Yamanote.fun
Tied for most recommended of 3 background noise apps
Recreates the sounds of Tokyo's Yamanote line in a simple web app, bringing back memories of riding it. Critics find the station melodies and door chimes loud and frequent.
Recreates the sounds of Tokyo's Yamanote line in a simple web app, bringing back memories of riding it. Critics find the station melodies and door chimes loud and frequent.
24 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 22
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 92%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 22 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 11 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Evokes memories of riding the line
“Listening to this instantly takes me back to when I rode the Yamanote line a few months ago.”
Comment from 9 Jul 2026 in “Yamanote.fun – A complete soundscape for Tokyo's Yamanote line” “This is very cool. Brings back memories of when I travelled to Japan 10+ years ago.”
Comment from 9 Jul 2026 in “Yamanote.fun – A complete soundscape for Tokyo's Yamanote line” “I feel like I were already in Japan when the melody first hit.”
Comment from 9 Jul 2026 in “Yamanote.fun – A complete soundscape for Tokyo's Yamanote line” - Comment from 9 Jul 2026 in “Yamanote.fun – A complete soundscape for Tokyo's Yamanote line”
- Comment from 9 Jul 2026 in “Yamanote.fun – A complete soundscape for Tokyo's Yamanote line”
Simple, elegant, well-crafted design
“I love this :) Thanks very much for making it, it's elegantly designed.”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “Yamanote.fun – A complete soundscape for Tokyo's Yamanote line” “Really well done. Love how much care went into this.”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “Yamanote.fun – A complete soundscape for Tokyo's Yamanote line” “Great UI, and the spirit of it is very early web”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “Yamanote.fun – A complete soundscape for Tokyo's Yamanote line” - Comment from 9 Jul 2026 in “Yamanote.fun – A complete soundscape for Tokyo's Yamanote line”
Immersive background for focused work
“enough to make it a great background soundtrack for focused work”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “Yamanote.fun – A complete soundscape for Tokyo's Yamanote line” “Really give a immersion vibe.”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “Yamanote.fun – A complete soundscape for Tokyo's Yamanote line”
Other background noise apps people recommend
The two most recommended other background noise apps, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yamanote.funThis page | 22 | 2 | 92% | 1 | — | — |
| Lofi Cities | 22 | 15 | 59% | 2 | — | — |
| DataCenter.FM | 7 | 1 | 88% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
22 of the 26 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“This is insanely cool. I really enjoyed this.”
“The more Yamanote projects the better I say!”
“Quite like the simpler UI of that one”
“Man, this is great! Like you, when I travel to Japan I just love the Yamanote line too.”
“it's eerie to hear stations that fast”
“those sounds are nostalgic”
“I love this, thank you! I wasn't aware the melodies are different by direction of travel.”
“This is very cool. Brings back memories of when I travelled to Japan 10+ years ago.”
“That "install as app" pop up after the first station is clearly unnecessary and utilises a dark pattern”
“Love your site and tokyo.fyi I saw recently.”
“Listening to this instantly takes me back to when I rode the Yamanote line a few months ago.”
“it would be amazing if the background noise will be louder when the door is open”
“Super cool and close to my heart”
“Takes me back immediately, really cool!”
“I feel like I were already in Japan when the melody first hit.”
“Really well done. Love how much care went into this.”
“Really give a immersion vibe.”
“Great UI, and the spirit of it is very early web”
“I love this :) Thanks very much for making it, it's elegantly designed.”
“This is lovely - ... the melodies and door chimes seem quite loud and frequent”
“enough to make it a great background soundtrack for focused work”
“It's a small installable web app that plays the soundscapes like a playlist.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.