Most travellers to Japan come prepared to see. They expect to be dazzled by cherry blossoms, the neon swirl of Tokyo’s Shinjuku, or the tranquil symmetry of Kyoto’s temples. But in 1996, Japan’s Ministry of the Environment invited the country to do something different: to listen. Out of more than 700 public nominations, they compiled a list of the “100 Soundscapes of Japan”—a catalogue of the nation’s most cherished natural and cultural sounds.
At the time, concerns about rising noise pollution were mounting. Cities were swelling, machines and traffic were drowning out the subtler sounds of everyday life. By naming and celebrating these soundscapes, the government hoped to preserve them, protect them, and remind people that identity is carried not just in sights and smells, but in sound.
The bamboo forest in Kyoto. Credit: Ben & Gab
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