One of the more innovative developments in Japanese radio broadcasting is the sound of wood burning.
Nippon Cultural Broadcasting devoted blocks of airtime during the week of Feb. 16 to the sound of bonfires. Listeners could tune in at certain times of the day to listen to kindling crackling away. Save for a few interludes from hosts — including the president of the Nippon Takibi Kyokai (Japan Bonfire Association) — the only noise anyone would hear was a fire burning itself out.
But what sounds like low stakes radio filler had already proven to be a surprise hit in 2019. The Nippon Cultural Broadcasting special site says the idea came from Norway, and it was tried out in December too. It proved popular, and was expanded into a longer bonfire bonanza.