These musical roads of Japan play music as you drive over them!

The world is replete with strange places and happenings; while some can’t be explained, some are man made. Well, one such bizarre man made thing is the musical road of Japan. Yes, you read that right! There are exactly four such roads in Japan that play melodious music when you drive over them, but the idea is much more interesting and inspiring.

These roads are in Hokkaido, Wakayama, Shizuoka and Gunma regions of Japan, and all play different tunes.
Japanese locals call them Melody Roads as these musical paths play music for drivers. Stretching between 175 m to 250 m, these roads are carved with thousands of grooves that make music when you drive across. These grooves are cut at specific intervals, and driving over them at a particular speed creates soothing music.


This works as a speeding alert sign, along with keeping drivers awake while driving. Besides road signs, all the roads are marked by musical notes that are painted on the surface of the road. These signs alert motorists of the incoming musical tune. Since these grooves are set on the side of the road and not in the middle, drivers have the option to either go over them or completely avoid them.
To listen to the musical notes, motorists need to keep the car windows closed and drive at 28 m/hr, keeping one wheel of the vehicle over the grooves. If you drive too fast over it, the sound will come out as a tape on fast forward but if you go slow or too slow, there will be music.

There are several hit Japanese songs that play for motorists and it looks like the idea is already a hit among tourists, who have been sharing their videos on various social media platforms.