[1980s J-Pop] Popular winter songs: from chart-toppers to hidden gems!
Thanks to eternally beloved hits and the renewed appreciation for city pop, many masterpiece songs from Japanese music of the 1980s continue to be loved by people of all ages even now, well into the 2020s.
With the resort boom and the popularity of leisure activities, a stream of glamorous winter hits was also released.
In this article, we present winter hit songs from 1980s Japanese music!
We’ll cover everything from massive hits everyone knows to hidden gems that weren’t singles but have become beloved winter staples.
If you spent your youth in the ’80s, these will feel nostalgic; if you’re not from that generation, they’ll feel fresh—so be sure to check them out.
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[1980s J-Pop] Popular Winter Songs: From Hit Tracks to Hidden Gems! (51–60)
CHRISTMAS CHORUSKomuro Tetsuya
This song—written, composed, arranged, and produced by Tetsuya Komuro himself—features Naoto Kine’s acoustic guitar and the Suginami Children’s Choir adding a touch of warmth.
Released in December 1989 as a solo single from EPIC/Sony Records, it’s a romantic ballad that expresses sincere feelings for a lover amid fantastical imagery like a silver messenger and moonlight.
The chorus includes phrases celebrating both Christmas and the New Year, cleverly designed to be sung throughout the holiday season.
Peaking at No.
2 on the Oricon weekly chart, the track charms with its warm blend of acoustic sounds and synthesizers—perfect for those winter nights when you think of someone special.
LAST CHRISTMAS SONGHamada Mari
Here’s María Hamada’s mature Christmas song, “LAST CHRISTMAS SONG,” by an artist who could be called the foremother of female rock singers.
It’s a track she put real effort into—so much so that it was included on her second best-of album, Sincere, and it’s truly an adult Christmas ballad.
The lyrics, which tenderly recount “a youthful love remembered every time Christmas comes,” are wonderful.
Hamada wrote the words herself, and every expression chosen for a love that has ended is gentle.
In that sense, it might be a good song to listen to when getting over a breakup.
Her original album Soar, released to mark the 40th anniversary of her debut, is also highly recommended!
Winter Sanatoriumagata morio
This is a winter song by Morio Agata, a folk singer with a devoted following among music fans, a film director, and, more recently, an actor who has appeared in popular dramas—an artist of many talents.
It’s a lonely song about lying alone on a sanatorium bed in winter, gazing out the window.
The Makioka SistersItsuki Hiroshi
When it comes to classic, orthodox enka songs for winter, this is the one: Hiroshi Itsuki’s “Sasameyuki.” Released in 1983, it became a hit, ranking fourth among Itsuki’s singles.
The poignant song, in which the image of fleeting, vanishing snow overlaps with that of the female protagonist, is perfect for the cold winter season.
Itsuki’s seasoned vocals are, as expected, outstanding.
Although it has no relation to Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s “Sasameyuki” (The Makioka Sisters), the shared title may evoke that work and leave a memorable impression.
[80s J-Pop] Popular winter songs: From chart-toppers to hidden gems! (61–70)
On such a lovely daySano Motoharu
It’s a track from the 1983 album “No Damage.” It’s a winter song that sings about an urban, grown-up date: heading out into the winter city with your lover, dining at a stylish restaurant, and dancing to the music.
At the time, Motoharu Sano was shifting from an American sound reminiscent of early Bruce Springsteen to a more British musical approach.
The jazzy, stylish sound remains very appealing even today.
Full of ChristmasKudō Shizuka
Shizuka Kudo is a singer who thrives across a wide range of fields—not only in music, but also as an actor, TV personality, jewelry designer, and painter.
The song that closes her best-of album “gradation,” X’mas ga Ippai (Full of Christmas), features a dreamy intro that conjures the holiday just as the title suggests.
Its lyrics, filled with love for someone special, seem perfectly suited to color the holy night.
With a melody that blends pop brightness with a touch of wistfulness, it’s an unforgettable, timeless winter song.
Osaka ShigureMiyako Harumi
This was a single by Harumi Miyako released in February 1980, which ranked 49th on that year’s Oricon annual hit chart.
It won the Best Vocal Performance at the Japan Record Awards, was performed on NHK’s New Year’s Eve Kōhaku Uta Gassen, and gained even wider recognition over the year-end and New Year period.
It went on to become a major hit, reaching 6th place on the following year’s (1981) annual hit chart.