Every day at five o’clock in the evening, many cities in Japan perform a test of their emergency broadcast systems. To avoid alarming or annoying their residents, the test consists of a pleasant melody to mark the end of the day.

I recorded the melodies in Tōkyō and Kanazawa: the children’s song “Yūyake Koyake” (夕焼小焼) and the classic Westminister Quarters, respectively.