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Example clip: <https://i.imgur.com/7OgVPIc.mp4>

In Maison Ikkoku (which takes place in Tokyo, and was released in the 90s),
this person on a cycle occasionally cycles past and makes this silly horn
sound. The clip above doesn't show the cyclist, but it shows the sound being
played. If I come across a clip with the cyclist, I'll post that one too.

My question is: what is this? Is the cyclist selling something? Is this
something common that Japanese people will recognize? All I'm aware of is,
sometimes, men will walk across the street hollering their wares in a sing-
song voice, like "baked potatoes~ (yaki-imo)". Is this like that?


CC BY-SA 4.0
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question
culture japan maison-ikkoku
What is this silly horn sound that's always made by someone on the street in Maison Ikkoku?


**It is _Charumera_ tune, famously known to indicate the presence of _ramen_
food car(t)**.

_Charumera_ is a double-reeded musical instrument that originated from China,
known as [_sunoa_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suona), similar to the oboe.
(Not to be confused with a ramen brand with the same name by Myojo/Nissin and
a PS1 game with the same name). The name _charumera_ itself was derived from
the Portuguese word [_charamela_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawm), a
similar but different musical instrument brought by them when they visited
Japan during the beginning of the Edo period.

According to [Yamaha - Trivia : The charumera was the oboe's
cousin](https://www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/oboe/trivia/trivia005.html)

> The charumera was a woodwind instrument that was played by people running
> ramen stands in the not-too-distant past.

According to [Archive.org - Charumera (PS1
Game)](https://archive.org/details/charumera_202002)

> the word “charumera” is actually derived from the Portuguese “charamela”, a
> type of flute that was brought to Japan around 400 years ago. This flute has
> traditionally been used by yatai (ramen mobile food stalls, [...]

According to [J A P A N o F I L E S # 8 – Chronicle of Starting a Shina Soba
Shop](https://easternmind.tumblr.com/post/694414075295350784/charumera),

> The name ‘charumera’ refers to a double-reed woodwind instrument that is
> said to have derived from ‘charamela’ – Portuguese for shawm -, hinting at a
> possible introduction to the Japanese by way of Christian missionaries from
> that provenance sometime during the 16th century. The simplicity of the
> instrument made it popular among pushcart owners, not only because its sound
> signalled their impending arrival, but also due to the clever employment of
> signature melodies in what can only be described as a primordial
> manifestation of brand awareness. All these practices are exquisitely
> demonstrated in a [scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5_jpPi4ltQ) from
> Yasujirō Ozu’s 1936 film Hitori Musuko (The Only Son). Needless to say, a
> viewing of the entire picture is most advised.

Some videos demonstrating the action:

  * [リヤカー屋台ラーメン大統領 チャルメラの音](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9dgsjsg_LI): a traditional ramen food cart with the real instrument (warning: loud sound)
  * [Old Style Ramen Stall - Ramen Cart - Japanese Street Food](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqCz5u4U9M4): a traditional ramen food cart with recorded sound (warning: loud sound at the beginning)
  * [【チャルメラ】突然聞こえてきた懐かしのメロディー「屋台ラーメンが家の前を通りがかったよ」](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_-qNhHXdnY): a modern ramen food car with recorded sound

* * *

Additional references:

  * [Japanese Wikipedia - Charumera](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%81%E3%83%A3%E3%83%AB%E3%83%A1%E3%83%A9)
  * [Yahoo! Chiebukuro](https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1135435371) (Japanese)


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