion]]&#32;because of the following concern:

:Just to expand on my reasoning, the WPJ template should go on all of the Japan-related articles so that we can attract even more people to help us out. There are likely several thousand Japan-related articles that aren't part of a child project, and most of those will be either Stubs or Start class articles. This will allow us to more easily find them and then bring them up to regular articles. I'd like to get to the point where Stubs are less than 20% of the total Japan-related articles, and all but the newest and recently found articles are assessed. It will take a lot of work, but I think we've got an excellent group of people working with the project. ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 00:02, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

<blockquote>'''Tagged as Unreferenced for almost 11 years. Unfinished essay.'''</blockquote>

While all constructive contributions to Wikipedia are appreciated, pages may be [[WP:DEL#REASON|deleted for any of several reasons]].

==Importance parameter in WPJ template==

Will someone who's better than me at these parameter settings in templates please go look at the code for {{tl|WPJ}} and see if you can fix it? I've placed the importance parameter on one article ([[Talk:10 yen coin]]), and it's throwing out sime bizarre code into the body of the article. Once you correct it, please copy the code over to {{tl|WikiProject Japan}} as well. All the code-poring has made my head hurt. Thanks! (^_^)

You may prevent the proposed deletion by removing the {{Tlc|proposed deletion/dated}} notice, but please explain why in your [[Help:edit summary|edit summary]] or on [[Talk:Seven mysteries of Echigo|the article's talk page]].

:The code is taken from the {{tl|WPBiography}} template, in case you want to compare code. Our templates are much simpler, though. (^_^) ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 01:20, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Please consider improving the page to address the issues raised. Removing {{Tlc|proposed deletion/dated}} will stop the [[Wikipedia:Proposed deletion|proposed deletion process]], but other [[Wikipedia:deletion process|deletion process]]es exist. In particular, the [[Wikipedia:Criteria for speedy deletion|speedy deletion]] process can result in deletion without discussion, and [[Wikipedia:Articles for deletion|articles for deletion]] allows discussion to reach [[Wikipedia:Consensus|consensus]] for deletion.<!-- Template:Proposed deletion notify --> [[User:Bearian|Bearian]] ([[User talk:Bearian|talk]]) 09:39, 12 August 2025 (UTC)

==Japanese translation==

Hi folks,

== Requested move at [[Talk:Homosexuality in Japan#Requested move 11 August 2025]] ==

Sorry if this isn't in the right place. A while back, I placed a sentence stating that the Japanese word "jiriki" means "one's own self worth", as that is what I have been ''told'' (twice) this is what it means; someone recently changed the sentence to read "by oneself". I don't speak Japanese, so I figured I'd just ask here. Does anyone know?--<font color="#0000FF">[[User:Firsfron|Firsfron of Ronchester]]</font> 05:29, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

[[File:Information.svg|30px|left]] There is a requested move discussion at [[Talk:Homosexuality in Japan#Requested move 11 August 2025]] that may be of interest to members of this WikiProject. [[User:Jeffrey34555|Jeffrey34555]] ([[User talk:Jeffrey34555|talk]]) 00:47, 18 August 2025 (UTC)

== RSN [[Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard#Japanese Regional Newspaper?|discussion]] ==

:It can mean both, depending on the [[kanji]]. 自力 is "by oneself", or "self-made"; but 地力 is "one's own potential" or "one's own strength". Can you link to the article where the change was made? BTW, you can type in romanized Japanese into [http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1C this web site], and it will translate. (but, reading the results sometimes requires some basic Japanese skills still). [[User:Neier|Neier]] 06:12, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

::Thanks for the answer, Neier; I guess my mistake comes from just basic lack of understanding of Japanese, and the idea there can be several different translations. The article in question is [[Sithi]]. Thanks for your assistance. :)--<font color="#0000FF">[[User:Firsfron|Firsfron of Ronchester]]</font> 06:29, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

I started discussion of reliability of regional/local newspapers in Japan at RSN. See [[Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard#Japanese Regional Newspaper?]]. Additional Inputs and Opinion is appreciated. Thanks '''''Warm Regards''''', [[User:Miminity|Miminity]] ([[User talk:Miminity|Talk?]]) ([[Special:Contributions/Miminity|me contribs]]) 13:21, 24 August 2025 (UTC)

== [[Hojutsu]] ==

== Aomori Prefecture ==

I just found this article, which should be about the martial art of shooting firearms, but actually, 90% of it is crap. Maybe somebody here can rewrite this, otherwise it will be a CfD. --[[User:Mkill|Mkill]] 17:23, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

I was wondering if anyone is interested in getting [[Aomori Prefecture]] up to GA status. Then if it goes well to FA. Full disclosure: I don't write that well and would need prose help and I don't speak much Japanese. What I'd be good at is things like getting dates in a consistent format. [[User:MisawaSakura|MisawaSakura]] ([[User talk:MisawaSakura|talk]]) 17:24, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

