Tokyo lofi: Neon rain in Shinjuku
A spring night in Tokyo. Tokyo Tower glows among high-rises whose red aviation lights blink in sync, with the Skytree and Mt. Fuji far off. A commuter train crosses a brick viaduct, a yokocho alley is stacked with neon, and a cherry tree blooms under a street lamp while the wet asphalt mirrors it all. Sakura petals and light rain fall at three depths.
Sounds: Rain, traffic and a murmur of voices, with a train rolling across the viaduct and soft chimes.
About Lofi Cities
Lofi Cities is a free web app that pairs hand-built pixel-art city nights with endless lofi music generated live in your browser. Pick a city and let it run: every scene is a 480×270 pixel animation that loops seamlessly every four minutes, with its own weather, landmarks and city sounds, while new lofi tracks are composed on the fly.
There is nothing to install, no account and no ads. It works on computers, phones and tablets, and makes a calm background for studying, working or winding down.
Cities
- Paris Rain on the attic window
A painter's attic under the zinc roofs, rain on the window and the Eiffel Tower sparkling far off.
- Tokyo Neon rain in Shinjuku
Neon signs, cherry blossoms and wet asphalt, with Tokyo Tower glowing and a train crossing the viaduct.
- New York Snow over Brooklyn Bridge
A snowy winter night by the Brooklyn Bridge, with the Midtown skyline across the East River.
- London Fog on the Thames
Fog and drizzle on the Thames, with Parliament, the London Eye and a Victorian pub on the South Bank.
- Rio de Janeiro Copacabana summer night
A balcony above Copacabana, with Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf and fireworks over the bay.
- Istanbul Bosphorus by night
A rooftop tea garden facing the historic peninsula, with ferries and gulls on the Bosphorus.
How the music works
Every track is composed on the spot with the Web Audio API: a chord progression, a swung drum groove between 68 and 88 BPM, a bass line and a melody, finished with tape wobble and vinyl crackle. Everything is synthesized in real time, with no samples or recordings, so the stream never runs out.
Track titles are inspired by the city on screen, and a separate ambience layer mixes that city's sounds under the music. The Up next list shows the coming tracks so you can pick one to play right away, and music and city sounds each have their own volume slider.
Keyboard shortcuts
- ← → 1–6
- Switch city
- Space
- Play or pause the music
- N
- Next track
- Q
- Up next: see the coming tracks and pick one
- T
- Timers: focus (25/5 or 50/10, on repeat) and sleep (fade out and pause)
- M
- Mute
- F
- Fullscreen (or double-click the scene)
- H
- Hide or show the interface
- R
- Export one seamless 4-minute loop as a 1080p video (no audio)
- S
- Save the current frame as a 1080p PNG
- ?
- Open or close this panel
Questions
- What is Lofi Cities?
- A free website that shows animated pixel-art city nights (Paris, Tokyo, New York, London, Rio de Janeiro and Istanbul) with endless lofi music composed live in your browser, plus each city's ambient sounds.
- Is Lofi Cities free?
- Yes. It runs entirely in your browser, with no download, no account and no ads.
- Where does the music come from?
- It is generated in your browser while you listen. Chords, drums, bass and melody are synthesized with the Web Audio API, without samples or recordings, so every track is new and the music never runs out.
- Why doesn't the music start right away?
- Browsers block sound until you interact with a page. Click, tap or press any key and the music starts; the play button pauses and resumes it.
- Can I use it as a background for studying or working?
- That is what it is made for. Press F for fullscreen and H to hide the interface. The controls also fade out on their own when you stop moving the mouse.
- Is there a Pomodoro or sleep timer?
- Yes. Press T or the clock button. The focus timer runs 25 minutes of focus and 5 of break (or 50 and 10) on repeat, with a soft chime at each break and a bell to call you back. The sleep timer fades the music and city sounds out after 15 to 90 minutes, then pauses.
- Does it work on phones and tablets?
- Yes. In portrait orientation the view crops around each city's landmark, all controls work with touch, and you can swipe the scene sideways to switch city.
- Can I save a scene as a video or a wallpaper?
- On a computer, press R to export exactly one seamless 4-minute loop of the current city as a 1080p video (without audio), or S to save the current frame as a 1080p PNG.
- Who made Lofi Cities?
- Lofi Cities is made by Safa Elmali. You can support it on Buy Me a Coffee (the coffee link at the top right).
- Does Lofi Cities use cookies?
- No. There is no sign-in and no cookies. Anonymous usage statistics, such as which cities are viewed, are collected without cookies, and browsers that send Do Not Track are respected.