One peculiar aspect of life in Japan that people discover soon after moving here from abroad is that there’s a special culturally accepted song that is played by all kinds of stores about 15 minutes before their designated closing time. It’s a soft tune that is meant to gently nudge customers into realizing they better haul ass so the staff can get home on time.
The song is called “Hotaru no Hikari” or “Light of the Fireflies” and has often been played at graduations because it deals with studying very hard and under difficult conditions such as the only light being that of the fireflies. So, it has an inherent feeling of closure as well as suggesting that it’s late at night.
This song will probably raise the eyebrows of Westerners, because…well, give it a listen if you haven’t heard it before.
“Hotaru no Hikari” was written in 1881 by Chikai Inagaki and it copies the musical score of “Auld Lang Syne” note for note. Luckily for Inagaki, associations like JASRAC weren’t around at the time to enforce such blatant copying and it went on to become a beloved Japanese song. In fact, it even survived a Western music ban during WWII because it was deemed wholly Japanese by that point.
Even today, you can still hear it played in countless shops across the county. Major 100-yen-store chain Daiso, however, has announced that they will part ways with “Hotaru no Hikari” in the near future. The discount store says the increasing number of foreign tourists aren’t aware that the song signifies the end of business hours and continue to linger in the store.
Instead, they have teamed up with in-store music provider USEN to create a new closing song titled “Good Day – Closing Music.” While crafting the new tune, 150 men and women were surveyed to describe the elements of a closing song. The top answers were that it should be “nostalgic,” “quiet,” and “related to nature.”
▼ This really seems like the job Enya was born to do.
Time will tell if the new song will have any effect, but many readers of the news posed the obvious question: “If foreigners can’t understand the meaning of ‘Hotaru no Hikari’ then how could they possibly understand the meaning of a completely original song?”
Others in online comments just had fun trying to suggest possible alternative candidate songs.
“They should play the fast ‘time’s almost up’ music from Super Mario. Everyone in the world can understand that.”
“The Beatles’ ‘Get Back’ might work.”
“If they play BTS, people will just want to leave anyway.”
“I’d love it if they played the Darth Vader theme.”
“It is funny how only Japanese people are conditioned to leave when hearing ‘Hotaru no Hikari.'”
“Why don’t they just keep the song and play announcements in different languages over it?”
“The original European song is about drinking with friends, so I get why they wouldn’t understand.”
Some stores in Japan are wary of directly making closing announcements because they want to avoid being seen as blatantly telling valued customers to get out soon. On the other hand, what song could be universally used to communicate such an idea in a way that transcends language and culture?
▼ If only Pepper were still around… You never know how precious someone is until they’re gone.
I tried to think of something, but nothing held a candle to the Super Mario idea. Just play that da-dada, da-dada, da-dada arpeggio and gradually speed up the regular piped-in music. Then, when time’s up, play the Booooop! Mario death tune and have a little mushroom guy go around telling everyone, “Thank you! But your product is in another store.”
Sources: PR Times, Nikkei, Hachima Kiko
Read more stories from SoraNews24.
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- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2024/06/12/daiso-to-change-japanese-closing-time-music-because-foreign-tourists-arent-taking-the-hint/
41 Comments
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divinda
Now, not only will foreigners not know, the Japanese customers will also be clueless with intended purpose this new song. So at least there will be no segregation of ignorance going on anymore.
Do note, this is something being done only now that Daiso founder and totally-hands-on company leader Hirotake Yano died 4 months ago.
starpunk
Watch your language, JT. Naughty, naughty.
“Hotaru no Hikari” or “Light of the Fireflies” sounds a lot like a lullaby. If that's the kind os 'closing time' song you're looking for, you can try the tune used on the Jeopardy! TV show where the contestants write their answers for the Final Round.
Or that Super Mario Bros. theme could deliver the goods as well.
factchecker
Why does anyone need to linger any more than about 5 minutes in a store selling cheap crap. Just get what you need and go.
sakurasuki
@factchecker
Because those items sometimes being hidden, some popular items yes but not all items easy to find.
wallace
Announcements in various languages are very easy. Last December Daiso became a Korean company.
Jim
The blame once again goes to “ foreign tourist “ … lol !
Foreign tourist probably visit 2-3% of Daiso stores nationwide! Instead of focusing on the Daiso shops that are most often used by foreign tourist, the company decided to change the closing time music for all the Daiso stores nationwide! When it comes to simple decision making to find solutions for issues affecting Japan, the Japanese have a tendency to come up with idiotic ideas!
Aly Rustom
how about "closing time" by semisonic?
GBR48
Announcements are entirely normal and completely fine. Maybe dim the lights to 50%.
Or this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9434BoGkNQ
bass4funk
Tower Records back in the day would just tell people directly they will close at midnight verbatim and then the 2 times and the final time, “if you don’t bring your purchases to the counter you’re screwed.” Harsh, but effective. Lol
Pukey2
As some have just said, just make a multilingual announcement. A bold, innovative idea, right?
Moonraker
Ah, those subtleties of Japan that the rest of the world just can't seem to get. It always smells of humble brag somehow.
