Songs to Listen to on Children’s Day | A Curated Selection of Music for Tango no Sekku!

yomogi-jōbu noNEW!warabeuta asobi

Spring children's song / For the April–May seasonal festivals: [Yomogi-Jobu no]. I'd like to play it to coincide with the festival.

When it comes to plants essential for the Boys’ Festival (Tango no Sekku), mugwort and iris—both believed to ward off evil with their strong fragrances—come to mind.

Featuring these medicinal herbs, this piece is a seasonal children’s song wishing for kids’ health and safety.

Its hallmark is the playful motion of lightly tapping the hips with bundled leaves, taking turns in rhythm—coordination is key! The game is packed with traditional wisdom for praying for protection and good health through play.

The recording sung by Emiko Kobayashi is included on the album “Let’s Play with Warabe-uta! Everyone’s Play Songs,” released in December 2004, and it was also issued as a digital release in August 2022.

It’s a short piece of about 26 seconds, but try incorporating it into a moment of parent-child movement and laughter, while wishing for healthy growth!

Everyone loves you.NEW!Kiroro

Everyone loves you.

On Children’s Day, why not listen to Kiroro’s heartwarming number that helps you rediscover the importance of family and friends? Written and composed by Ayano Kinjo, this song carries a warm message of unconditional affirmation for the other person.

It was written as the theme song for the film “Keroro Gunso the Super Movie: Gekishin Dragon Warriors!” released in March 2009, powerfully singing of the courage and bonds needed to face difficulties.

Later included on the album “Songs by Kiroro We Want to Listen to with Children,” it has been cherished as a tune parents and kids can hum together.

The lyrics overflow with words of love that seem to encapsulate feelings for family, friends, and everyone.

For Tango no Sekku, as you wish for your child’s healthy growth, how about joining your voices together as a family?

Doraemon: Make My Dreams Come TrueNEW!mao

Doraemon: Make My Dreams Come True

When it comes to the theme song of Doraemon, a beloved national anime across generations, many people probably think of this song.

It’s packed with the excitement of soaring through the sky alongside mysterious gadgets.

mao’s clear vocals and the lively chorus by the Himawari Kids leave a strong impression, and just listening to it brings on a wave of nostalgia.

In fact, it was chosen from over 1,000 candidates and began airing on TV in May 2007.

At the time, mao’s vocals on the demo tape captured the production team’s hearts, and those very vocals were used for her debut single, released in July.

It’s a warm song perfect for Children’s Day, one that makes you want to hum along with your kids and talk about dreams and the future.

What will you be when you grow up?NEW!amerika min’yō

[Children’s Song] What Will You Be When You Grow Up / Daisuke Yokoyama

Are you familiar with the classic fingerplay song that’s a staple in preschools and kindergartens? Its melody is said to come from the American folk song “Little Cabin in the Wood,” and in Japan it has taken root as a play song where children count off their future dreams.

The gestures of pretending to be a doctor or a cake shop owner make for a delightfully fun scene that nurtures children’s imagination.

Not tied to any particular singer’s repertoire, this piece has been passed down by many performers.

It has been cherished in educational settings for a long time, even being included in a Yamaha sheet music collection released in March 2023.

Daisuke Yokoyama has also sung it, and it remains a beloved classic across generations.

On Children’s Day, why not use this song as a springboard to talk with your child about dreams for the future?

Mountain MusiciansNEW!Doitsu min’yō

Mountain Musicians [Uta no Mama Papa] Nursery Rhyme: Yama no Ongakuka - With Mother and Father

Rooted in an old German folk song, this charming piece features woodland creatures taking turns showing off their favorite instruments.

With pairings like a squirrel playing the violin and a little bird on the flute, the combinations of animals and instruments are delightful, and the phrases that imitate their sounds just slip off the tongue.

In Japan, it became widely beloved after it was broadcast on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” in April 1964.

With lyrics adapted by Shisen Mizuta and the warm harmonies of the Dark Ducks, the song took root and is still sung today in early childhood education settings and at home.

If parents and children sing it while pretending to play instruments, the living room on Children’s Day will quickly transform into a merry concert hall.

Choo-choo trainNEW!Sakushi: Tomihara Kaoru Sakushi / Sakkyoku: Kusakawa Shin

[Children’s Song] Kisha Poppo / Daisuke Yokoyama

Lyrics by Kaoru Tomihara, music by Shin Kusakawa.

