A collection of theme songs, insert songs, and background music from 5 Centimeters per Second
5 Centimeters per Second is an animated film directed by Makoto Shinkai, released in 2007.
It tells the story of Takaki Tōno from his elementary school years to adulthood, centered around his first love from childhood.
Warm, bittersweet, and heartrending, it’s a favorite among many fans who consider 5 Centimeters per Second to be Shinkai’s best work.
And of course, it also features one of Shinkai’s trademarks: excellent music.
Beginning with Masayoshi Yamazaki’s One more time, One more chance, the beautiful tracks are as deeply moving as the story itself.
In this article, we’ll introduce the music related to 5 Centimeters per Second, focusing on the songs that appear in the film.
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Collection of Theme Songs, Insert Songs, and BGM from 5 Centimeters per Second (21–30)
Cherry Blossom ChapterHeaven's Gate
The intro that begins with beautiful piano arpeggios is striking! Using the melody of Masayoshi Yamazaki’s “One more time, One more chance” as a motif, it features a gentle, unhurried development.
At first, only fragments of the melody are repeated, but at the climax, the chorus melody resounds movingly with a powerful piano tone, and it ends with an unexpected harmonic cadence.
“Oukashou” is used in a memorable scene from the first of the film’s three short episodes, and the first episode shares the same title as this piece.
Snow StationHeaven's Gate
Snow Station begins with a restrained piano.
This piece, which plays during the scene where Akari and Takaki meet in the station waiting room, features a piano that carries the melody of One more Time, One More Chance, wrapped in lush strings.
In this scene—despite it being Takaki’s last chance to see Akari—the train is delayed by snow, and both of them fear they might miss each other, yet they manage a beautiful reunion.
Akari waits in the waiting room even after the appointed time, and Takaki somehow makes it to the station.
It’s a track that conveys their relief and joy.
dreamHeaven's Gate
A piece with a piano melody that is gentle on the ears.
This is a song called “Yume” (Dream), one of the insert tracks from “5 Centimeters per Second.” It begins to play on Kanae’s way home after she folds her course preference survey into a paper airplane and sends it flying.
A finely crafted piece that reflects the hearts of teenagers who are uncertain about their dreams and paths, holding vague anxieties and hopes.
Just as Takaki, now grown, imagines himself standing beside Akari, the song fades away like scattering stars.
It expresses both Kanae’s unfulfilled feelings and Takaki’s unrequited love for Akari.
KissHeaven's Gate
A track that beautifully fuses the power of Masayoshi Yamazaki’s theme song “One more time, One more chance” with the softness of the piano.
It opens with a gentle piano tone, then transitions into the familiar theme melody, building as strings join in.
The modulation brings the piece to its peak, and eventually the quiet of the solo piano returns to lead it to a close.
The grandeur of the original is expressed here as an instrumental.
Unreachable feelingsHeaven's Gate
“Unreachable Feelings” is a piano instrumental piece with a strikingly subdued, sinking melody.
The unstable piano lines beautifully capture the sadness of having hope but not being able to grasp it.
Especially toward the latter half, the music swells as if tears are overflowing, and it almost makes you want to cry as you listen.
It ends on a curious chord that, while still unstable, carries a faint sense of comfort, leaving the impression that it isn’t a completely hopeless piece.
It fits perfectly with the complex, not-so-straightforward worldview of 5 Centimeters per Second.
impatienceHeaven's Gate
“Anxiety,” with its poignant strings and piano melodies, leaves a strong impression.
The highlight of this piece is that, within its roughly one-minute runtime, a minimal ensemble of just strings and piano weaves a streamlined, beautiful melody.
Without a dramatic rise and fall, the music feels as if it’s floating from start to finish—there’s even something quietly soothing about it.
When you’re tired from studying or work, why not take a one-minute break with this track?
Poem of the Sky and SeaHeaven's Gate
This piece is marked by the gentle tones of piano and strings and an expansive development that gradually unfolds.
It plays during the scene in “Cosmonaut” where the protagonist, Kanae, strengthens her resolve and faces the waves, conveying a moving atmosphere.
While “5 Centimeters per Second” often evokes a strong image of winter, “Cosmonaut” depicts the late summer, and the music also conveys a grand, expansive feeling—like the wide blue summer sky and the vast ocean.
The way the piece builds in intensity is captivating, expressing how a wavering heart is gradually cleared away, and how rising emotions and firm determination are conveyed by the majestic, powerful mood of the latter half.