Yuyake Koyake

while in Japan, ever wondered what that tune played on municipality loudspeakers exactly at 5pm is ?

The song is used as a signal, it means that Japanese children finish school and can go home. The title is Yuyake Koyake (夕->Sunset 焼->Burn 小->Little 焼け -> Burn), “Yuyake” means something like “the red sunset sky” and Koyake “the after sunset orange sky”.
The song was composed by a school teacher called Nakamura Uko eighty years ago. Nakamura Uko was born in Hachiouji (there is bus stop there called Yuyake Koyake too : cool!)

lyrics:
１　夕焼け 小焼けで 日（ひ）が暮（く）れて
山（やま）のお寺（てら）の 鐘（かね）がなる
おててつないで みなかえろう 烏（からす）と
いっしょに かえりましょう　
２　子供（こども）が かえった あとからは
まるい大（おお）きな お月（つき）さま
小鳥（ことり）が夢（ゆめ）を 見（み）るころは
空（そら）には きらきら 金（きん）の星（ほし）

1. Yūyake koyake de hi ga kurete
Yama no o-tera no kane ga naru.
O-te de tsunaide mina kaerō karasu to
issho ni kaerimashō　
2. Kodomo ga kaetta atokara wa
Marui ōki na o-tsuki-sama.
Kotori ga yume o miru koro wa
Sora ni wa kirakira kin no hoshi

1.The sunset is the end of the day,
the bell from the mountain temple rings
hand by hand let’s go back home
together with the crows.
2.After the children are back at home
a big and round moon shines,
when the birds dream,
the brightness from the stars fills the sky.

Midi version
Performed with a koto.
Performed with a piano
Chorus version

... nicked most of this off the net