Post #1351724
2026-04-14 04:06 UTC
@TechConnectify
If you love subtle audio cues, Japanese train stations are going to blow your mind.
Someone made a 20-minute audio compilation of assistive cue recordings, and 3/4 of them are various bird sounds to signal the way out from a train platform.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGDLy29quy0
Another one I know of is in the JR East area: the (perceived) gender of the speaker denotes whether a recorded announcement is for the even number platform or odd.
#trains #accessibility #blind #transit #railway
Replies (3)
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@allen@rail.chat 2026-04-14 15:55
@TechConnectify To translate the timestamps... 0:00 Start (Intro) 0:46 Stairs, Bird cries, Kanto area 9:27 Stairs, Bird cries, Shinetsu and Touhoku areas 15:29 Stairs, chime 16:46 Fare gates, chime 18:26 Washroom, melodies, chimes 19:35 Other, chime (First one is signifying tactile maps and info boards) #Japan
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@skewray@mathstodon.xyz 2026-04-14 04:29
@allen @TechConnectify On a recent visit to Japan, I was stunned by how superior the accessibility is compared to the US (or anywhere else I've ever been).
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@JoBlakely@mastodon.social 2026-04-29 17:48
@allen @TechConnectify Oh I love the idea of bird sounds as signal noises instead of beeps and other sharp noises. I wish #TTC line 5 would do this. The current noises are awful for those with noise sensitivity. #accessibility #toronto