The melody roads メロディーロード
Let the music play!
In Japan, there are around thirty melody roads, or musical roads, spread throughout the country, from Hokkaido to Okinawa. These unique roads will give you an unforgettable touring experience!
The melody roads, what are they?
Melody roads are stretches of road that offer music from a system of grooves dug in the road and vibrations produced by vehicles driving over them. The vibrations in the passenger compartment transform vehicle into a veritable sounding board. To enjoy the melody thus created, we advise you to keep the windows closed to listen to the rhythmic vibrations?
For the record, the Japanese melody roads were born by chance when the engineer Shizuo Shinoda accidentally damaged the asphalt of a highway with the bucket of his bulldozer, digging several furrows. As he drove over these furrows, he found that the sound produced by his vehicle depended on their depth and spacing. The National Institute of Industrial Research in Hokkaido then took advantage of this discovery to design the first melody roads in Japan!
The melody roads are generally indicated by signs.
Wikimedia Commons/shidax
Careful driving
If music softens morals, it also improves road safety. Indeed, to enjoy the song played by the melody roads, you must not go faster than the music but respect the speed limit of 40km/hr. Drive too fast, and the melody speeds up; too slow, it slows down, and then it has nothing to do with the original song.
Additionally, much like the rumble strips that cover the hard shoulder in France, the grooves in melody roads also affect waking up drowsy or sleeping drivers.
From popular ballads to cartoon credits
Passionate about popular songs or lovers of Japanese animation, all you have to do is listen carefully to recognize familiar melodies. The melody roads indeed take up pell-mell popular ballads, nursery rhymes, and flagship songs of Japanese animation. To help you plan your trip, we have concocted a shortlist of roads not to be missed.
Also, discover: Rent a car in Japan and translate your license.
Mount Fuji from Ashinoko Skyline Road
Wikimedia Commons/shidax
- National road 331 (Okinawa): if you are passing through Okinawa, why not discover the melody road of the village of Futami? She performs Futami Jowa, one of Okinawan's most famous folk ballads. Moreover, this melody road also has the particularity of being polyphonic! Since the grooves for the left wheel and the right wheel of the vehicle are not the same, the sound will resonate in stereo in the passenger compartment.
- The Ashinoko Skyline road (Shizuoka): on this road leading to Mount Fuji, you will be entitled to two melody roads for one! In the direction of the rise, you will be able to hear the nursery rhyme Fuji no Yama, well known to Japanese school children. Going downhill, on the other hand, you can enjoy the catchy rhythm of one of the most sung songs in karaoke, namely Zankokuna Tenshi no Teeze, the theme song of the Neon Genesis Evangelion animation series.
In addition to your ears, the Ashinoko Skyline road will also delight your eyes since you can admire majestic landscapes between Lake Ashi, Suruga Bay, the city of Hakone, and Mount Fuji itself.
Read also: Views of Mount Fuji: 5 places to see it better.
- Route 47 between Yonago and Sakaiminato (Tottori): beware of youkai if you venture on this road in Tottori prefecture! In a nice nod to Shigeru Mizuki, creator of GeGeGe no Kitarô and native of the region, we can hear the credits of the anime series adaptation of this manga dedicated to youkai and other folk creatures.
See also: GeGeGe no Kitarô street and the yôkai temple
- The Chôdô Fruits Road (Hiroshima): located near the town of Sera, this melody road will delight young and old alike since it features the famous song Sanpo, which serves as the opening credits for My Neighbor Totoro. An excellent way to have fun with the family during a trip around Hiroshima.
To go further: Studio Ghibli
