If you find yourself in Japan, then you will definitely pay attention to one unusual fact for us. Every day at 17:00 in many districts and settlements of the country, a simple but pleasant melody sounds in loudspeakers mounted on poles.
Sometimes the music is complemented by the calm, unobtrusive voice of the announcer. What is this melody? Why is it turned on and is it true that this happens throughout Japan?
Reasons for the appearance of the traditional evening melody
So, the most popular melody that can be heard in Japan at 17:00 can rightly be called a melody from a song called "Yuuyake Koyake". The song itself was written at the beginning of the 20th century. Nakamura Ukoo in collaboration with the composer Kusakawa Shin and immediately fell in love with many Japanese.
Usually, only the instrumental version of the work is heard from the loudspeakers, but in the original, the song tells about children walking home at sunset to the sound of a temple bell.
Indeed, often the announcer, to the sounds of a melody, tells the children that it's time to go home. But besides this warning, there is a better reason for the daily ringtone at 5:00 pm.
First of all, such an everyday practice is an excellent way to test warning systems various levels. Let's remember that Japan is geographically located in a seismically active region of the planet. Therefore, timely warning about earthquakes, typhoons, tsunamis and other anomalies is very important for its inhabitants.
Once upon a time, when testing warning systems, they tried to use the same type of speech messages or just tone signals, but this began to annoy people, and now the authorities found a truly Solomon solution - a melody or a melody with the speaker's speech.
Other tunes in various municipalities
Most often, the melody sounds at 17:00, but the specific time depends on the area, municipality or settlement. The exact signal time may vary depending on the time of year.
In addition, in some municipalities, especially in rural areas, such signals can sound up to three times a day, for example, in the morning, around noon and in the evening.
The melody itself is also not some kind of canon. In many settlements, instead of "Yuuyake Koyake" use the melodies of other children's songs or just a short popular tune.
Some small communities use the loudspeakers of the disaster warning system to broadcast important events and warnings of social incidents.
In general, the Japanese are already accustomed to such musical alerts and, to a certain extent, involuntarily follow them in their daily lives.
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