![[Akita Songs] A Collection of Gem-Like Local Tunes Filled with Love for Hometowns](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/ZInuHmE4Z5k/maxresdefault.webp)
[Akita Songs] A Collection of Gem-Like Local Tunes Filled with Love for Hometowns
Akita Prefecture faces the Sea of Japan and is alive with abundant nature and traditional culture.
In this land, countless folk songs, enka, and local tunes filled with love for Akita have been born.
In this article, we’ve gathered masterpieces that possess a uniquely Akita quality—an enigmatic charm that stirs nostalgia.
Whether you’re from Akita or simply cherish it deeply, just hearing these songs will surely bring back memories as if the places themselves are appearing before your eyes.
Please enjoy these many classics that convey the very atmosphere and emotion of the land to your heart’s content.
[Akita Songs] A Collection of Gemlike Local Anthems Filled with Love for Our Hometown (1–10)
Akita HATA☆HATA☆ROCK & SAMBA!!Watanabe Jun’ya
It’s a delightfully upbeat local song where the spirit of Akita bursts forth to the rhythms of rock and samba.
Created by singer-songwriter Jinya Watanabe from Akita Prefecture, the track was produced in October 2017 as part of the “Song and Picture CD” series and was also included on Nippon Columbia’s album Definitive Edition! Collection of Japanese Bon Odori.
Centering on the prefectural fish, the sandfish (hatahata), its sound blends melodies of Akita folk music with Latin rhythms and rock guitar—just listening to it lifts your spirits.
The lyrics humorously showcase landmarks and specialties from 25 cities, towns, and villages across the prefecture, making it a song brimming with local pride and affection.
Soar, Akita kids!Tsukumo Yuu
A hopeful cheering song that powerfully supports the children of Akita as they stride toward the future.
Yuu Tsukumo’s emotionally rich vocals blend with a lively, energetic chorus to warmly embrace listeners’ hearts.
Created in May 1999 as the image song for Meitoku Elementary School, the piece carries a special warmth unique to Yuu Tsukumo, who values bonds with the community—evidenced by the story that the school’s own students took part in the recording.
It’s a classic filled with kindness and vitality that gently stays by your side when you feel homesick or want to reconnect with a pure, sincere heart.
Akita Prefectural AnthemNarita Tamezō
The Akita Prefectural Anthem is a work composed by Tamezo Narita, a composer who left behind many celebrated masterpieces in Japan.
Brimming with the charms of Akita—its abundant nature and the traditional culture that people have steadfastly preserved—it is loved not only by prefectural residents but by many others as a song that symbolizes Akita.
It can rightly be called a quintessential local song that moves listeners, even those who are not from Akita.
Prefectural AnthemNEW!Akita-ken
December 1959, as Japan moved from postwar reconstruction into a period of rapid growth.
This work was selected through a public contest by Akita Prefecture as a symbol of a new era and enacted as the second prefectural anthem.
Reflecting the spirit of a “leaping-forward Akita” in anticipation of the Hachirōgata land reclamation project and the National Sports Festival, it is composed in a bright and lively style.
In 1961, King Records produced it on SP records, and it was later reissued as a single.
It was also incorporated into the fourth movement of “Great Akita,” a piece for chorus and wind band created in 1968 as part of the Meiji Centennial commemorations, and has been cherished deeply as more than a mere ceremonial song.
Akita Prefectural AnthemNEW!Akita-ken
This prefectural anthem, which sings of Akita’s mountains, rivers, and history in an elevated style, is a work of great historical significance established in October 1930.
It is the older of the two Akita prefectural songs.
The composition was created by Tamezo Narita from Kitaakita City, known for pieces such as “Hamabe no Uta,” with lyrics by Masashi Kurata from Daisen City and supplementary lyrics by Tatsuyuki Takano.
Its solemn and beautiful melody possesses an artistic resonance.
Although opportunities to sing it declined for a time after the war, it was reappraised when it was incorporated into the third movement of “Oinaru Akita,” a work for choir and wind band produced in 1968 as part of the Meiji centennial project, and it remains widely beloved today.
It is even hailed as one of Japan’s three greatest prefectural anthems.
Akita Ondo — AKITA ONDO — Bonjour Club MixAyako Fuji feat. m.c.A・T
This is a collaboration track by Ayako Fuji, an enka singer from Akita, and m.c.A•T, a leading figure in Japan’s hip-hop scene.
The rap and danceable beats by m.c.A•T further highlight the appeal of folk songs that rhythmically sing about Akita’s climate and specialties, creating a sound brimming with festive energy.
Released as a single in January 2019, the song was performed on programs like NHK’s “Uta Kon,” garnering a huge response.
TOMO from DA PUMP choreographed the much-talked-about “Yakuyoke Dance”! It’s a song that conveys deep love for one’s hometown and a bold spirit to carry tradition into the future.
Akita Events (feat. Toshirō Yanagiba, Ayako Fuji, Nozomi Sasaki & Akita Prefectural Association)Takahashi Yuu
A number brimming with love for Akita and bursting with festival-like energy.
Crafted by Yu Takahashi, this pure Japanese-style pop tune blends J-pop with folk-song phrasing and the sounds of traditional instruments, setting listeners’ hearts dancing.
It also features a star-studded lineup of Akita-born artists, including Toshiro Yanagiba, Aya Shimazu, and Nozomi Sasaki.
The song was produced in September 2022 as the official theme for the Akita CARAVAN MUSIC FES.
Why not raise your voices together and sing it with friends who love Akita?