Flailing for some form of familiarity when first arriving in Kumamoto, I found comfort in the morning and evening songs broadcast each weekday over municipal loudspeakers at (I think) 8:00AM (get yourself off to work!) and 5:00PM (get yourself home!). Regretfully, most municipal loudspeakers have been removed from central Kumamoto, but they still exist on the outskirts and in the countryside.
The morning song is called “Kumamotoshi Ka” (熊本市歌). Composed in 1930 in response to a contest by the Kyushu Shinbun (which later merged with the Kyushu Nichinichi Shinbun and now known as the Kumamoto Nichinichi Shinbun, or Kumanich), it is only one of 20 prefectures with their own tunes. Perhaps you’ll recognize it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6VPbvOjcSc
The evening song is called “Toukiyamani Hi ha Ochite” (The Sun Sets Beyond the Far Mountains, 遠き山に日は落ちて). The music was composed by the Bohemian Antonín Leopold Dvořák as one of the arrangements of the second movement of Symphony No. 9 “From the New World.” The Japanese lyrics are by Keizo Horiuchi. The dates are unclear (probably late 1930s), but here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-OgDW3MvNU
Kumanichi reports that a dog exists in Amakusa named Nana, where they have three additional songs: 6:00, noon, and 7:00, presumably for mealtimes. I suppose this tradition dates from the pre-wristwatch era, indicating the five key times of a day. Anyway, of those five songs, Nana only - and invariably - sings to one: the 5:00 遠き山に日は落ちて. Perhaps she associates that song with her owner returning.
A video of Nana singing is at the link. - William
