Cells hear sounds, Tokyo's sustainability movement, Kyoto's pandemic detection program

I'm always proud, as a lifelong Japan fan and Japan private tour designer, when I read about Japanese research that opens new territory in human understandings. Recently, Kyoto University (an Imperial institution when established along with Tokyo University), which has received more Nobel Prizes than any other uni in Japan, proudly announced that human cells can hear! A first in more than one way!

According to the press release, there's a sensation that you experience when near a plane taking off or a speaker bank at a concert that is so complete that you feel that sound viscerally or in your body in a strange way. It's not just your ears and your brain that have this feeling. According to the latest research at Kyoto University the cells of our body are also listening . . .

Sound is an essential source of environmental information for living beings and animals. We hear danger before we see it. We hear water before we see it. We hear rain before it arrives. But now we know that our cells also have physiological responses when those sounds are heard by our ears and brains. In fact, even if we don't register the sound with our ears or brains the body's complex cellular structure is effected by sounds.

The Kyoto University research team began their investigations into the effects of sound at the cellular level in 2018. Their research was influenced by mechanobiology and body-conducted sound or the sound environment in bodily tissues. The idea was that acoustic pressure transmitted by sound may be able to induce cellular responses.

In particular, the research team noticed the significant effect of sound in the suppression of adipocyte differentiation, the process by which preadipocytes change into fat cells. Therefore, sound may soon be a way to lose weight if not control cells or the state of our tissues.

"Since sound is non-material, acoustic stimulation is a tool that is non-invasive, safe, and immediate, and will likely benefit medicine and healthcare," stated Mr Kumeta, a member of the research team at Kyoto University.

Their research process also identified nearly 200 sound-sensitive genes, showed that sound can influence or control cell adhesion activity, and mapped the subcellular mechanism through which sound signals are transmitted.

The team's research completely upends the traditional concept of sound perception by living beings via the ears and the brain only. Instead, we now know that the cells of mammals and other life forms are also individually triggered in multiple ways by sound waves and the pressure of sound. Amazing!

Publication information: Masahiro Kumeta, Makoto Otani, Masahiro Toyoda, Shige H. Yoshimura (2025). Acoustic modulation of mechanosensitive genes and adipocyte differentiation. Communications Biology, 8, 595 ; https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07969-1

The rest of this post covers:

• Tokyo's take on sustainable tourism is impressive!
• Kyoto's virus warning network set up to be ready!

Content by Ian Martin Ropke, owner of Your Japan Private Tours (est. 1990). I have been planning, designing, and making custom Japan private tours on all five Japanese islands since the early 1990s. I work closely with Japan private tour clients and have worked for all kinds of families, companies, and individuals since 1990. Clients find me mostly via organic search, and I advertise my custom Japan private tours & travel services on www.japan-guide.com, which has the best all-Japan English content & maps in Japan! If you are going to Japan and you understand the advantages of private travel, consider my services for your next trip. And thank you for reading my content. I, Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google Search), am also a serious nonfiction and fiction writer, a startup founder (NexussPlus.com), and a spiritual wood sculptor. Learn more!

Tokyo's take on sustainable tourism is impressive!

Tokyo is famous for its vast landscapes of neon lighting, concentrated towering skyscrapers, and a fairly healthy street life scene across the central parts of the city and elsewhere too. You could say that Tokyo is super fast in pace but that it also has lots of greenery and quiet areas at Shinto shrines and interesting public squares & spaces. Underneath all of this is an emerging trend in tourism: sustainability!

And never forget, 90% of Tokyo (and Japan's) tourism industry is fueled by Japanese domestic tourists and business interests. The Japanese capital (since 1868), Tokyo is experimenting with a wide range of eco-conscious travel and travelers. In fact, 10 years ago only 5% of Tokyo power came from renewables. By 2027, more than 30% of Tokyo's power will come from sustainable resources (wind, solar, methane from landfills and some tidal power too).

We are all familiar with sustainability and for many of the planet's citizens this concept has been increasingly woven into our daily lives. : But what is sustainability in 2025? Of course it's still a concept that refers to environmental, social, and economic practices that do not tax future generations. Since the 1970s, human have increasingly "borrowed" from the future to pay for the present levels of convenience and the low cost of manufactured goods.

