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Tokyo subway starts playing background music on trains on trial basis
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Tokyo Metro Co. says it is the first attempt to play background music on commuter trains in Japan and the company is eyeing full introduction of the service after taking passengers' reactions into consideration. (Shutterstock/File)
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subway operator in central Tokyo started playing classical and "healing" background music inside some of its trains Monday on a trial basis after it accidentally played music last July and received positive responses from passengers.
Tokyo Metro Co. says it is the first attempt to play background music on commuter trains in Japan and the company is eyeing full introduction of the service after taking passengers' reactions into consideration.
"We'd like to provide a comfortable environment inside trains," a Tokyo Metro official said.
Read also: In Tokyo, life is not complete without trains
The trial is being conducted on the 13000-series trains introduced last March on the Hibiya Line that are equipped with a high-quality speaker system.
A total of six music pieces including Frederic Chopin's Nocturnes are played during the daytime, with the volume level set slightly lower than that of train announcements.
"It doesn't bother me with this volume level. I think it's good passengers can enjoy soothing music as we can't have any view underground," a 37-year-old female passenger said.
