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!

Les melody roads sont généralement signalées par des panneaux.

The melody roads are generally indicated by signs.

Wikimedia Commons/shidax

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

Mount Fuji from Ashinoko Skyline Road

Wikimedia Commons/shidax

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