Noisy children skateboarding on the streets. Couples arguing in their homes. People gathered on the sidewalk, gossiping for long hours. Some people would describe these activities as noise pollution. A new website in Japan has put perpetrators on a map, spurring debate about those who disturbs the peace.
The website, DQN Today, describes itself as a crowdsourced guide to help house hunters avoid neighborhoods inhabited by "stupid parents who let their children play on roads and parking lots.” It is populated by maps visualizing the dorozoku, or "road tribe,” a term that applies to people who block the way or wreak havoc in public.
Residents who find noise unbearable have found an outlet in the website, which collects anonymous gripes about neighbors and pins every grievance on an interactive map, creating an elaborate record of the irritating sounds and sights of Japan.