In Tokyo, the garbage trucks scream "Please Be Careful! Please Be Careful! Please Be Careful!" whenever they back up. Or turn left. Well, they actually scream "gochui kudasai!" but you get the point. The trucks seem particularly angry and loud early in the morning, but that's probably just me projecting.
Japan, however, is not a quiet country. And it's not just a function of the population density. Speakers are everywhere: on trucks, in restaurants, mounted on lamp posts. The speakers aren't reserved for emergency godzilla attacks, either. Everywhere you go, you are bombarded with a constant audio stream, reminding you to be careful, be mindful of others and experience pure shopping pleasure. Even in Azabu Juban, a very upscale neighborhood, a constant patter of mindless information rains down from cleverly hidden speakers.
I wouldn't be surprised if someone growing up in this environment would develop a fear of silence. Maybe that's why my wife likes to leave the TV on, even when she isn't watching it?
Posted by pmk at April 27, 2004 3:15 PM