The train melodies in Japan
Have you ever listened carefully to the train melodies in Japan? Those are 5 to 10-second-melodies that are played on the platform informing the arrival or departure of the train. If you listen carefully, you would notice that many stations have their own special melodies! As we know, Japanese always provide excellent service, and the use of the different melodies is to let the passengers to immediately know the current station. Later on, it turns out to be one of the uniqueness of Japan, and people find that interesting!
JR- Takadanobaba Station
The train melody at JR Takadanobaba Station is the theme song of “Astro Boy”! It is always nostalgic to hear that melody. The theme song of “Astro Boy” is used, because in the setting of “Astro Boy”, the Institute of Science, where the Astro Boy was created, is located at Takadanobaba.
Metro- Akihabara Station
As you might know, Akihabara is the city of anime, manga, games, and idols, which is also known as the kingdom of Otaku. The melody of the Metro Akihabara Station is also related to the features of Akihabara. “Koi Suru Fortune Cookie (恋するフォーチュンクッキー)”, the most famous song from AKB48, which is a popular idol group, is used as the melody. Although the melody is short, you can feel the cuteness of Akihabara!
Odakyu Line - Mukougaoka Yuenchi Station
The train melody at the Mukougaoka Yuenchi is the theme song of “Doraemon”! Isn’t it exciting to hear the melody? It is used simply because that the “Fujiko F. Fujio Museum” is near this station. It is the museum dedicated to the Fujiko F. Fujio, the artists of “Doraemon” and many other famous manga titles.
JR- Maihama Station
You must have heard this melody before! This is from the song, “It’s a Small World” from Disney. This is used at JR Maihama Station, because if you are going to Tokyo Disneyland or Disneysea, you have to transfer at this station. When you hear this melody, you already felt like the magical journey has begun!
Odakyu Line Ebina Station
The train melody that’s used at Ebina Station is from a song called “SAKURA”. If you love J-pop music, you would definitely know this song. It’s a famous song from the group, “Ikimonogakari”. It is said that the melody is used because when they debuted, they used to have many live performances at this station.
JR Yamanote Line: Overall
To a lot of tourist inside or outside Japan, JR Yamanote Line is the most heard of and the busiest train line in Japan. Some station share a the same melody while some have their unique song to stand out from other.
After knowing that each station has its own train melody, make sure to listen carefully while you are taking the train in Japan. If you are lucky enough, there are often collaborations between train and a certain movie, anime or even video games. Tokyu Toyoko line for instance, have been collaborating with movie titles like Stars Wars and one of the most beloved video game in Japan- Dragon Quest. You might find it amusing!
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