Pick one auditory event from the past year and it is the nation's stellar performance in the 2015 Rugby World Cup that people most recall.
They cite the noise of fans cheering and the sound of joy in the players' voices, according to a survey of "the most memorable sound of the year" by a hearing instruments maker.
The sound symbolizing the nation's rugby fever was ranked first in an annual survey by Tokyo-based Rion Co.
Participants were asked to select from a list of 10 sounds the ones they found most memorable, with multiple choices allowed.
The national rugby team achieved a best-ever three wins in group-stage games. This subject topped the list, with 42.6 percent of the votes.
The sound of typhoons and torrential rain came in second, with 37.8 percent of the vote.
The noise of lawmakers scuffling during the passage of contentious security bills in the Diet came in third, with 31.3 percent of votes, followed by the yells of protesters outside, with 29 percent.
Recent events eclipsed themes such as the moment of silence to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, which ranked ninth, with 16.4 percent of votes.
The silence tied in ninth place with the sound of foreign languages used by tourists.
The annual survey was launched in 2011. Conducted on the Internet in early November, it polled 500 men and 500 women aged 20 or above.