Talk:Okayama

I see we have a Japanese class working on this article again. Sensei, please clean up after your students and make sure the stuff they add is both perfect English and relevant to the travel guide... (WT-en) Jpatokal 01:34, 4 August 2006 (EDT)

usable?

I've been adding to the article, and I'd like to get its status up to at least a usable, does anyone think it's ready yet? If it is, who changes it, and if it isn't what specificly needs to be added/changed?

Anybody can, just read through Project:Article status and see if you think it's up to scratch. I think it's OK contentwise, although the formatting (eg. the restaurant listings in Eat) needs some work. (WT-en) Jpatokal 21:35, 22 October 2006 (EDT)

sugei?

Actually, even in Tokyo, it's common for men to say suge- instead of sugoi. I'd only consider this dialect if the women do it too... (WT-en) Jpatokal 21:37, 22 October 2006 (EDT)

Street names

There are numerous factual errors with regards to place names. Momotaro info box: Momotaro Odori is not the main shopping street. Momotaro Odori may be the financial center and host to all the banks, but it has very few retail stores. Buy: Okayama Shopping Street is probably a reference to the Omotecho shopping mall. There are several similar shopping arcades in Okayama, including one on either side of Okayama station. (One gets a passing mention in the "Sleep" section!) Listing only one is at best misleading. Do: Momotaro Festival has not been held on "(where else) Momotaro Odori" for several years. The center of the Momotaro/Uraja festival(s) is nearer city hall and the Sega Joypolis on Shiyakusho-suji (the avenue running from Okayama Station to City Hall.) Get in: Okayama is served by several international routes. Only domestic flights are listed. Get around: There are two tram lines, not one as indicated.

Please plunge forward! (WT-en) Jpatokal 02:58, 17 July 2007 (EDT)

Thanks for your encouragement Jpatokal. I have edited, added and deleted as I felt necessary. Hope it helps.

Technical Problem

I recently placed the sites under the "Culture Zone" into the proper formatting however, I noticed that Korakuen Garden and Okayama Castle cannot be edited by clicking the "edit" button (unlike the other listings). I looked to see if something was wrong, but I can't seem to find any errors. I am having the same problem on the Tsuyama page with most of the entries.

I am wondering if it has something to do with my method of adding them (I copied the formatting and then moved everything into the proper place from the general editing page, because it was easier... But that doesn't explain why it works for the rest...

Is there an error here (or with the sites I put on the Tsuyama page)? (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 00:15, 13 March 2009 (EDT)

It appears to be a site bug - placing non-Latin text in the alt box (and possibly other locations) makes it uneditable with that script. Removing the kanji makes it editable again. I've submitted a bug report over on Shared. - (WT-en) Dguillaime 00:54, 13 March 2009 (EDT)

Chain restaurants

Since the Eat listings are in much better shape now, I'm moving these three out of the article, since they're both national chain restaurants (one international as well). (WT-en) Gorilla Jones 18:26, 23 May 2009 (EDT)

• <eat name="MacDonalds" alt="" address="10-6 Honmachi" directions="" phone="086-231-2961" url="http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/" hours="" price="¥650" lat="" long="">A MacDonalds just like any other, serving their famous Big Macs and burgers, as well as the special Japanese meals, like teriyaki burgers and ebi (shrimp) burgers.</eat>

• <eat name="Mos Burger" alt="" address="2-chome 10-1 Okayama Joypolis" directions="" phone="086-235-3033" url="http://www.mos.co.jp/english/" hours="" price="¥800" lat="" long="">Japan's very own fast food chain. It's slightly more expensive than MacDonalds, and portions are smaller, but delicious nonetheless.</eat>

• <eat name="CoCo Curry House" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="http://www.ichibanya.co.jp/shop/search/shopdetail.html?fkeyword=&fpref=%89%AA%8ER%8C%A7&fi=1196" hours="" price="¥650-900">Home to some of Japan's best curry, it's a great choice for those who want delicious food for less money. Be aware that, unlike many Japanese curries, the spicier curries are in fact, spicy.</eat>

Hotel listings

As above, I'm moving this one out of the article, since it has no description, it's well out of the city center, and the article is now full of listings. (WT-en) Gorilla Jones 18:02, 19 July 2009 (EDT)

