44905


Many anime and JRPGs have Hot Spring/Bathhouse/Onsen scenes and in many of
these, when it opens up there is this sound of like something hitting hollow
wood, an example of which can be heard at the 4 second mark in these video of
_[Gamers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBNys7c-uw4&t=4s)_

what exactly is this sound? and does this sound actually exist in japan?
particularly in Hot Springs/Bathhouses/Onsen?


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2018-03-01T10:57:03.730
44902
2018-03-01T11:23:31.713
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question
anime-production culture
What is that noise when an onsen scene opens up?


The thing which makes these sounds is a type of 鹿威し ( _Shishi-Odoshi_ ) or
_scaredeer_ , it acts similar to as what a scarecrow does, and the sound it
makes scares away the wild animals.

And as for what device specifically makes that sound in Japanese gardens and
onsen, is 添水 ( _sozu_ ).

[![Sozu](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hsq8k.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hsq8k.jpg)

From [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shishi-odoshi)

> Sōzu is a type of water fountain used in Japanese gardens. It consists of a
> segmented tube, usually of bamboo, pivoted to one side of its balance point.
> At rest, its heavier end is down and resting against a rock. A trickle of
> water into the upper end of the tube accumulates and eventually moves the
> tube's centre of gravity past the pivot, causing the tube to rotate and dump
> out the water. The heavier end then falls back against the rock, making a
> sharp sound, and the cycle repeats. This noise is intended to startle any
> herbivores such as deer or boars which may be grazing on the plants in the
> garden.


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2018-03-01T11:23:31.713
44905
2018-03-01T11:23:31.713
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