:Well, I've tagged it with several cleanup tags. I know nothing about the subject, though. Feel free to go through it and remove the crap. ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 18:59, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

::Well, I don't know enough about this martial art to write a useful article, and I won't miss the existing one either. Thanks for adding the tags (although I'd say five of them is a little overdone.) --[[User:Mkill|Mkill]] 18:26, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

:::I only added the bottom four (the small ones). (^_^) ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 23:17, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

== Symbols in Japan ==

If anyone wants to help out, I'm trying to compile a list of common symbols seen in Japan for which the name of the symbol isn't always known. You can see the article [[User:Nihonjoe/List of common Japanese symbols|here]]. It's only got one symbol so far. ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 20:20, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

:See [[Japanese typographic symbols]] and [[Japanese map symbols]]. Hope that saves you some work! [[User:Fg2|Fg2]] 22:11, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

::Thanks! (^_^) ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 23:24, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

== Merger of translation requests and regular requests ==

I'm proposing a merge over [[Wikipedia talk:Translation into English/Japanese#Merge to Requested articles|here]], so please come voice your opinion on the matter. (^_^) ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 23:07, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

:Discussion has been moved [[Wikipedia talk:Requested articles/Japan#Merge discussion|here]] per merge templates. ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 01:12, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

:The [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Japan/Non-Japan-related requests|Non-Japan-related requests]] page has been created as part of this. Please feel free to discuss [[Wikipedia talk:Requested articles/Japan#Merge discussion|here]]. There are a couple important things to be discussed. ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 03:59, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

== Top importance ==

=== Akira Kurosawa ===

How is [[Akira Kurosawa]] not ranked as Top importance for this project? He seems to fit the criteria perfectly, and I can't think of many other people from Japan who have had such a large influence outside of the country. He is already listed in the [[Wikipedia:Core biographies|Core Biographies]] list. Surely he deserves reconsideration here. Does anyone really think that [[Sudoku]] is more important? [[User:Kaldari|Kaldari]] 00:26, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

:I agree with Kaldari; but, the guidelines state that we can't change the status of any article to Top without an agreement here. And, although Sudoku is listed as an example, currently, [[:Category:Top-importance Japan-related articles]] only has one entry: [[Mikio Naruse]], which may or may not be founded. But, if we follow the procedural guidelines, it wasn't discussed here as it should have been. [[User:Neier|Neier]] 00:51, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

::[[Mikio Naruse]] is a great director, but definitely not as important as Kurosawa, especially with the established criteria of Top Importance. However, in the modern world there are probably far more people familiar with Sudoku than Kurosawa, so I agree that it out ranks him. As an example, my nine-year-old nephew is a sudoku nut, but he sure hasn't seen any Kurosawa flicks.

::Soooo....a yes vote to Kurosawa and Sudoku being of Top Importance, but Naruse should be downgraded. [[User:MightyAtom|MightyAtom]] 03:38, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

I went ahead and downgraded the Naruse article to Mid-Importance. I think that is about right for him. [[User:MightyAtom|MightyAtom]] 05:50, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Kurosawa is definitely important. ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 06:16, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, as someone else mentioned, Kurosawa is already listed as Top Importance by the WikiProject Biography team. Seems silly that WikiProject Japan doesn't grant the article the same level. If there are no objections, I think he should be upgraded.[[User:MightyAtom|MightyAtom]] 06:23, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

===Top importance - Geisha?===

[[Geisha]] seems like exactly the kind of Japan-related article that should be Top Importance, and up to Featured Article quality. Lots of interest and curiosity in the topic outside of Japanophiles. What do you all think? [[User:MightyAtom|MightyAtom]] 03:41, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

: [[Kimono]], [[Sushi]], [[Karaoke]], [[Samurai]], [[Ninja]], [[Tale of Genji]] are all rather obvious additions to the top criteria as well. I went ahead and tagged them all as High importance, because it seems that if we should discuss promotion to the Top importance, then the candidates should be High ranked already. [[User:Neier|Neier]] 05:12, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

::: Yeah, I agree on all of those as well. Especially [[Karaoke]] and [[Sushi]], which are now pretty much world-wide and people may not even know they originated in Japan. [[Tale of Genji]] is the most obscure on that list, but still important. Maybe not Top Importance however...[[User:MightyAtom|MightyAtom]] 05:27, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

=== Top importance: Japan ===

I definitely think [[Japan]] should be at the top of the top importance list. We need to get it to Featured Article status. ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 06:21, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

:Absolutely. Kind of stupid that no one thought of this first! [[User:MightyAtom|MightyAtom]] 06:24, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

There seem to be multiple users, mostly from Japan, who have been furiously trying to ADD material to the ''Japan'' article. They have been accused of many things, some of which are NOT good. But [[WP:good faith|assume good faith]], and try to incorporate their positive accomplishments. Just a suggestion, but can everybody try to do the following ? ....

