Editorial policy
We write only what our sources can confirm, and we are careful to say what kind of claim it is. That is the rule this site runs on.
Sources
Everything in our articles must be confirmable from a source. We group sources by how far they can be relied on, and use the kind of source that fits the claim. Most of our sources are in Japanese.
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Primary and public records | National and municipal government materials, official documents, library and museum materials, academic papers |
| Official accounts | Tourism associations, shrines and temples, cultural facilities, the official histories of companies and shops |
| Press and publishing | Newspapers, publishers, specialist media, books on local history |
- A story needs at least one source from the three types above. We do not publish stories whose only basis is a single social media post, an unsourced roundup, or the text of an encyclopedia site.
- Comparisons such as “Japan's largest”, “the oldest” or “the birthplace of” are used only when confirmed by two or more independent sources.
- We say what kind of story we are telling: a legend is something that “is said to” have happened, and a shrine's or temple's own account of its origins is presented as that account. We never present legend as historical fact.
- We do not cover details that change often, such as opening hours, prices or traffic restrictions. Please check official information before you go.
- Every article ends with a linked list of the sources it uses.
How we use AI
The articles on this site are made with the help of AI (large language models). This is how we use it:
- We gather sources first, then write short summaries of the facts they contain. We never give an AI just the name of a town and let it write freely.
- AI helps draft the structure and the prose. It may only use facts that have already been checked against sources — we do not add numbers, reasons or relationships between people that are not in the sources, even to make a story read better.
- The English edition is written from the reviewed English translations of those same facts, with the Japanese source summaries as the reference for what may be said.
- Before publication, a program checks that every number and year in the article appears in the underlying facts, and a separate AI then reviews the article. Articles that do not meet the standard are not published.
- Two AIs agreeing with each other is never treated as a substitute for a source.
Photos
Photos come from stock photo sites whose licences allow commercial use. The photographer and the source are credited under each photo.
Corrections
- Use “Report an error” at the end of any article to tell us which story is wrong and how.
- When we receive a report, we pull that story from distribution and check the sources again. If the error is confirmed, we correct the article and update its date.
- Where we make a significant correction, we say so in the article.