• <sleep name="Hotel Okura Okayama" alt="" address="4-1-16 Kadota Honmachi" directions="" phone="086-273-7311" url="http://www.okura.com/hotels/okayama/index.html" checkin="" checkout="" price="Prices start from ¥7,800 (single)" lat="" long=""></sleep>

We don't have a description for this one, and I can't find anything online other than its basic existence. (WT-en) Gorilla Jones 00:40, 27 July 2009 (EDT)

• <sleep name="Abisu Inn Okayama" alt="" address="1-3-10 Daiku" directions="" phone="086-234-6000" email="" fax="" url="" checkin="" checkout="" price="Rooms from ¥4980"></sleep>

Ryokan Matsunoki

Update on removing Ryokan Matsunoki: I have removed the mentioning of the Matsunoki-ryokan after having slept there 2 nights. The service and quality is very poor, the food is bad and in the lunchroom (which is in fact a part of the basement) the local building-constructionworkers smoke heavily while the hotelguests are having breakfast and / or dinner. The rooms and corridors smell heavily of smoking. The electrical system in the rooms is unsafe. The service is extremely unfriendly: after having tried dinner I decided to return the vouchers for the remaining breakfasts and dinners and the people didn't even want to know why. I had the impression I was not the first one and they just don't care. In the direct neighbourhood are many good places to stay overnight and to eat, so I want to save other visitors for this place. [P.S. I did not know how to connect this comment to the removing of the ryokan, so I wrote it here. AV] —The preceding comment was added by (WT-en) 210.237.204.26 (talk • contribs)

I've never been there myself, but the Matsunoki listing dates back to 2006 — one of the first listings added to the article. Does anyone else have personal experience with the ryokan? (WT-en) Gorilla Jones 20:43, 13 April 2010 (EDT)

Push for Star

I think this article is pretty close to being a star, with unparalleled depth of knowledge about Okayama. To my eye, it would need:

• Addresses for some of the 'See' listings
• Finish off the eat/drink descriptions
• Finish off the descriptions for the entries towards the end of 'Do'
• Map for the Kibi plain (probably wouldn't need to be street-level — just an area overview)

(WT-en) Gorilla Jones 01:36, 27 July 2009 (EDT)

I will try to work on some of this (I've already started, actually. All listings in the "Culture Zone" are now complete.) (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 18:33, 29 July 2009 (EDT)

Great prose - especially at the start!

I've tried to help with a bit of trivial copy editing today... --118.93nzp (talk) 03:49, 25 November 2013 (UTC)

Better late than never, but I've completed all of these tasks (well, I didn't make my own Kibi Plains map, but they are all marked on the geomap). I will look the first few sections and may nominate soon. ChubbyWimbus (talk) 16:10, 17 March 2014 (UTC)

Fruit Farm Link

It looks like the Kubo Fruit Farm staff noticed it on the page, they've linked back to us on their English page . Kind of cool, eh? (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 18:33, 29 July 2009 (EDT)

Bus

I think the Hareca cards have now completely replaced the prepaid bus cards... can someone confirm this? (WT-en) Muskateer 05:34, 3 August 2009 (EDT)

English speaking guides at Okayama Castle

Really? Can we please have a link to a place that advertises this service? I was personally not aware of this service and am quite surprised. Perhaps the guides are only available at certain times on certain days, or perhaps there is a local volunteer who happens to speak English? (WT-en) Muskateer 05:34, 3 August 2009 (EDT)

The English guide was in a booth/info center to the left of the castle. I looked it up, and it appears that they are a volunteer group. They are on Okayama's news page here (2009/06/08). I can add the phone number to the page. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 15:31, 3 August 2009 (EDT)

Map feedback

I just scanned through and I have to say the map is only legible if I open the full image in a separate browser window. Even then it is hard to read.

I would suggest reworking the map since this shouldn't even be a Guide level article without a readable map that can be printed out.

Even a dynamic map would be an improvement. Andrewssi2 (talk) 04:24, 25 November 2013 (UTC)

I think all of the maps are that way. Look at Hiroshima and Hilversum. For me, those maps are also illegible until I click on them, and they are both star articles. Is that what you are referring to?

