I came across a fascinating fact today. Back in 1996, Japan’s Ministry of the Environment chose 100 sounds throughout the country as official Soundscapes of Japan as part of an effort to preserve sounds for future generations to combat an increasingly noisy modern world.
The list includes not only sounds of the natural world like the squeaking sand beneath your feet at Kotobikihama Beach or the sounds of the bamboo forest but sounds like ships whistling for the New Year at Yokohama Port and the sound hand looms make as traditional fabric is woven.
It’s a fascinating concept, as I think about how many familiar sounds of my youth, such as phone ringing, TV static, a cassette tape rewinding, or even a watch ticking, aren’t something most young people today would ever have heard.
This fascinating site explains how the sounds were chosen and offers videos featuring 15 of the sounds.
You can click here to check it out: https://soranews24.com/2016/05/14/the-100-soundscapes-of-japan-a-list-of-japans-greatest-natural-cultural-and-industrial-sounds/
You can also check out a full list that includes some samples of the sounds by visiting the Wikipedia article on the subject: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Soundscapes_of_Japan