A musical departure: melodies in train stations in Japan

In Japan, the departure of a train is often announced by a melody, which differs depending on the station. A great fan tells us about the history of this concept which is part of the charm of traveling to the Archipelago.

Famous songs

The singer Sakamoto Kyû (1941-1985) is best known for his song Ue or very arukô (“Let’s walk while looking at the sky”), renamed internationally under the name Sukiyaki. Released in 1961, the song won the hearts of many fans and topped the charts in many countries such as the United States and Australia.

In Kawasaki, the city where Sakamoto was born, as if to pay homage to its author, you can hear the famous melody in the stations, announcing that a train from the JR or Keikyû railway company will soon leave. This was made possible thanks to the local chamber of commerce, among others, and the multiple efforts made to promote Kawasaki. The melody played is a 10-second arrangement based on the well-known intro and chorus of the original song.

Kawasaki is a major municipality located between Tokyo and Yokohama, with a population of over 1.5 million people. Since there are many trains serving its stations, the melody must be short, but in rural areas of Japan melodies can last up to 20 or 30 seconds. Some stations may even play an extended melody when a train enters the station.

Astro, the little robot and the privatization of Japanese National Railways (current JR)

The cover of “Stories of station melodies” (Eki mero monogatari). (Image courtesy of Kôtsû Shinbunsha)

I went to stations that broadcast melodies to revitalize the region. I mention 18 of them in my book “Histoires de musiques de gare” (Eki mero monogatari) published in April 2024.

A station melody is an integral part of Japanese railway culture. How can we imagine one without the other? I consider myself a railway enthusiast and I prefer the train for my vacations in Japan and abroad, or during my business trips. In the United States I traveled on the Amtrak, in Russia I took the Trans-Siberian Railway, I also used trains in Western, Central and Eastern Europe, Canada, China, South Korea. South and other Asian countries, but most of the time there is no sound to signal the departure of the train. Even less melody. The trains simply leave at the scheduled time (or not…), in silence.

Furthermore, Japan is renowned for the punctuality of its rail service. In 1872, the first railway was built between Shimbashi, Tokyo, and Yokohama. A drum taiko and a bell were used at this time to announce to the crew members the departure of the train.

Ueno Station, Tokyo. It was not until 1912 that a bell rang to alert travelers. The first melodies appeared almost 70 years later, in 1987, after the privatization of the former Japanese National Railways (JNR, now JR). Two years later, in 1989, the bell sounds were replaced with melodies at Shinjuku and Shibuya stations on the JR Yamanote Line. It was the roaring era of the speculative bubble in Japan. In stations, especially the busiest ones, the sound of the bells had a bad influence on travelers who tended to rush on board the train. They were therefore replaced by melodies. More pleasant to the ear, they had a calming effect on travelers. Killing two birds with one stone, they avoided dangerous behavior in stations and on platforms.

Things are changing. Far from being chosen at random, some are closely linked to the district where the station is located. And in 2003, in Takadanobaba Station (Tokyo), the title song of the anime based on the manga Astro, the little robot by Tezuka Osamu is the first of them. In the original story, Astro was created in April 2003 at the fictional Ministry of Science, located in Takadanobaba. Furthermore, the animation studio founded by Tezuka Osamu which bears his name, Tezuka Productions, is still based there. The choice of this melody was the initiative of the association of local traders, a melody which is still used to this day, to the great pleasure of travelers.

The very first melody

But the very first use of a melody in a train station dates back much further, in 1951. Kôjô no tsuki (“The Moon Over the Ruined Castle”), composed in 1901, at Bungotaketa Station, in Ōita Prefecture.

The composer, Taki Rentarô (1879-1903), spent part of his youth in the town of Taketa, and it was with the ruins of Oka Castle in mind that he composed the musical piece. A local resident himself brought a vinyl record to the station and played it through a megaphone each time the train left.

At the time, vinyl records were of poor quality. In 1963, a local newspaper reported that as many as 80 discs had been used in the first 12 years! Since 1988, the station has broadcast a version recorded by a young girls’ choir.

