In 2013, WASHOKU—traditional Japanese cuisine—was inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, drawing global attention. With its emphasis on seasonal presentation, subtle umami flavors, and deep ties to annual traditions, WASHOKU has come to be appreciated worldwide not just as food, but as a form of cultural expression.

But what if the same recognition were extended to Japanese sound?

Today, quiet attention is beginning to gather around a new concept: WASONG. Emerging in media and academic circles abroad, this term refers to the full spectrum of “Japanese sonic culture”—from traditional music and folk songs to Showa-era pop and contemporary Japanese genres. More than just melodies, WASONG reflects the emotional aesthetics, cultural rhythms, and sonic identity of Japan—poised, perhaps, to become the next cultural bridge between Japan and the world.

Sound, Like Cuisine, Holds the Seasons and Sensibility of Japan

What defines WASONG is not merely that the music originates from Japan. Much like WASHOKU, it embodies uniquely Japanese sensibilities—an intimate relationship with nature, an acute awareness of the seasons, and a refined sense of ma (the space between sounds).

Instruments like the shakuhachi and koto carry frequencies that mirror the sounds of wind or trickling water, evoking the atmosphere itself in the listener’s mind. The lyrics often avoid direct emotional expression, instead relying on metaphor, nuance, and silence—communicating beauty through what is left unsaid.

Just as WASHOKU honors the natural flavor of each ingredient, WASONG draws power from its silences, from the spaces between notes. This delicate aesthetic is now quietly captivating international listeners and artists alike.

The World Is Listening for Quiet

In today’s global music scene, there is a growing desire to step away from overstimulation and return to introspection. Genres like lo-fi, ambient, and neoclassical have gained popularity as listeners seek sonic spaces that calm and center the soul. Within this movement, Japanese traditional and environmental music is beginning to draw new attention.

Composers such as Ryuichi Sakamoto and Joe Hisaishi—masters of the space between silence and sound—have long influenced film, advertising, and wellness music around the world. More recently, international artists are incorporating Japanese instruments into their compositions, and even using the soft cadences of the Japanese language in vocal tracks featured in global playlists. In other words, the world is already beginning to develop an ear for WASONG.

WASONG Is More Than Just “Songs”

The concept of WASONG is not simply a new genre like J-POP or anime music. It represents a broader framework—one that embraces the full spectrum of Japanese musical culture, rooted in tradition, environment, and emotion.

Consider these examples:

• Min’yō (folk songs): Voices that carry the rhythms of daily life and the language of the land

• Traditional instrumentals: Raw, organic sounds of the shamisen, taiko, koto, and shakuhachi

• Soundscapes: Everyday auditory beauty—chirping birds, wind chimes, temple bells

• Children’s songs & shōka: Melodies and poems passed down across generations

Each of these is not only music in its own right, but also a way of transmitting Japan’s sense of time, space, and spirituality. Through WASONG, these quiet yet profound cultural expressions are finding their voice on the global stage.

Just as WASHOKU Became Cultural Diplomacy

Much like WASHOKU, which has been featured at official state banquets and embraced globally through tourism and education, WASONG holds similar potential as a form of cultural diplomacy.

In regions where interest in Japanese culture is growing, demand for traditional music workshops and live performances has steadily increased. It’s now common to see international students learning instruments like the shamisen. Music education programs abroad are beginning to include lessons on the shakuhachi scale and explore the relationship between Japanese phonetics and melodic expression.

In Closing — Beyond Being Heard: Embracing a Shared Soundscape

Just as WASHOKU has conveyed culture through the palate, WASONG is beginning to connect hearts through the ear. Its role is not to declare, “This is Japanese music,” but to gently offer, “Shall we listen together?”

At its core is a quiet spirit of dialogue—not a one-way performance, but a shared experience. WASONG invites the world not only to hear Japanese sound, but to feel with it, reflect through it, and build cultural understanding—one note at a time.