Election campaign van, Hakodate
A peculiar trait of the Japanese election campaign system is their obscenely loud campaign vans. People hired to smile and wave drive around with the candidate, who spews his or her propaganda at people through PA-systems cranked up to earsplitting levels. This recording documents fragments of the campaign for local Hakodate candidate Kenji Sato. The van was far away from the recording site - a sure indication of just how loud these things are!

Streets outside hotelroom, Hakodate
Street noises recorded from the window of a hotel room in Hakodate. Notice how that Kenji Sato is still at it...

Traffic light with PA-system, Hakodate
Central Hakodate is very, very loud - store-owned and city-owned PA-systems appear to compete with each other with what comes across as frightening ferocity. This is a somewhat sedate example - a PA-system at a zebra crossing. Traffic sounds, constant jabbering, and the occasional children's song.

Raindrops on rusty metal box, Fushimi Inari Taisha
Sounds recorded in one of the many graveyards in Fushimi Inari Taisha. The microphone and recorder was placed inside a rusty, dented metal box equipped with several rows of spikes, presumably intended for candles. Rain and heavy drops falling off overhanging branches provided for a fascinating percussion performance by nature.

Rain on plastic umbrella, Fushimi Inari Taisha
A recording of rain and forest sounds on the trail in Fushimi Inari Taisha. Miyazaki-fans may want to listen to this through a headset and pretend to be Totoro.

Birds, Kakunodate
A brief recording of birds flinging short bursts of insults, greetings or pick up-lines at each other. Also a discreet conversation between to Japanese women in the background.

AC-unit in shopping mall, Kyoto
A fascinatingly noisy AC-unit in a fashionable shopping mall in Kyoto provides a short industrial piece of improvised music. Metallic rhythm wrapped in a hoover-like blanket of sound.

JR main station, Kyoto
Kyoto JR main station sans Gamera and Iris, though thronging with hordes of faceless commuters, keitai-equipped teen girls, tourists and a large, loud orchestra.

Arcade, Osaka
A meandering walk through a typical arcade, this one being in Osaka. The layered cacophony ultimately comes across as some sort of demented musical composition, with fragments floating in and out of focus.

Consumer goods advertising, Osaka
"It's cheap! It's PC! It's PC! It's cheeeeeeeeaaaap!" A recorded sales-pitch emanating from a PA-system at an electronic goods store in Den-Den Town, Osaka. The wacky-voiced street hawker is basically listing up sales articles and pointing out that THEY'RE ALL REALLY CHEAP! Hilarious.