The following recording was made on Teramachi Street in Kyoto. Teramachi Street contains one of the main shopping arcades (shotengai) in Kyoto, and after the arcade can be found a street filled with temples (o-tera) from which the street gets its name. It is a popular tourist spot in Kyoto, where tourists (both international and domestic travellers) can buy "authentic" and "traditional" souvenirs from the nation's former capital.
In the recording, you can hear what appears to be Japanese folk music- this is recorded music which is being disseminated throughout the shopping arcade in a manner similar to muzak. The sound of the shakuhachi is particularly noticeable earlier in the recording. You can also hear the sounds of shoppers as they move through the street, including at the end of the recording where you can hear a young child who sounds like s/he is either excited to be there or perhaps complaining about his/her tiredness. In the middle of the recording, the folk music is drowned out by more modern, popular music as Richard walks past a pachinko parlour. This melding of traditional folk music and modern pop presents an interesting hybridity which lends Teramachi Street a sense of both tradition and modernity (this hybridity is often used as a way to sell Japan as a tourist destination overseas).
Recording credit: Richard Chenhall Photo credit: Wikimedia user Sanjo, used under Creative Commons license. Text: Thomas Baudinette
Public places in the crowded streets of Shinjuku in Tokyo are usually filled with movement, talking and the sounds emanating from shops. Whilst walking through West Shinjuku, I was minding my business walking to my destination. I stopped when I saw a sea of people standing outside Yodabashi camera. There...>>
One of the pleasures of academia is working with doctoral students whose projects extend their supervisors' knowledge about their area of expertise. Dr. Jenny Hall introduced me to the sensory experiences of traditional textile making and design as per her dissertation thesis, Tradition and Innovation in Textile Production and Design...>>
Many scholars conducting doing important research regarding the diversification of Japanese society which has intensified in recent years for a variety of economic, social and cultural reasons. While these contemporary developments are important, we must also remember that ethnic diversity in Japan does have a significant history, and Chinatowns like...>>