Unless there is a new consensus that I am unaware of, having a map has never been a prerequisite for guide status. ChubbyWimbus (talk) 04:38, 25 November 2013 (UTC)

I was wondering why the OSM layer for the dynamic map was changed from:

to use a different layer:

As you can see, there is a substantial difference between the English language detail of each layer...--118.93nzp (talk) 08:20, 27 November 2013 (UTC)

Tomata Onsen Noritake

I believe they closed due to bankruptcy, but I'll post the listing here for easy restoration if it should reopen

• Tomata Onsen Noritake, 1453-2 Kaidani, ☏ +81 86-225-4211. A 2000 year old onsen. 

Tokoen Garden

Tokoen Garden closed after its owner passed away and its fate has yet to be decided. Until then, I'll put the listing here and hope it will be restored:

• 1 Tokoen (東湖園), 2-2-5 Kadotayashiki (1 min from Kadotayashiki tram stop), ☏ +81 86-272-0165. 9AM-5PM. With Korakuen in the city, many visitors don't think of visiting other gardens, but Tokoen deserves a look. Though not as big as Korakuen, it is quite beautiful and less crowded. Also, it's almost a century older. ¥400. 

ChubbyWimbus (talk) 09:45, 24 May 2014 (UTC)

Yes, unless I'm getting confused, I found it the more enjoyable of the two.

On a tangent, why do you not use the more common and less ambiguous 24h clock format that is used in print and signs throughout Japan (and most of the world) instead of the ugly, ambiguous and long-winded American format? -- Alice^✉ 10:01, 24 May 2014 (UTC)

You mean using 5PM instead of 17:00 (military time)? 5PM is 3 characters compared to 17:00's 5. I don't see how it's "long-winded." That has been the sitewide standard for all locations as long as I remember. It is not a "me" thing or a "Japan guide" thing. ChubbyWimbus (talk) 11:47, 24 May 2014 (UTC)

I generally find that several characters are saved in an article when it is converted to the format used by most of the world - eg, 12:30 instead of 12:30PM or 11:25 instead of 11:25AM each saves two characters.

Rather than re-invent the wheel, I'll try and sort you out a reference for the other part of the rationale.

I take it you don't dispute that it's the "24h clock format that is used in print and signs throughout Japan" ? -- Alice^✉ 21:13, 24 May 2014 (UTC)

It really doesn't make a difference. We have a single standard sitewide for writing times. This is not a case of the Okayama article being exceptional or of myself going rogue against consensus. You're suggesting we adopt separate time standards for every country which is a policy discussion that if you wish to pursue should be done elsewhere. ChubbyWimbus (talk) 11:54, 25 May 2014 (UTC)

New Star Nomination

Swept in from the pub

I didn't do this initially, but I was told it is part of the nomination process to post here in the pub when a new star is nominated for the community to comment. I have nominated Okayama for star status and would appreciate your comments, critiques, support, etc. ChubbyWimbus (talk) 05:03, 5 June 2014 (UTC)

Inujima

I had originally thought that Inujima should get its own article so I didn't put it here however, the island is part of Okayama City, so I'd like to ask how I should deal with it. I think it should be given a subheading for sure, but should I make it a general description with a link to Inujima, the main article or should I write it as the only information about it, with a bit more information for those interested? Although there are a few restaurants and sites, the island is not large, so I'm undecided. ChubbyWimbus (talk) 12:46, 24 March 2015 (UTC)

ChubbyWimbus, another possibility: what about adding it as a subsection in Go next? --Danapit (talk) 17:47, 18 April 2015 (UTC)

I'm not sure if it's policy or just me, but I've never liked adding locations to "Go Next" that are not clickable. I think every attraction/destination should be placed in a proper article as an attraction. ChubbyWimbus (talk) 11:14, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

I don't think there's any such policy. There are some attractions that are too far away to be reasonable to list anywhere but "Go next," but which don't merit their own complete article. Have a look at Xi'an#Daqin Pagoda for one such example. Ikan Kekek (talk) 11:37, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

To me, the pagoda's problem seems to be that we haven't created pages for the nearby locations, as the description lists locations and even another nearby attraction. In the case of Inujima, though, the island is within Okayama City limits, so it could go in this article. As an island, though, giving it its own article would also be reasonable. This is what I'm unsure about. ChubbyWimbus (talk) 11:48, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

