Love songs that were hits in the 2000s. Classic and popular Japanese songs.
We’ve put together a collection of love songs that were hits in the 2000s.
When you think of hit songs from the 2000s, what tracks come to mind?
For those who spent their youth in that era, you might recall so many classics that it’s hard to choose just one.
This isn’t a list of every song that charted between 2000 and 2009, but we’re highlighting beloved love songs that almost everyone has heard at least once—timeless favorites that are still cherished as staples of romance today.
If you’re feeling nostalgic for those days, be sure to give them a listen!
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Love songs that were hits in the 2000s. Classic and popular J-Pop songs (41–50)
KISS OF LIFEHirai Ken
A love song abundantly filled with mature lyrics like “Let’s start with a kiss,” all while wrapped in Ken Hirai’s warm voice.
Contrary to those lyrics, its catchy rhythm and melody make it a perfect song to sing at karaoke, in my opinion.
I like you.Shimizu Shota
A cell phone suddenly rings on a sleepless night.
Starting from that everyday moment, this is an unrequited love song that makes your chest ache.
The protagonist is afraid to take a step forward for fear of breaking the relationship, yet can’t suppress the overflowing feelings.
Shota Shimizu’s sweet, heartrending vocals gently cradle a lovestruck heart.
Released as a single in December 2009, it’s also included on the album Journey.
At the time, it topped mobile distribution charts, capturing the hearts of many young listeners.
It’s a song to play when your feelings for someone are about to spill over, or when you need a little courage.
sympathetic tearsHitoto Yo
The debut single by singer-songwriter Yo Hitoto, who has a Taiwanese father and a Japanese mother and continued making music in an a cappella club while attending Keio University.
Released in October 2002, the song reached No.
4 on the Oricon charts without a major tie-in and became a long-running hit, staying on the chart for 70 weeks.
The lyrics, which depict how a friend’s tears set off a chain reaction of emotions, are said to have been inspired by a heartbreak she experienced during her university years.
The striking chorus was crafted so that it can be sung universally using only vowels, creating a unique world where an Oriental, R&B-tinged arrangement and her resilient, powerful vocals blend exquisitely.
In 2003, the song earned her the Japan Record Award for Best New Artist and her first appearance on the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen, making it the track that defined her career as an artist.
Osaka LoverDREAMS COME TRUE
A track that directly conveys the excitement of heading to Osaka to see a long-distance lover.
Released in March 2007 as DREAMS COME TRUE’s 38th single, it was well known as the theme song for a Universal Studios Japan attraction.
The song expresses the complex feelings of the frustration of not being able to meet and the anticipation of reunion, set to a danceable four-on-the-floor beat.
The slightly grown-up-sounding Osaka dialect phrases highlight the protagonist’s endearing charm and are irresistibly cute.
The song is also included on the album AND I LOVE YOU.
It’s a perfect track to heighten those pre-meeting butterflies when you’re about to see someone you love.
SaudadePorunogurafiti
It’s a bittersweet, fleeting love song about the moments right before parting.
What’s more, even though it’s sung by a male vocalist, it’s told from a woman’s perspective.
And yet, I feel it also captures the man’s feelings—harboring a faint hope that hints at the future, as if saying, “Let’s meet again someday.”
Lifetime RespectMiki Dōsan
A gem of a love song by Dohzi-T that once took the world by storm.
Riding on an upbeat rap rhythm, it delivers honest, straightforward feelings.
It’s a love song that, throughout, showcases a masculine strength that says “Trust me” and pulls you along, captured in the bold refrain: “Stay with me for life.”
powder snowRemioromen
When you think of “1 Litre of Tears,” it’s this song.
A scene comes to mind of thinking about you far away, projecting those feelings onto pure, innocent powder snow.
It’s a love song in which a certain loneliness seems to stand out more vividly.