Le quai de la gare de Bungotaketa (© Fujisawa Shihoko)

But what was the trigger that led to the introduction of melodies into train stations during the tumultuous post-war years? In Taketa, you have to go back to the city’s own history, as a home of hidden Christians during the Edo period (1603-1868). Christianity sparked locals’ interest in cultures other than that of Japan. Even before World War II, documents mentioned the local city council’s desire to promote tourism to breathe new life into the city.

Compared to more famous hot springs in Ōita Prefecture, such as Beppu or Yufuin, the town of Taketa is quite rustic, but its residents were keen to share their pride in Taki Rentarô and promote his work. . After the war, they launched a commemorative music festival, which later became the “Taki Rentarô National High School Singing Competition”. In 2024, the competition celebrated its seventy-eighth anniversary. Thus, residents can themselves be at the origin of the introduction of melodies in stations, looking for a way to give a facelift to their city or their neighborhood that they love so much.

Can train station melodies resonate in the hearts of foreign visitors?

The end of the coronavirus pandemic coupled with a weak yen has led to a rapid influx of visitors to Japan. I had hoped, in vain, that they would be interested in the melodies of the stations.

At JR and Keikyû stations in Kawasaki, I don’t get the impression that foreign visitors are listening to the air Sukiyaki. Outside the stations, a plaque presents the spectacular achievements of Sakamoto Kyû, but unfortunately, no translation is available. An English version could attract the interest of international tourists.

Many artists have covered the song Sukiyakiin Japan of course, but also abroad. Ben E. King (1938-2015), best known for his hit Stand By Meeven recorded a version of it. In 2011, following the earthquake that struck East Japan, he released a charity album on which he sang the song in its original Japanese version. During his visit to the Archipelago, he met the widow of Sakamoto Kyû, Kashiwagi Yukiko. A monument in the city of Kawasaki mentioning such information would certainly pique the curiosity of foreign visitors.

Let us cite the interesting case of a train traveling near Mount Fuji. Many visitors hope to take a photo of Japan’s iconic summit aboard the Fuji-Kyûkô, a 26.6 kilometer railway line starting from Ōtsuki, in Yamanashi prefecture, with some not hesitating to stop at Shimoyoshida Station in Fujiyoshida City.

On site, visitors can hear musical pieces that are rather atypical for a station; hit songs from local band Fujifabric! The songs Wakamono no subete (All about youth) and Akaneiro no yûhi (Purple Sunset), written by former group member Shimura Masahiko (1980-2009), have been resounding in their original format, without forgetting the singers’ voices, since December 2021.

Shimura Masahiko wrote other songs with his hometown in mind. This time, it is not the locals who are behind the use of these songs, but a station employee and former classmate of the singer. He simply wanted to make his friend better known to users. Finally, after two years of effort, the songs were finally added to the station’s musical repertoire. And on site, a panel is dedicated to the songs of Shimura Masahiko and the group Fujifabric. You can of course read the lyrics of the songs there. The sign has been translated into English, Chinese and Thai for non-Japanese speakers.

But when I went there in January 2024, all the tourists’ eyes were obviously on the sacred mountain, without really glancing at the sign… Perhaps other displays in Japanese and English on the Fujifabric singer elsewhere in Fujiyoshida City and Mount Fuji could attract more attention.

How can Japan make the melodies played in the Archipelago’s stations known beyond its borders? Who knows… one day maybe we will be able to hear at JR Karuizawa station, in Nagano prefecture, Imagine by John Lennon? The Beatles singer and Yoko Ono had a vacation home there, a popular summer vacation spot. They spent extended stays there in the 1970s with their son Sean. Even today, for many fans, this house and many other sites where the singer and his partner have visited are on their list of places to visit. You may say that this dream is unattainable, but if the city’s main gateway, its train station, could play the famous song, I am sure it would attract many visitors from all over the world.

(Title photo: Pixta)