Best City Pop Classics: Recommended Popular Songs [Timeless & Modern]
City pop has been gaining momentum, especially overseas, after Mariya Takeuchi’s “Plastic Love” exploded in views on YouTube.
Originally, it referred to songs from the late 1970s to the 1980s that emphasized a sophisticated, urban vibe, but over time its definition and interpretation have gradually expanded.
Since the 2000s, it’s also been discussed in terms of its stylish, moody image, and perceptions vary from person to person.
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of tracks—from classic, beloved city pop that laid the foundations of modern pop music to songs that capture a fresh, contemporary feel.
- Classic and hit Japanese pop songs from the nostalgic 80s
- [BGM] Attractive City Pop
- City pop perfect for creating a romantic date atmosphere (Adults Only)
- A collection of nostalgic hit songs and classics from the 70s
- Classic and hit J-pop songs from the nostalgic ’90s
- [Revisited] A roundup of popular and classic Showa-era songs that are trending now [2026]
- [Japanese Music] Masterpieces of 2000s Pop: A roundup of hit songs from 00s J-POP
- From City Pop to Ballads!! Mariya Takeuchi’s Easy-to-Sing Songs
- From Japan! Technopop masterpieces and recommended popular tracks
- Popular Showa-era pop. Timeless hit songs.
- Memorable Youth Songs: Looking Back on New Music Masterpieces from the 1970s–80s
- A Classic of Korean City Pop [KOREAN CITY POP]
- Nothing but iconic hits that defined an era! 2000s classics popular on TikTok
Best City Pop Classics: Recommended Popular Songs [Timeless & Modern] (61–70)
An afternoon when I want to see youInagaki Junichi
Although it was a B-side released in May 1989 in the 8 cm CD format, this track was chosen as the ending theme for Fuji TV’s variety show “Naruhodo! The World.” Written by Yasushi Akimoto, composed by MAYUMI, and arranged by Hiroshi Sakamoto, the song also appears on the album “HEART & SOUL.” As the title suggests, it portrays an afternoon filled with growing feelings for someone you long to see.
Junichi Inagaki’s enveloping vocals blend with a mellow sonic palette, delivering a refined city-pop sound.
Despite peaking at No.
29 on the Oricon charts, the tie-in brought the song to many listeners.
It’s the perfect number for those bittersweet afternoons when, in an unguarded moment, you find yourself thinking of someone dear.
ODD TAXIsukaato to PUNPEE
This track features a sophisticated lo-fi beat that flows like the hustle and bustle of the city and the scenery of the night.
Skirt’s acoustic guitar and the saxophone crafted by PUNPEE beautifully capture the urban views you glimpse on a nighttime drive.
While portraying urban solitude and complex human relationships with a distinctive touch, the city as seen from a taxi driver’s perspective resonates deeply with listeners.
Released in April 2021 as the opening theme for the TV anime Odd Taxi, a re-recorded version was included on the album SONGS in November 2022.
It’s a piece that carries a mature afterglow, perfect for late-night drives or quiet moments in a nighttime café.
Wednesday MoonTokunaga Hideaki
HIDEAKI Tokunaga, now also known as a cover singer, released his 11th single “Wednesday Moon” in April 1991.
It was used in a Kanebo men’s cologne commercial, in which he himself appeared.
It became his first single to reach No.
1 on the Oricon charts, with total sales of 226,000 copies.
Red Sweet PeaMatsuda Seiko
Seiko Matsuda’s classic masterpiece “Akai Sweet Pea,” released in 1982.
It’s fresh and fun to listen to this song through a City Pop lens.
The big factor, of course, is the songwriting team: Takashi Matsumoto, the former drummer of Happy End, and Yumi Matsutoya—aka Kureta Keiko (Yuming).
An emotional, heart-piercing pop song crafted by the progenitors of City Pop and one of Japan’s premier melody-makers—there just might be traces of City Pop in there.
Please see if you can find them!
Rainy summerYudai Suzuki
Yudai Suzuki, who was known as one of the “New Wave Four” alongside Junichi Inagaki, Yasuhiro Abe, and Akira Inoue, had his breakthrough with the 1983 single Rainy Summer.
Looking at the cover photo from that time, Suzuki strikes a pose in a checkered jacket, exuding a distinctly 1980s vibe.
The emotive, crying-style guitar arrangement is particularly memorable.
You were mineKubota Toshinobu
The fifth single, released in February 1988.
It was the theme song for Fuji TV’s Monday 9 p.m.
drama “Kimi no Hitomi wo Taiho-suru.” Having helped popularize R&B and Black music in Japan and breathed new life into the Japanese pop scene, he delivered a sophisticated, urban pop track befitting a prime-time drama, and it became a hit.
It peaked at No.
3 on the Oricon charts, with total sales of 341,000 copies.
Sorrowful Diamond RingInagaki Junichi
Opening the 1984 album “Personally,” this track captivates with a sophisticated sound that evokes a city skyline at night.
In Masao Urino’s lyrics, a wedding ring—ordinarily a symbol of blessing—gradually transforms into a painful memory that conjures misalignment and loneliness.
Tetsuji Hayashi’s melody and arrangement masterfully build from the shaded nuances of the verse to the sense of release in the chorus, while the performances by virtuosos like Jun Aoyama and Chiharu Mikuzuki paint a distinctly urban scene.
The album reached No.
2 on the Oricon Weekly chart and the song was performed at the 1984 Budokan concert, securing its place as one of Junichi Inagaki’s signature repertoire pieces.
It’s grown-up city pop, perfect for a night drive or an autumn dusk.