Title:
Appeal for Removal: Minobusan Ropeway (Inappropriate Photos and Mismatched Location)
Location (Coordinates):
35.3838180, 138.4246440
Statement:
I am reporting a severe violation of Wayfarer guidelines regarding this Wayspot. This spot has become a “Ghost Gym” with zero valid data due to Niantic’s improper location edits and long-term neglect of privacy violations.
1. Severe Privacy Violation (Faces visible in photos):
The main photo of this gym clearly shows the faces of multiple people (see attached “unnamed (1).jpg”). This is a direct violation of Niantic’s safety and quality guidelines. This photo has been exposed for nearly 10 years, which is a serious breach of privacy (Digital Tattoo). I have censored the faces for this public post, but the original in-game photo is unedited.
2. Physical Mismatch caused by Improper Location Edit:
The current pin location (Base Station) and the attached photos are completely inconsistent due to Niantic’s forced location move:
Mismatched Signboard: Originally, there was a signboard for “Okunoin (Summit)” at this base location. However, Niantic forcibly moved the pin to the “Ropeway Building,” causing the pin to drift far away from the actual physical signboard.
Physical Impossibility: The gym also includes a panoramic view from the summit. It is physically impossible to take this photo from the current gym location at the base station.
The current Wayspot is now a “False Location” that contradicts reality.
3. Zero Valid Photos and Negative Community Impact:
If we remove the privacy-violating photos and the physically impossible photos, ZERO valid photos remain to prove this Wayspot. Maintaining such a low-quality gym destroys map integrity. Furthermore, Niantic ignoring its own rules sends a wrong message to the community that “low-quality data is acceptable,” encouraging more invalid submissions from other players.
Conclusion:
It is a clear double standard to ban players for low-quality submissions while Niantic itself maintains this “violation-heavy” Wayspot. Niantic is the one who created these rules (this story). Please follow your own guidelines and remove this inappropriate Wayspot immediately.
Thank you for your comment. However, there is a major misunderstanding about the geography.
This photo was taken at the SUMMIT (35.392539, 138.416752), NOT the base station. The current gym pin is located at a “Signboard” at the bottom of the hill (35.383669, 138.424210).
These two locations are 1,665m apart. You have to ride the ropeway for 1.6km to see this view. It is physically impossible to see this scenery from the current gym’s location.
Sadly, this photo has 19 “Likes.” Many players are being misled by this beautiful but “False” photo. According to Niantic’s rules, “Photos of different locations” are invalid. This spot now has ZERO valid data that correctly represents its actual location. It should be removed to maintain map integrity.
Thank you for the additional information. To clarify the situation further:
The original and correct location of the “Minobusan Ropeway” signboard was at 35.383669, 138.424210.
Niantic later moved the pin to its current location (35.383818, 138.424644). However, there is no signboard at these new coordinates. Because Niantic forcibly moved the location, the old signboard photos were “dragged” along with the pin to a place where they do not physically exist.
In short:
The signboard is at the old coordinates (35.383669, 138.424210).
The current gym pin is at 35.383818, 138.424644, where NO signboard exists.
The attached photos show a signboard that is not at the current location.
This Wayspot is now a “False Location” with photos that do not match the physical reality of its coordinates. It should be removed to maintain map integrity.
My ultimate goal is to remove this low-quality Wayspot.
As a single player, there is only so much I can do on my own. I have been fighting to correct this data for a long time, and I have reached my limit. I sincerely ask for your help and support to fix this broken data. Please help me maintain a high-quality map for our community.
You have a fundamental misunderstanding of wayspot edits. Niantic do not move, or forcibly move, wayspots. Wayfarers and Pogo players suggest edits, which are either approved/rejected by Niantic staff or by the community reviewers.
Whenever a wayspot moves, this is because a player requested a move.
There may be information that needs to sync between map and gameboard.
There is a concern that some repurposing may be taking place.
It sounds as though location moves have been taking place. I do not have access to a timeline of events. It may be that the sign acted as a proxy for the ropeway initially. The wayfarer team can investigate fully.
Fundamentally this is a suitable Point of interest from what I can tell. Adding an up to date photo ( since some are quite old would be helpful.
I am sorry if I am using the term incorrectly, but I interpreted “Ghost Gym” as a place where there are very few legitimate players, and instead, it’s filled with spoofers and multi-account users. Since it’s a rural area with no physical object at the coordinates, it unfortunately becomes a playground for those who don’t actually visit the site.
Forget what was in the past - look at the wayspots now.
Is this wayspot valid, for something that actually exists - Yes
Is it duplicated by another wayspot - No
Is it correctly located - also yes if it represents the cableway, as it is at the base station
Are any photos invalid, containing people, not of this POI, etc - if so, report the photo, not the wayspot
To clarify my point, the title was originally “Ropeway,” but it was linked to a photo of a sign. The location points to Kuonji Station (lower station), but the ropeway itself is not visible from there.
You can only see the ropeway from the summit (Okunoin Shishinkaku), which is already a separate wayspot. Therefore, I believe it is more accurate to associate that imagery with the summit location where it can actually be seen. It makes no sense to have a wayspot for something that isn’t visible at the coordinates.
To me, after reading through this thread, this does not seem like a case for removal. It seems to be a legitimate POI pinned at a reasonable and accessible location, the base for the ropeway. It does seem like perhaps some of the photos could be removed as they are no longer accurate. It does also sound like additional POI could be submitted at the top of the ropeway potentially.
Where I agree with you that the photos showing identifiable people should be removed, the wayspot Title is accurate and the image (although taken from a different location along the line) is accurate and of the poi mentioned. I have seen drone photo shots on wayspots and they enhance to beauty of the wayspot while still being accurate.
If the image was of a ropeway in a completely different geo location elsewhere in the country and then used at this location that would be a different thing.
Accessibility doesn’t seem to be an issue as it is a base station and is accessible, the fact that the photo is of the ropeway in motion does not make it any less accurate, I would argue it actually enhanced the ropeway as the the base station along would not have the visual impact that is represented by the image of the ropeway in motion at that height.
Personally I would love to receive this postcard as a gift in game in comparison to a lot that I currently receive, this postcard would bee a keeper where others I remove.
Thank you for your comments. Since many of these wayspots were created 10 years ago, I can really feel that they were registered quite haphazardly back then.
I plan to start by steadily removing the photos that contain people’s faces first, as they are a privacy concern. From there, I hope to carefully organize what is necessary and what is not to improve the quality of the map.
By all means I would ask for removal of the photos with the visible photos.
Just to give you an example of 2 beautiful (I believe are Drone Photo shots) I received gifts from I attach these 2 examples from. Warsaw in Poland. I would love to speak with whoever took them as they are stunning.
I also thought about the gift (postcard) aspect. Personally, I believe such a beautiful view should be a gift for those who actually made it to the summit.
It feels more special and like a real adventure—you see the amazing scenery with your own eyes and then get the matching postcard. Wouldn’t that be more rewarding and make people want to visit again?
Where I understand you’re point about the sense of achievement of reaching the summit please allow me to offer this point of view. As a person that does not live in your country (but will visit some day hopefully) I would see this as possibly inspiration for someone to go visit and possibly scale the summit to take in this beauty.
Obviously just my point of view but I would feel proud to have a wayspot and postcard like this from my local area.
Thank you so much for all your advice and comments. I have taken both the strict and the warm feedback to heart. This discussion has been very meaningful for me, and I will continue to do my best to improve the quality of the map in my hometown, step by step.
