By Maiya Gessling The North American Post
In its bid to make itself more accessible to tourists as the Rugby
World Cup and Tokyo Summer
Summer Olympics approach, Japan’s tourist maps are being overhauled to mixed reception. Most notably, the symbol used to represent Buddhist temples, which closely resembles Nazi Germany’s swastika though it has a much older history of its own, will be replaced by a three-story pagoda.
the change has drawn controversy, as the swastika-like symbol originated in Sanskrit and has been associated with Buddhism for centuries. Head of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, Takayuki Nakamura, told the Japan Times, “Some say we should change symbols for Japanese-language maps at this opportunity, while others say the traditional symbols should stay…It will take a while before any changes are made, as we need to co-ordinate with related government agencies.”
Other changes include the symbols for police station, hotel, post office, church and hospital.