Anonymous
The melody is well known in the Anglosphere and beyond.
Might it just be that customers don’t care?
Ed
So we've been to Japan for 3 visits so far for months at a time and never knew a music theme indicated closing time.
A quick "we're closing" announcement in a few basic languages would be an option ?
I know, us pesky tourists at fault again.
The Original Wing
Ha! This is hilarious.
There might be a hint of this. But I'm guessing it has more to do with the fact that the Daiso staff want to go home at the correct time, and not sit around for an additional 15 minutes waiting for clueless tourists to wrap up their shopping.
wallace
Even after three decades I still find it odd when a store plays Auld Lang Syne. A song we only play on New Year's Eve.
DanteKH
This hee is just another "Only in Japan" moment. The tendency of overcomplicated the most simple things in the world. In any other country on the planet, they just put an announcement that the shop is closing and be done with it.
In Japan?? Nooo, we need to overcomplicated and overthink things for even less of effectiveness. /facepalm
tamanegi
(Customers) they better haul ass so the staff can get home on time.
What a disrespectful way to talk about the many foreign visitors visiting and spending their money here in Japan.
zibala
Well, "we" in this case would actually be the Japanese who play it in stores.
GuruMick
Turn fire hoses on customers who linger.
JRO
Most countries don't use closing music at all or isn't really aware of it, so doesn't matter what song you use. Maybe use a couple of those anti insect noise machines that humans are not supposed to hear, seems to only work on Japanese, because for me it's crazy loud.
Redemption
Just shut the lights off and slam the doors shut West Philly style.
starpunk
Esp. since the US dollar (at least) is so strong in Japan!
How about 'Beat It' by Michael Jackson, or 'Get the Funk Out' by Extreme? Or they could even use the old slogan Tracy Ullman said at the end of every episode of her 80's variety show, 'Go home! Go home!'.
Pukey2
And they'd think it was the night of the 31st of December
Shadows of the Rising Sun
Why not do what shops do in most other countries: dim the lights and walk around the store politely reminding folks it's time to go?
Is it hard?
dido
Well, copying note for note is not 'writing' now, is it?
mallace
1997 Maibashi, Gunma was the first time I heard this.
I had just arrived in the country and was in a bookshop when I heard Auld Lang Sang play.
I went to another shop and heard the same tune. I later asked my friend;
"you know I had the most odd coincidences happen ...."
OssanAmerica
FFS sake keep the song and follow it up with announcements in multiple languages that the store is closing. It doesn't take a rocket scientist or highly paid consultant to figure this out. What are the Daiso stores overseas doing?
factchecker
Why not do what shops do in most other countries: dim the lights and walk around the store politely reminding folks it's time to go?
Is it hard?
Yes. Someone might go home and have a breakdown if they're told directly to leave. Hence the music.
Mocheake
Those danged foreigners again. I can't tell how many times I've been in a store in Japan and customers are still walking around, shopping, etc, oblivious to the music and closing time. I don't go to Daiso but I bet it wasn't a problem when Japanese did it, and, yes, they did do that.
mallace
＼(＾▽＾)／
therougou
I always thought the tune made perfect sense. Some people are just not going to care, no matter what the song is.
Matt
Why play a song at all? Just do the common sense thing and have an announcement saying "The checkouts and store will be closing in 15 minutes. Please make your way to the checkout if you wish to purchase anything". I get the feeling though that the issue isn't English speaking or Western tourists.
Gene Hennigh
You know, I used to like Japan. What kind of song is this, any way? It's a ridiculous way to make shoppers aware of closing time. I see now from the posters here and in other places how bad Japan is. A simple announcement, as suggested above would solve everything. Why does Japan do this and all the other stuff their horrible culture does? Commenters have taught me a good lesson. Thank you.
zibala
Just turn off the electricity.
1glenn
Auld Lang Syne and Enya. It doesn't get much better than that. Have to give credit for liking beautiful music.
I think some things are cross cultural, like beautiful music, great art, beautiful architecture, and inspiring statuary.
It is interesting that the tune of Auld Lang Syne became so much a part of the Japanese culture that it was no longer considered Western by the 1940s. I recently witnessed something similar with the British. In the 1800s they took something from California and mislabeled it. They have been mislabeling it for over a hundred years, and today they have no intention to go back and do things the "right" way. I am talking about giant sequoia trees. They insist on calling them redwood trees, no matter how often one points out to them that they are a completely different specie. Oh well. Good intentions on their part, if frustrating to us who grew up here in California. Giant sequoias grow ten times the size of redwoods. Redwoods used to be widespread, but today are very limited in range, and may even go extinct with the next round of global warming, unless humans take active steps to transplant them into a more northern range. Anyway, both types of tree are beautiful, but to me the redwoods are sublimely beautiful.
opheliajadefeldt
What about 'Its Over' by Roy Orbison. Quite an old song now but most Americans woud recognise it.
Daniel Besedovsky
Sarah Brightman And Andrea Bocelli - Time To Say Goodbye.... No need to thank me, Daiso =)