Shindo is a Japanese word that means “intensity.” It’s the name of a sound-based environmental certification system that measures how loud or quiet an apartment building, office space, school, hospital, public facility, etc., is on average. Not all places in Japan have shindo certification, and the standards for what warrants a high or low number (and can thus be labeled “shindo”) is very complicated.
What is the Shindo Life Code 2021?
The Shindo Life Code 2021 is the new standard for “shindo” under which participating places will abide. There are currently 300+ buildings that have met the requirements, and there’s even a smartphone app so people can check out what the noise levels are like in different places around town before heading out. (The app is by the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, which is collaborating with Eisai Co., Ltd.)
Shindo life codes 2021
wants to make it easier for anyone to lead a shindo life. That includes both people who are currently living in shindo areas and those who aren’t. The goal is to create the habit of thinking about how sound affects us, ideally while you’re still young. This means that when you get older, or if circumstances change in the future, you’ll be totally prepared to keep your life as quiet as you want it.
- What is the significance of the Shindo Life Code 2021?
The establishment of the Shindo Life Code 2021 is significant because it’s a measure that will help maintain public health. With this new standard, people can now talk about noise levels in ways they couldn’t before. They’ll be able to make decisions based on shindo numbers and avoid being exposed to sounds that exceed a certain level.
- What does the Shindo Life Code 2021 have to say?
According to the document, “Noise with a shindo number of 70 or higher is unacceptable, and 30-69 is acceptable depending on the situation.” The point is that you can choose to expose yourself to sounds with a shindo number of 70 or higher, but such numbers cannot be the norm. And the lower the number, the better it is for your health and well-being. You should try to avoid staying in places that have a relatively high shindo rating when possible!
- How does this affect me, in my every-day life?
Even if you live in a quiet place, there’s no guarantee that you’ll always be in an area with low noise levels. For example, when you go to school or work or stay at someone else’s home, the noise levels are likely to increase. However, this doesn’t mean that shindo levels are totally out of your hands! You can take steps to protect yourself, like using earplugs or white noise machines.
- When will it be enforced on January 1st, 2022?
The law that brings the Shindo Life Code 2021 into being will be enacted on January 1st, 2022. However, the government has already given approval for more than 300 places to use the code’s standards in advance of its official enactment date. On December 20th, 2017, Prime Minister Abe even gave his own brief explanation of how shindo works and his hopes for its future during a news conference.
- How do I know if the Shindo Life Code 2021 will be effective?
The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting Japan’s efforts to bring this new standard into place, and the WHO anticipates that it’ll lead to better sleep for everyone, as well as a reduction in the number of people developing cases of heart disease and other issues.
The WHO’s involvement is part of an effort to reduce or eliminate sources of noise with adverse health effects (e.g., industrial and transportation-based noise). But it’s not just about industrialization: despite their cultural differences, both Japan and the United States rely heavily on transportation and industry, yet Japan is actually ahead of the U.S. in terms of enforcing stricter noise regulations.
One component of the Shindo Life Code 2021 is to calculate noise levels in even more detail than before, taking into account low frequency sounds. But another reason for the sudden decision to be stricter about noise regulations is that Japan was faced with an unusually large number of cases involving people who suffered hearing damage due to unreasonably high volumes in certain places, even before the new standards were put into place.