I wrote a piece on the train melodies for the third edition of my newsletter but ended up cutting most of it; one of the strange little details was that fact that the proposed introduction was proving controversial, so Yamaha made a big deal about the fact they went all over the country recording things like the mountain wind on Mt Fuji to use as inspiration for nice soothing sounds.
Now maybe that actually was part of Mukaiya's process, but I rather think he just sat down and banged out a few dozen melodies in an hour then got his money.
The high-frequency sound keeping away the youth of Japan from station exits simply has to be apocryphal, right? If it were true it would be all over social media and turned off in an instant.
Unfortunately I can confirm that the high-frequency sounds are very much real 😔 I’m 22 and just finished a week’s trip to Tokyo and a noticeable amount of station exits as well as the entrances to malls and things had this sound, and it HURTS! Some but not all of my friends can hear it too so I guess it depends on the person.
It took me so long to realize what the birds were signaling. I didn't know much about the history of the songs – I much prefer them over alarm beeps – and nowadays I try to realize what each bird type is suggesting to me.
The one thing I can't get over, though, is publicity placement in Ikebukuro station. The melody seems to be Bic Camera's song, which I find very upsetting haha
Japan is just next-level cool. Where else would they decide to use actual bird calls instead of just beeps to help the visually impaired navigate the station? Also, where else would a composer be banned from somewhere for attracting too large a crowd?
I wrote a piece on the train melodies for the third edition of my newsletter but ended up cutting most of it; one of the strange little details was that fact that the proposed introduction was proving controversial, so Yamaha made a big deal about the fact they went all over the country recording things like the mountain wind on Mt Fuji to use as inspiration for nice soothing sounds.
Now maybe that actually was part of Mukaiya's process, but I rather think he just sat down and banged out a few dozen melodies in an hour then got his money.
The high-frequency sound keeping away the youth of Japan from station exits simply has to be apocryphal, right? If it were true it would be all over social media and turned off in an instant.
I think the sounds have happened both anecdotally and beyond. Love the melodies that were thought up!
https://japantoday.com/category/features/kuchikomi/teen-repellent-in-adachi-park-spurs-flood-of-inquiries
Sorry, missed this reply at the time! Interesting story re the park -- thanks for linking!
Unfortunately I can confirm that the high-frequency sounds are very much real 😔 I’m 22 and just finished a week’s trip to Tokyo and a noticeable amount of station exits as well as the entrances to malls and things had this sound, and it HURTS! Some but not all of my friends can hear it too so I guess it depends on the person.
Isn' t that what we all aspire to do? No, I aspire to work from home and save time and money by not travelling by overcrowded train at all :)
Great read!
It took me so long to realize what the birds were signaling. I didn't know much about the history of the songs – I much prefer them over alarm beeps – and nowadays I try to realize what each bird type is suggesting to me.
The one thing I can't get over, though, is publicity placement in Ikebukuro station. The melody seems to be Bic Camera's song, which I find very upsetting haha
Japan is just next-level cool. Where else would they decide to use actual bird calls instead of just beeps to help the visually impaired navigate the station? Also, where else would a composer be banned from somewhere for attracting too large a crowd?