# Their English is not so good. To fix this, read: [[Wikipedia:How to copy-edit]]

# [[Weasel word]]s have been introduced. To fix this, read the guideline: [[Wikipedia:Avoid weasel words]]

# The article has grown enormously. To fix this, read the guideline: [[Wikipedia:Summary style]] (Add {{tl|Sync}} tags, and move details to their respective "main articles")

# Any mention of "Korea" has been deleted from certain passages, namely in the "History" and "Culture" sections. This may be the cause of an ongoing edit-war, and is highly controversial. This is NOT good. To fix this, we must follow the official policy: [[Wikipedia:Resolving disputes]]

Please try to chip in, and fix any portion you feel most comfortable with. SECTIONS OTHER THAN "HISTORY" AND "CULTURE" ARE NOT CONTROVERSIAL (i.e. there seems to be no edit-wars there). So everybody, please try to help out there. Thank you.--[[User:Endroit|Endroit]] 13:45, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

=== new sub-page ===

I made a sub page for Top importance candidates to be listed. [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Japan/Importance]] is an obvious work in progress, so feel free to change it around. I listed the articles mentioned above too. [[User:Neier|Neier]] 13:23, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

=== Instant noodles ===

Along the same lines as [[karaoke]], something Japanese that has escaped the country and become a world product is the [[instant noodle]]. What do you think? [[User:MightyAtom|MightyAtom]] 13:40, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

=== Collaborating with Version 1.0 Project ===

If you guys want to contribute to the [[Wikipedia:Version_1.0_Editorial_Team|Wikipedia version 1.0 project]], it's going to be important to have your "Top" articles chosen and assessed. I know you started a sub-page to work on this, but it seems to have stalled. Just wanted to offer some encouragement as it seems like you were off to a good start. [[User:Kaldari|Kaldari]] 06:53, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

=== National symbols ===

If no one objects, I would like to place the [[Flag of Japan]], [[Kimigayo]] and the Japanese National Emblem in the top important class of articles for WPJ. [[User:Zscout370]] <small>^{[[User_talk:Zscout370|(Return Fire)]]}</small> 06:57, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

: Hmmm...honestly, I don't think any of those fit the established criteria for Top Importance, being "High probability that non-Japanophiles would look this up. Must have had a large impact outside of Japan and be known in the majority of the world."

: Maybe the Flag of Japan, but Kimigayo isn't really very important, or of much interest to non-Japanophiles. [[User:MightyAtom|MightyAtom]] 07:10, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

== Source of Image:Daylight saving time004006.png ==

I stumbled upon this good historical image when reading [[Japan Standard Time]]. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a source, and relicensing it as fair use [{{fullurl:Image:Daylight saving time004006.png|diff=45596788&oldid=45343750}}] (which is an incorrect license given the year of publication of the statute) doesn't answer that question.

Can someone please find a source for this image, whether online or offline? I'd hate to slap on the {{tl|no source}} tag again. [[User:Kimchi.sg|Kimchi.sg]] 01:03, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

:I updated the copyright tag as Meiji died more than 70 years ago, and he was the author of that edict. We should still find the name of the book, though. ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 01:22, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

==Rating Articles==

Recently several articles that I have worked on and am watching have received ratings from WikiProject Japan. The fact that they were "rated" as "B" or "C" or whatever means that someone must have read the article and made a judgment about its content based on some criteria. Unfortunately, whoever is slapping the WikiProject template on these articles isn't bothering to comment on the discussion page as to just why a particular article received a particular rating, which pretty much renders the whole idea of rating the article meaningless, don't you think? If the idea is to improve the articles, then you ought to be a bit more conscientious about discussing what could be done to improve each one. By taking a shotgun approach that just gives each article an arbitrary rating, you have pretty much reduced WikiProject Japan to just another form of bureaucracy.

[[User:Spventi|Spventi]] 22:34, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

:The same could be said about your comment as it takes a "shotgun approach" that discounts the ratings placed on the page solely because no comments were left. Also, if you follow the [[Wikipedia:Version 1.0 Editorial Team/Assessment|quality scale]] link found in every one of those ratings, you'll find a very detailed description of what each rating means, and what to general ideas of what to do in the way of improving the article. Keep in mind that the ratings being placed now are to that members of the project can have a general idea of where the articles in the project stand. This allows people to more easily find articles that need some sort of work, and to then work on them. Before this, it was very difficult to find articles based on how well and completely they were written. ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 23:53, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

::I did not "discount" the ratings. I 'did' say that "if the idea is to improve the article," the person who rated the article ought to take the time to indicate his or her reasoning on the discussion page, however briefly. I'm quite familiar with the quality scale, and although I certainly don't disguise my low opinion of it, I do understand the rationale behind it.

