I have been working for a long time to supplement the English information on landmarks in Kyoto and Nara that is lacking in Google Maps, primarily for foreign tourists visiting those areas. However, a specific user who dislikes my edits has repeatedly submitted false deletion requests, and despite sending feedback to Google, they have not addressed the issue. That’s why I am reaching out to the Local Guides, who are Googlers, for help for the first time.
Initially, I noticed that there was very little English translation of information within temple grounds, and even when translated, the information was not accurate. So, I started actively editing the maps. I have access to specialized literature published by temples and local authorities, which allows me to improve the accuracy of the information.
Gradually, I discovered that some temple buildings had the temple name included in their name field, while others had it omitted. To improve this, I standardized all of them to include the official names and provided English translations. For example, it became “Horyu-ji Kondo (Golden Hall).”
However, soon after that, certain users, who are believed to be individuals from Japan and only edit in Japanese, started changing it back to simply “金堂” (which means “Golden Hall” in Japanese). Since they only edit in Japanese, it is easy to identify who made the edits. If it were merely a difference in opinion, it wouldn’t be a problem. However, they also started submitting deletion requests for the additional information about temple buildings that were missing on the map. For example, they claimed that the six National Treasure buildings in Ninomaru Palace of Nijo Castle or the information about the pond and buildings in Nishi Honganji were duplicate or non-existent sites. These are clearly false claims and acts of vandalizing the map. Furthermore, several hundred (or even thousands) of photos and reviews posted by users for iconic landmarks like Toshodai-ji Kondo (Golden Hall) or Byodo-in Hoodo (Phoenix Hall) have been deleted for each location. These tragedies are a result of Google’s flawed system that approves false reports from malicious users.
I admit that I made a mistake while translating Google Maps, where I mistakenly removed long URLs to inn booking sites, thinking they were malicious affiliate links. Shortly after that, Google made improvements to prevent general users like me from editing information that only business owners can add. As a result, they permanently removed me as a Local Guide, even though I had never participated as one. This completely cut off any means of seeking help, and I have been subjected to harassment for a long time. In other words, even this account is destined to be deleted.
That was a brief explanation. You can choose to ignore me or report me as an illegitimate user. However, if you believe that I am genuinely working to make Google Maps a better place, then I would appreciate it if you could do the right thing.
