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Comment by throwaway2037 | Hacker News Reader

throwaway2037

    > Jakarta has a noise problem.

I offer a practical template: <Large city in developing country X> has a noise problem.

When you say "temples", do you mean masjid (mosque)? It is pretty normal anywhere in the Islamic-majority world to sing prayers over a loud speaker a few times a day.

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This is an appeal to normality fallacy, just because something is normal doesn't mean it's good, or in this case that it doesn't disrupt sleep.

U.S. cities have noise laws.

I don’t think Tokyo is considered loud.

Yes, temples blasting prayers.

I can tell you that Tokyo is very loud. Constant road traffic noise everywhere, drunk people singing on the streets, pointless warnings from the local municipal office on the public alert system, noisy street advertisements, constant announcements in train stations, bousouzoku gangs constantly revving their bikes in silent neighborhoods every night, flight traffic noise, railroad noise of the trains passing, level crossing barriers constantly ding-donging, etc

noisy street advertisements.. and jingles... shops of all shapes and sizes blaring music...

I live in Japan and this is something that I will never get used to. Yes, the people are quiet, but shops are ridiculously loud. Go to any supermarket and there are seven different jingles playing in parallel! Honestly, I don't understand how the employees don't go crazy.

I've known a few younger people who can't go into shops they used to do their part-time work (バイト) at, simply because the looped jingles did, in fact, drive them nuts.

That is sad, but kind of expected.

But seriously, why do the shops do that? Why does nobody complaint? Do Japanese people really like those jingles?

I've heard that some places, such as train stations, did away with jingles (etc.) to bring more silence. The feedback was that those places felt "lonely."

Tokyo isn't loud at all. Go 2-3 blocks from any major street and they are practically silent.

> drunk people singing on the streets

never seen this

> bousouzoku gangs constantly revving their bikes in silent neighborhoods every night

seen this maybe twice in 25 years

> flight traffic noise

do you live next to the airport? this is not a thing relatively to any other major city I've lived in

> railroad noise of the trains passing, level crossing barriers constantly ding-donging

This is only a thing if you live next to a track which is like 1% of housing

Well, then it's clear you don't have enough experience to objectively judge the situation.

I lived near 5 different stations in Tokyo in 10 years and all of those were how I described it.

I also lived in Saitama and Kanagawa. It's the same there too.

Maybe you should get more exerience first and live longer in Japan?

I lived in Japan 2x long than you. You just said you lived near stations so there you go. Of course it’s loud next to the station. Walk 3 minutes perpendicular to the station and it’s silent

Neither the US, nor Japan are considered developing countries. I'm confused by your comment.

Cars and mopets have a noise problem not cities.

But I guess the mosque doesn't help.

Catholic churches ring bells twice a day. It's less then mosques that do their call 5 times a day both as non-religious person both are disappointing to me.

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