[80s Japanese Music] Popular Christmas songs: from hit tracks to hidden gems!

The Last Merry ChristmasSugi Mari

The Last Merry Christmas - Mari Sugiyama

A bittersweet yet beautiful ballad about thinking of a former lover on Christmas night.

It’s striking how the phrase “Merry Christmas” is used as a farewell.

Released in November 1986 as Mari Sugi’s 13th single, it was later included on the Christmas compilation album Winter Lounge.

Written, composed, and arranged by Mari Sugi, the song is a hallmark of the “Pop’n Roll” genre, where pop and rock blend seamlessly.

Its arrangement, making skillful use of synthesizers and guitars, is especially appealing.

It’s a song that gently supports those spending the festive season alone, so why not give it a listen on a night when you can’t be with someone special?

3-D Christmas cardMatsutōya Yumi

3D Christmas Card / 3-D No Christmas Card

When it comes to Yumi Matsutoya’s Christmas songs, this one stands out for its vivid, three-dimensional scene-setting.

Against a snowy backdrop, the protagonist dreams of an ideal Christmas spent with a loved one, expressed through Yumi’s uniquely poetic lyrics.

Featured on the album “ALARM à la mode,” released in November 1986, the track is characterized by its distinctly ’80s arrangement centered on synthesizers.

The city pop–inflected sound pairs with lyrics that evoke a three-dimensional visual beauty, as if leaping out of a Christmas card.

The imagery of winter’s beautiful natural scenery and the warmth of human connection conveys the magic of Christmas and the value of time spent with someone special.

It’s truly the perfect song when you want to elevate the Christmas mood.

Merry Christmas in panoramaWatanabe Marina

Merry Christmas in panorama

A Christmas song by Marina Watanabe, captivating with its warm vocals and poetic lyrics.

Included on the mini-album CHRISTMAS TALES, released in December 1987, this piece leaves a striking impression with a fantastical atmosphere that transcends the bounds of 80s idol pop.

Its beautiful melody gently wraps the Christmas city in warmth, and its dreamlike imagery creates a world that feels like a scene from a film.

The song matched the pure image of Watanabe, who was a top idol at the time, and received high praise from fans.

It’s perfect for those who dream of spending a romantic Christmas night with their loved one—a track you’ll want to listen to together with someone special.

Winter WonderlandNishimura Tomomi

Tomomi Nishimura – Winter Wonderland

A gentle Christmas song by Tomomi Nishimura, who was a huge star on TV and in films—especially beloved by people in their 50s—affectionately known as “Tororin.” Speaking of Tomomi Nishimura, she, along with Yukiko Sugiura and Nami Shimada, was known as one of the “Peach Class Trio” from Momoko Club.

This song, Winter Wonderland, joyfully celebrates Christmas and is a track that showcases Tororin’s charm at 100%.

It’s also delightful how words that evoke Christmas—like Christmas cake and snow—appear like elements in a story.

Highly recommended as BGM for parties with little kids!

Christmas DoorKaoru Sudo

Kaoru Sudo (須藤薫) – Drops (1983)

A song that gently nestles close to the heart, like stars shining in the winter night sky.

Kaoru Sudo’s clear, pure vocals blend beautifully with a city pop–tinged, sophisticated sound, and it continues to be cherished as one of the signature Christmas songs of the 1980s.

Featured on the album Drops, released in June 1983, it was later included on the best-of compilation Tear-Drops Calendar.

The lyrics portray the delicate emotions between lovers, exquisitely capturing the special atmosphere of Christmas night.

Steeped in nostalgia, this is a stylish Christmas song for adults—perfect for a romantic evening spent with someone you love.

WHITE NIGHT, WHITE MOONCHAGE and ASKA

WHITE NIGHT，WHITE MOON

A gem of a Christmas ballad released to the world by CHAGE and ASKA in 1986, beautifully depicting a winter nightscape and the stirrings of love.

On a snowy night in the city, the aching feelings for a lover are exquisitely expressed through ASKA’s delicate lyrics and Ichizo Seo’s sophisticated arrangement.

Included on the album “Snow Mail,” the song was also given English lyrics with the international market in mind at the time.

Bathed in the white glow of the moon on a quiet night, the wish to reunite with a cherished person—such universal feelings resonate across generations, making this a hidden masterpiece born of the 1980s.

Last Single X’masHarayuko

Last Single X’mas

This is a quintessential 80s ballad that sings of Christmas memories filled with nostalgia and bittersweet longing.

Haru Yuko’s gentle, warm vocals tenderly envelop the lingering feelings for a love that has passed.

Included on the album “Harayuko ga Kataru Hitotoki,” released in April 1981, the song also had its instrumental version used as an insert track in the film “Aiko 16-sai,” beautifully capturing the emotional tone of a coming-of-age movie.

With lyrics penned by Keisuke Kuwata of Southern All Stars, it deftly portrays the protagonist’s feelings as they look back on Christmases from their youth.

When the holiday season makes you want to reminisce about memories with a loved one, be sure to give it a listen.