The Singing Roads of Japan
Drive along certain Japanese roads at the right speed and the tarmac plays you a tune.
What was reported
In 2007 Shizuo Shinoda, an engineer in Hokkaido, accidentally scraped some marks into a road with a bulldozer, then drove over them and noticed they made musical tones. With a research institute, he developed 'melody roads': stretches of road with grooves cut at precise spacings, so that tyres play a tune as cars pass at the right speed.
Dozens have since been built around Japan, playing folk songs and pop tunes, and similar roads exist in South Korea, the US, Hungary and elsewhere.
Explanations offered
The pitch depends on how far apart the grooves are and how fast the car is going: closer grooves make a higher note. Drive at the intended speed and you hear the melody; go faster or slower and it goes off key. They're also used to encourage drivers to keep to the limit.
- When
- From 2007
- Where
- Shibetsu, Hokkaido, Japan
- Witnesses
- Drivers
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.