This lively piece with its jaunty rhythm and playful onomatopoeia is actually based on an original song released in 1938 titled “Heitai-san no Kisha” (The Soldiers’ Train).

It is said to have been inspired by scenes at Gotemba Station in Shizuoka Prefecture, and in 1945, after the war, prompted by NHK’s program “Kohaku Ongaku Shiai,” Kaoru Tomihara himself rewrote the lyrics to suit a more peaceful era.

Keeping its powerful melody intact, the song has been loved for many years, even being selected in 2007 for the “100 Best Japanese Songs.” Its exhilarating, fast-paced feel perfectly matches the excitement of going out.

On Children’s Day, it’s also great fun for the whole family to raise their voices together and sing it with energy.

Issun-bōshi (The One-Inch Boy)NEW!Sakushi: Iwaya Konami / Sakkyoku: Tamura Torazō

♪ Issun Boushi – One-Inch Boy | ♪ A One-Inch Boy Not Even Enough for a Finger [Japanese Songs / Shoka]

This work portrays a small hero who turns a rice bowl into a boat and chopsticks into oars to head for the capital.

With lyrics by Konami Iwaya and music by Torazō Tamura, it is a children’s song based on a well-known folk tale.

The story of a brave protagonist who uses wisdom and courage to defeat ogres and grows into a fine young person is a perfect theme for Children’s Day, which celebrates the healthy growth of boys.

First included in a song collection published in 1905, it featured lyrics unusually close to everyday speech for the time, making them easy for children to understand.

Tamura’s efforts to avoid difficult expressions and prioritize singability may be why the song has remained beloved for so long.

Singing it together with your child and talking about the great potential and courage hidden within their small body would be a wonderful experience!

Seagull SailorNEW!Sakushi: Takeuchi Toshiko / Sakkyoku: Kawamura Mitsuyo

“The Seagull Sailors – Seagull sailors, sailors in a row~” (with hand motions)

When you think of a harbor scene, many of you might remember this song.

With lyrics by Toshiko Takeuchi and music by Koyo Kawamura, it’s a beloved classic children’s song featuring birds as charming as sailors in white hats and shirts.

Released by King Records in April 1937, sung by Junko Kawamura, the piece is said to have been inspired when Takeuchi visited the Yokohama pier to see off an uncle bound for Hawaii and saw white birds bobbing on the waves.

The rhythm seems to carry the sound of the surf, and the lyrics, as if they’re marching along in lively rows, are delightful.

It’s a standard still sung today by many vocalists and choirs, and has long been familiar through textbooks and television programs.

Try humming it with your child on a sunny seaside drive or during an outing for Children’s Day.

snailNEW!Monbushō shōka

Snail (with hand motions)

This song speaks to a small creature carrying its shell that you might spot in the garden after the rain.

Many people probably find themselves humming it around Children’s Day or during the rainy season.

Though it’s often thought of as relaxed, it’s actually set at a lively tempo of quarter note = 96.

Included in Elementary School Songs (Volume 1), published in 1911 (Meiji 44), it was reportedly created to foster children’s affection for nature at the time.

Its humorous lyrics—calling for the creature to stick out its horns and spear—remain widely loved more than a century later in schools and children’s programs.

If you come across one while playing outside, it could be fun to sing the song and observe it together with your child!

Urashima TaroNEW!Monbushō shōka

Urashima Tarō – Urashima Tarō <with choreography> [Japanese Songs / Shōka]

This is a Ministry of Education school song based on a folktale everyone knows—so catchy you’ll find yourself humming along.

Guided by the turtle he rescued, the hero sets off for the Dragon Palace under the sea, and the wondrous journey is portrayed to a friendly melody, all the way to the moment he opens the jeweled treasure box.

Published in June 1911 in the second-year volume of the textbook ‘Standard Elementary School Songs,’ this piece has been sung for over a century since the end of the Meiji era.

It spread nationwide through school lessons and has a history of deep ties to education, even being used as an interlude song in school plays.

The lyrics follow the story so clearly that vivid scenes come to mind, and singing it with your child will draw you both into the world of the folktale.

On Children’s Day, why not spend some cozy family time with this song, beloved across generations?