Is Japan the only place where people enjoy the sounds of insects on long autumn nights?
Enjoy the autumn atmosphere
Even though the daytime temperatures are still high, when night falls and you hear the chirping of insects, many people probably think, "Ah, autumn is here."
The children's song "Mushi no Koe" (Voice of Insects) is still one of the songs that children sing in kindergarten and elementary school.
You may also find sections selling bell crickets at home improvement stores and pet shops.
In Japan, the sounds of autumn insects = autumn atmosphere.
However, sensing autumn through the sounds of insects is a custom unique to Japan.
The sounds of insects signaling autumn
"Oh, there's a pincushion, chinchiro chinchiro chinchirorin."
Even if you're unfamiliar with the lyrics of the children's song "Insect Voices," I think many people can hum the melody a cappella.
Not many people may actually know the insects mentioned in the lyrics.
There probably aren't many people who can match the actual sound of an insect with its name.
However, the sounds of insects that can be heard after evening make us feel the coming of autumn.
In Japan, people have long admired the sounds of insects.
It has been a long time since Japanese people have enjoyed the sounds of insects and felt the coming of autumn.
There are records that show that the custom of appreciating the sounds of insects already existed in the Heian period.
It was popular among the nobility to put chirping insects in cages and enjoy listening to their chirping.
In Sei Shonagon's "The Pillow Book," bell crickets, pine crickets, grasshoppers, and weavers appear, and in Murasaki Shikibu's "The Tale of Genji," bell crickets and pine crickets are also depicted.
A similar custom exists in China, and it is said that as early as the Tang Dynasty, there was a custom of appreciating the sounds of insects.
Apparently, this custom still exists in modern-day China.
In Western countries, insect sounds = noise
The sounds of insects are beloved in Japan and China, but in contrast, there is no custom of enjoying the sounds of insects in Western countries.
It is said that Westerners perceive the sounds of insects as just noise, the same as the sounds of factory work.
The reason for these differences is said to be the difference in how the brains of Japanese and Westerners work.
The human brain is divided into the right and left hemispheres.
The left brain is the part of the brain that excels in language ability, and is good at things like calculations as well as words.
On the other hand, the right brain is known as the musical brain and excels at things that are perceived intuitively, such as in the arts.
Some people may have the general idea that science students are left-brained and humanities students are right-brained.
It's not that the left brain doesn't work when you listen to music, or the right brain doesn't work when you listen to language, but there are differences in which hemisphere takes priority.
When comparing the activity of the right and left brain when listening to the sounds of insects between Japanese and Westerners, it has been found that Japanese people process the sound using the language brain (left brain), while Westerners process it using the music brain (right brain).
The fact that the sounds of insects are printed into lyrics as "insect sounds" shows that Japanese people have a linguistic understanding of the sounds of insects.
On the other hand, to Westerners, the sound of insects is "sound."
Therefore, it is not recognized as a "voice" and is treated as mere noise.
How can you enjoy the sounds of insects even in the city?
Since ancient times, Japanese people have sensed the arrival of autumn through the sounds of insects, but this custom is not often seen these days.
In the first place, there are not many environments in urban areas where wild insects can live.
In some areas, the environment where you can naturally hear the sounds of insects outside your window is now a rare occurrence.
Even among people who live in urban areas where they cannot hear the sounds of natural insects, there are probably some who want to feel the autumn coming through the sounds of insects.
Also, some people raising children in urban areas may want to let their children listen to the sounds of insects.
What we recommend is " Symphony of Insects ," which is a collection of real insect sounds.
▼You can listen to each song individually
The album contains the sounds of insects that appear in "Voices of Insects," such as crickets, bell crickets, pine beetles, grasshoppers, and Hayashi no mahogany.
It contains natural sounds rather than mechanical sounds, so if you play it in your room, you can feel the atmosphere of a long autumn night.
Since it is not music created by a human, it is perfect as background music.
It won't get in the way of your book reading, so it's perfect for those who want to spend the autumn reading.
It would be fun to listen to the insects and talk with your children about what kind of insects make those sounds.
Enjoy autumn in Japan with the sounds of insects as background music
As urban development progresses, there are many areas where the environment in which one can naturally enjoy the sounds of insects is being lost.
Furthermore, with modern Japanese society becoming increasingly busy, many people probably don't have the time to leisurely enjoy the sounds of insects.
However, it is only Japanese people who can appreciate the sounds of insects and feel the change of seasons.
Taking a break from your busy schedule and spending time with your family or reading a book with the sounds of autumn insects in the background can be a luxurious way to forget the stress of everyday life.