::My point, which was perhaps not clear enough, is that applying arbitrary ratings without discussing how the decision was made does not provide the people who are actually working on the article with enough to go on, and thus ends up being just another form of bureaucracy. Since you seem to think that adding these templates is meaningful, hey, knock yourself out. I'm not here to tell anyone what to do or not to do; I'm simply exercising the right to express my own opinion, which I hope will provoke others into thinking a little more deeply about the issue.

::[[User:Spventi|Spventi]] 00:54, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

:::If you're unsure of why an article was rated the way it was, I recommend posting on that artcles talk page and asking about it (being sure to include a good edit summary to catch attention). The person who rated the article will then see that and likely come offer opinions on why the article was rated that way. Other editors may offer opinons as well, and the rating may very well be changed based on that. The rating is just a starting point, and an easy and convenient way to sort articles according to how "done" they are. ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 01:02, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

== [[:Image:Japanese festival decoration banner.png]] ==

I am not sure how much these banners are used in Japan, but if you think you got a use for this or two, use it. I saw this in Little Tokyo, and [[FOTW]] members from Japan also speak about this banner and a black/white version used for funerals (if you need an image of that too, message me). Enjoy. [[User:Zscout370]] <small>^{[[User_talk:Zscout370|(Return Fire)]]}</small> 02:34, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

:Thanks. Does anyone know the name for that? I've seen it used to enclose hanami parties and other festivities. [[User:Fg2|Fg2]] 07:06, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

::I got the name somewhere, but this is the general description I got in English. But from what one website said,http://www.mokukouya.com/honten/shikiten.html, they call it 紅白幕（金巾木綿・天竺木綿・テトロン）. [[User:Zscout370]] <small>^{[[User_talk:Zscout370|(Return Fire)]]}</small> 18:16, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

:::Sounds good! ''Kōhakumaku'' it is. I couldn't find an article on it in the Japanese Wikipedia, but Google found the term in a few articles. Thanks again! [[User:Fg2|Fg2]] 21:28, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

::::I am not sure if we could write an article on it, but perhaps add it to [[Flag of Japan]], which needs a major overhaul, IMHO. [[User:Zscout370]] <small>^{[[User_talk:Zscout370|(Return Fire)]]}</small> 21:41, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

:::::Haven't looked at that article lately, but I don't think this would be appropriate. Its use is more like a tent, although as an enclosure without a roof. [[Hanami]] might be the best place... or there could be another. Of course, the use of the article could be different outside Japan, and as Zscout370 remarks, it might have taken on some aspects of a flag. [[User:Fg2|Fg2]] 21:44, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

::::::Ok, better idea; create a stub at here and expanded when needed. We can always link this article from the Japan flag article when we feel like it. I know there are two of these kind of banners, plus we can show use in Japan, out of Japan and the variants (like the black/white funeral pattern). [[User:Zscout370]] <small>^{[[User_talk:Zscout370|(Return Fire)]]}</small> 22:20, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

I created [[Kōhakumaku]], your welcome to expand as always. [[User:Zscout370]] <small>^{[[User_talk:Zscout370|(Return Fire)]]}</small> 05:06, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

:After reading some of the comments, I moved the article to a better name. [[User:Zscout370]] <small>^{[[User_talk:Zscout370|(Return Fire)]]}</small> 05:06, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

::The title's getting worse instead of better. The new title is "kohaku," a combination of colors. However, the article is not about a combination of colors; it's about banners. So we need a word to convey the idea of "banner" (''maku'') in the title. The article is about banners in two color combinations: kohaku and shiro-kuru. So "kohaku" is the part of the original title that we should have removed, not the part we should have kept.

::What would you say to "Japanese ceremonial banners" or something similar?

::[[User:Fg2|Fg2]] 05:49, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

:::That probably sounds the best. [[User:Zscout370]] <small>^{[[User_talk:Zscout370|(Return Fire)]]}</small> 20:29, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

==Article guidelines page==

It's only at the very beginning stage, but I started creating an [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Japan/Article guidelines|article guidelines page]] for WPJ. Please take a look at the article, and feel free to add additional information. I'd like it to eventually have guidelines on the beginning, references, external links, categories, stubs, etc. It's meant to be a general guide to help people include all of the important parts of an article. ···[[User:Nihonjoe|<font color="darkblue">日本穣</font>]]^{[[Help:Japanese|?]] · <small>[[User talk:Nihonjoe|<font color="blue">Talk</font>]] <font color="darkblue">to</font> [[User:Nihonjoe|Nihon]][[WP:JA|j]]o[[WP:EA|'''<font color="darkgreen">e</font>''']]</small>} 04:02, 16 August 2006 (UTC)