I see your point. Why not give it its own section here as a "See" or "Do", and then if it seems too long, make it its own article. Ikan Kekek (talk) 12:03, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

Inujima

Inujima Island

Inujima is a small island in the Seto Inland Sea that was historically used as a place to gather granite to make castle walls, including Okayama Castle and Osaka Castle, and later also built a prosperous copper refinery. After the industries shut down, the island struggled to support its citizens and so joined other islands in the inland sea to become one of the art islands in the Setouchi Art Triennale. Although the Triennale is an exciting time to visit, the art sites can be enjoyed anytime. There are often mini festivals on the island and other special art events on off-years. It's also a popular place for swimming, camping, and kayaking in the summertime. Visitors can travel to Inujima by boat from Hoden Port (buses to the port depart from Saidaiji Station) to visit the art sites and enjoy the beauty of the inland sea. Upon arrival at the port, head straight to the Seaside Inujima Gallery where you can get a map of the island and purchase your ticket to the art sites (including exhibits within the gallery itself). You can also check boat departures going back to the mainland, eat at the cafe, and visit the souvenir shop.

• 2 Seirensho Art Museum (犬島精錬所美術館), 327-5 Inujima, Higashi-ku (5 min walk from the port), ☏ +81 86-947-1112. 10AM-4:30PM. Open every day except Tues. Open on Tues. when holiday falls on Mon. or Tues., closed the Wed. after the holiday (Mar-Nov), Only open on Mon., Fri.-Sun. and national holidays during winter (Dec-Feb). This unique art museum was built within the remains of the former copper refinery, which was built in 1909 but abandoned a decade later when copper prices fell. The art here was inspired by Yukio Mishima, a controversial figure who opposed Japan's modernization and movements away from its own rich culture and traditions. The abandoned copper refinery is symbolic of how modernization at the expense of own's culture and heritage leaves a society empty and without identity. The museum however, is by no means empty. Every room and corridor is integrated into one big work of art that is the Seirensho. It's an impressive work that truly has an otherworldly feel. ¥2,060 (includes Art House Project and Seaside Inujima Gallery). (updated Apr 2015)

• 3 Art House Project (家プロジェクト), 327-5 Inujima, Higashi-ku (The houses are scattered about the residential area around the port. None are more than a 15 minute walk from the port.), ☏ +81 86-947-1112. 10AM-4:30PM. Open every day except Tues. Open on Tues. when holiday falls on Mon. or Tues., closed the Wed. after the holiday (Mar-Nov), Only open on Mon., Fri.-Sun. and national holidays during winter (Dec-Feb). The Art House Project encompasses the art outside of the Seirensho. The works are designated a letter and identified that way on the island maps. There were originally three works (S-House, I-House, and F-House) and two more were added in 2013 (A-House and C-House). The works are left after the art festival finishes for people to enjoy in the off-seasons however, the works change with the coming of each festival, so unlike the Seirensho, the art in the Art House Project are not permanent. Those who come in the months prior to the opening of the Art Triennale may be able to see artists working on their new works. ¥2,060 (includes Seirensho Art Museum and Seaside Inujima Gallery). (updated Apr 2015)

I'm going to put the original text here, because I still have mixed feelings whether or not the Inujima article is warranted. I also think whoever transferred it made the description duller. ChubbyWimbus (talk) 15:38, 22 August 2017 (UTC)

Static Map Double

The static map is located both at the top and under the dynamic map. Surely it should only be in one place, right? Is there a policy that dictates which is correct? ChubbyWimbus (talk) 11:16, 24 June 2017 (UTC)

Closed

Will be greatly missed...

• 1 Contents Cafe, 1-6-56 Omote-cho (Dutch Slope, near Shiroshita Tram Stop), ☏ +81 86-222-0488. 11:30AM-10:30PM. As it mainly serves desserts, it's a bit pricey, but the grape parfait (budou pafe ¥1000) is particularly delicious, as it contains fresh peone grapes from the prefecture's many grape farms. It's a seasonal offering only available from July to November. Outside of the season, they have a different seasonal parfait. Prices range from ¥500-¥1,500. 

ChubbyWimbus (talk) 14:26, 22 August 2017 (UTC)