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)
cherry blossomKawaguchi Kyogo
As the title suggests, it’s a love song you’ll want to listen to in spring.
The lyrics, which feel like a vow of eternal love—always by your side, welcoming the cherry blossom season again and again with you—make my heart flutter.
Among the many sakura songs, this is one I can never forget.
Love songs that were hits in the 2000s. Masterpieces and popular J-Pop songs (51–60)
Moon DropsRUI (Shibasaki Kou)
This song, performed by Kou Shibasaki under the character name RUI from the film Yomigaeri, was released in January 2003 as her second single.
As the movie’s theme song, it weaves in classical expressions like “kotonoha” (words) and “utakata” (ephemeral bubbles) to portray the bittersweetness of love under the moonlight.
It debuted at No.
14 on the Oricon chart and reached No.
1 in its fifth week, becoming a long-running hit with total sales of about 830,000 copies.
With a dreamlike string arrangement and a clear, translucent vocal, it’s a track that gently resonates with the heart—perfect for listening on an autumn night while gazing at the moon.
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.
Baby Don’t CryAmuro Namie
The ultimate love song that blends poignancy with strength was brought to life by Namie Amuro in January 2007.
Portraying the resilience to overcome life’s hardships and sorrows, this piece was also chosen as the theme song for the Fuji TV drama “Himitsu no Hanazono,” capturing the hearts of many women.
Set to a medium-tempo melody that fuses R&B and J-pop, Amuro’s vocals—at times gentle, at times powerful—strike a deep chord.
It’s a song for anyone on the verge of giving up on love or their dreams, one that stirs courage from the depths of the soul.
Because it makes me want to see youNishino Kana
A poignant love song by Kana Nishino that skillfully portrays the emotional landscape of a woman who acts strong on the outside yet quietly holds on to her loneliness and longing to see someone.
The lyrics, written in relatable, everyday language about growing feelings for an ex-lover, resonated with many and immediately captured the hearts of young women upon release.
Released in June 2009, the song appeared as a lead single from her first album, “LOVE one.” It was also chosen as a POWER PLAY on NTV’s “Music Fighter,” becoming a signature track that brought Kana Nishino’s name to wider recognition.
It’s a song that offers comfort to those unable to recover from the pain of heartbreak or to sever lingering feelings for a former partner.
Love is…Kato Miria
The grand ballad inspired by the classical masterpiece Canon delivers a straightforward message—no matter what happens, we’ll stay together—that truly resonates.
Even when loneliness and anxiety make it hard to see ahead, there is someone who will never give up on you and keep supporting you.
It sings of the strength and preciousness of such love and bonds.
Released in June 2007 as Miliyah Kato’s tenth single, the song also served as the ending theme for the anime Toward the Terra.
Its inclusion in the best-of album M BEST II shows how it has continued to be loved over time.
A pledge of eternal love, this work is the ultimate love song—one that makes you want to stay with the person you cherish forever.
Close your eyesHirai Ken
Singer-songwriter Ken Hirai captivates listeners with his deep, resonant voice.
This work poignantly yet purely sings of love—bearing the sense of loss after losing a loved one, yet being able to meet them in your heart whenever you close your eyes.
The lingering traces of absence in everyday life intersect with warm memories of the past, evoking a tightness in the chest.
Released in April 2004 as his 20th single, the song was written as the theme for the film “Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World” and became a million-selling smash hit.
It is a gem of a ballad that stirs the heart—perfect for nights when you want to immerse yourself in memories of someone precious or quietly let the tears fall.