Japan has not been known for its sustainable tourism or any other major actionable forms of sustainability over the last 40 years. The Japanese use an enormous amount of plastic, a lot of it is heavy duty plastic to keep dry good dry (since the humidity levels are so high in Japan; therefore, special packaging is required).

Leading the way on the road to world-class Japanese sustainability, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has set numerous goals for 2030. It aim to become the nation's leader in lowering CO2 emissions, renewable energy usage, and a steep reduction in food waste. And by 2050, Tokyo has promised to become a net zero carbon city. Costa Rica reached this goal about 8 years ago!

Here are just a few of the things you can experience in Tokyo that cost nothing or little but which say volumes about sustainability.

Tokyo has more gardens that any big city in Japan: Despite the fire bombing of Tokyo in WWII the city's numerous samurai estates and imperial palace estates survived in tact. This makes Tokyo the greenest big city in Japan by far. Osaka, in comparison, has very few green patches across the city. It is also much smaller than Tokyo (which has 10 million citizens versus Osaka's 2.8 million). And since Edo (Tokyo) was home to all the major samurai clans in Japan from 1603 to 1867 the capital had many many samurai estates. And the branches of the Imperial family, past and present, added even more huge areas of greenery across central Tokyo. Shinjuku's vast Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden and the ancient waterfront Hamarikyu Gardens (rare saltwater gardens) are just two examples of the diversity of greenery in Tokyo. And never forget the huge trees in the forest surrounding Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi Park. These green spaces cool the areas around them, reduce carbon emissions, and give people a chance to relax in ways that cost nothing but are so healthy for us.

Tokyo's eco-friendly hotel movement: Tokyo has embraced the concept of sustainable accommodation with more and more green-certified hotels. Many new and not so new Tokyo hotels and serviced residences have been designed with sustainability in mind, incorporating various strategies to minimize their environmental impact. And this is important when you think of the millions of overnight guests Tokyo hosts every year. Think of all the toilet paper, towels, cleaning materials, and more that these overnight consumers consume! The entire planet needs to think like this for the hospitality industry. The average traveler is also an average recycler or eco conscious person. So, the sustainability aspects really have to be hardwired into the hotel and restaurant industries of any city trying to improve its livability standard. Tokyo is trying hard in this area but time will only tell if it continues to become the only choice in these matters. Fingers crossed Tokyo's hotels & restaurants!

Tokyo bicycling paths are growing a at fast pace: Using a bicycle is super common in Japan but generally only for short distances and usually the same destinations: the nearest train or subway station to home for commuters, and the nearest supermarket or shopping scene. So, the bikes of Japan are mostly mamacharis or mother's chariots. One speed simple bikes with a wire basket in front and often a kiddie seat on the back. But Tokyo has obviously learned from the Scandinavian countries that long distance or medium distance bicycling keeps people fitter and is super great for the environment. In fact, Tokyo has sponsored a growing network of bicycle lanes, paths and bike-sharing programs (Docomo Bike Share is a huge outfit offering share bikes across the metropolis). And biking certainly goes with travel and tourism. For those who love to bike instead of walk across cities, Tokyo has a lot to offer but it's really a niche market for foreign travelers going to Japan. The main market is obviously the Japanese citizens of Tokyo who are being incentivized (in a way) to bike more, drive less, and stay fitter in the process. I design walking tours and biking tours and driving tours, customized private tours, all over Japan. And in Tokyo I have created quite a few walking rambles across the city. Following rivers and streams, cutting through university campuses and jumping trains here and there to skip ahead to the next great walking (or biking) area. Learn more!

Tokyo's growing number of sustainable restaurants: Tokyo’s culinary scene is world famous in more than one way and now sustainability has become part of the metropolis's restaurant industry. Eco-conscious foodies can now find more and more restaurants and cafes that emphasize sustainability through locally sourced, organic ingredients, and zero-waste practices. And packaging for take out food is also slowly moving toward European standards: less plastic, less Styrofoam and more cardboard and paper. This is essential so that landfills are not filled with things that can never become land no matter how much time passes. Think about it!

Sustainable fashion & shopping in Tokyo: Tokyo’s global fashion impact is very high. This includes high fashion brands like Issei Miyake and also street fashion and vintage clothing, and fashion upcycled innovations. You have all heard of the slow food movement (which Japan also has embraced a fair bit) but have you heard of slow fashion? It's a new one for me! If you have shifted your shopping preferences to ethically made clothing and accessories and artifacts, then Tokyo will not disappoint. Stores such as ichie-ichie TOKYO and the People Tree sell things made with sustainable materials, are fair trade perfect that also result in less waste from start to finish. And even if you are just curious, sustainable fashion & shopping is a window into any culture. Afterall, these beliefs and practices will one day be what kindergarten children learn. Essentially, woven into all our daily lives to ensure that the planet, planet Gaia, survives so that humans can survive.

The sustainable powers of the Tokyo Ginza bees

Tokyo's Ginza district is world famous for its upscale shopping, fine dining, and classic aesthetics. But since 2006, the high rooftops of the district have been populated with bee hives. Ten volunteers began the Ginza Honey Bee Project and started out with 30,000 bees in 2006 (installed on the Ginza's Pulp and Paper Hall). In 2024, the project has nearly 500 members and collects about 2,000 kilograms of honey per year! Bees perform many functions. They pollinate flowers, which in turn attract insects and birds, which in turn provides new food sources for natural life in general. Bees create ecosystems! Bees are also fun to watch and fantasize about.

The Ginza bee project has also become a mainstay for students to learn about everything in nature is interconnected.

Today, there are actually three different bee apiaries in the Ginza. So from one we have three and one day there will be six . . .

The honey harvested from these bee colonies are sold to companies and individuals, including restaurants, bars, cafes, and local honey distribution retail locations. Some of the Ginza honey is used for high-end cosmetics, soaps, and balms. And the bees wax, believe or not, is used to make candles and school supplies.

The expression, “Bees can change the world,” is certainly true in the tony Ginza district of Tokyo!

Kyoto's virus warning network set up to be ready!

Kyoto has lived through pandemic and natural disasters countless times in its 1,200 years of history (more actually). The city's famous Gion Matsuri festival began as a Shinto shrine (Yasaka Shrine) plea for end of a nasty plague in 869. The Heian Period or Kyoto's capital period only began in 794! Emperor Seiwa established the Gion Festival in an effort to appease the vengeful spirits that were believed to be responsible for the pandemic that killed so many.

Kyoto University's infectious disease clinician and microbiologist Dr. Miki Nagao was shocked by how badly the world and Japan responded to Covid. He has spearheaded a program meant to be ideal for the next pandemic. And that's a really good idea as it also binds citizens together against invisible and visible threat to community and public life.

Dr. Nagao and her colleagues have focused on improving detection, analysis, and response plans to mitigate the damage a new pandemic might cause. The program also extends into local hospital networks with the provision of procedures (and equipment) for rapid testing at scale. A citywide pathogen surveillance network has also been set up to gather real-time data from nursing homes, public health labs, hospitals, and schools.

The new viral-pandemic-protection network’s strength lies in integrating clinical data with large-scale sample analysis. This also includes high-throughput genetic testing to pinpoint specific pathogens. The researchers have also stressed that we must keep a close view of community behavior. Dangerous social interactions are to be avoided, for example.

Dr. Nagao’s team pays close attention to both global trends and local cases. They intensively study bacteria circulating in Kyoto and constantly cross-reference that information with international databases to identify fast-moving viral threats in real time.

The Kyoto University research program also collaborates closely with medical manufacturers, health economists, and academics from many fields.

• Tokyo's take on sustainable tourism is impressive!
• Kyoto's virus warning network set up to be ready!

Content by Japan travel specialist & designer Ian Martin Ropke, founder & owner of Your Japan Private Tours (YJPT, est. 1990). I have been planning, designing, and making custom Japan private tours on all five Japanese islands since the early 1990s. I work closely with all of YJPT's Japan private tour clients and have a great team behind me. I promote YJPT through this content and only advertise at www.japan-guide.com, which has the best all-Japan English content & maps! If you are going to Japan and you understand the advantages of private travel, consider my services for your next trip to save time & have a better time. Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google Search) is also a serious nonfiction and fiction writer, a startup founder (NexussPlus.com), and a spiritual wood sculptor. Learn more!