[2026] Songs about cooking: A roundup of recommended Japanese classics
Delicious food adds color to our everyday lives, and surely many people reset their mood by making sure to eat a proper meal even when they’re going through something tough.
Whether we’re happy or sad, we humans can’t keep moving forward unless we eat.
Themes like cooking and food—which are closely tied to our daily lives—are, of course, important and unmissable subjects for artists as well, and they’re often chosen as motifs.
In this article, we’ve picked out classic Japanese songs—both old and new—that center on cooking and food.
Whether it’s breakfast or sweet desserts, take a look at how these artists express them!
- [Rice Songs] A selection of tracks where food appears in the lyrics!
- [Food Songs] Popular Japanese songs that use names of foods
- [Delicious] A collection of music you'll want to listen to while cooking
- A roundup of Japanese songs featuring curry—songs about curry and curry rice
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- [2026] Representative Famous Enka Songs: A Compilation of Classic Favorites [Beginner-Friendly]
- Nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs about food
- [Family Song] A gratitude song that lets you feel the importance of family.
- [Vegetable Songs] Unexpected artists too!? A roundup of recommended tracks
- [2026] Autumn songs sung by idols: A collection of classic autumn tunes filled with nostalgia
- [Thank You] A song for grandpa and grandma: a classic that makes you want to express your gratitude
- Vegetable Song: A Recommended Food Education Song for Children
- Packed with masterpieces! Karaoke songs recommended for women of the Yutori generation
[2026] Songs About Cooking: A Curated Selection of Recommended Japanese Hits (11–20)
Breakfast SongTeshima Aoi
This song, which warmly portrays a morning routine, is known as an insert song from the film From Up on Poppy Hill.
Aoi Teshima’s clear, translucent voice rhythmically expresses the act of preparing breakfast, gently conveying to listeners the importance of family togetherness.
Released in July 2011, it is included on the film’s soundtrack album From Up on Poppy Hill: Song Collection.
Depicting a family gathered around the breakfast table, the track reminds us of the preciousness of time spent with loved ones amid our busy days.
Whether you’re making breakfast or enjoying it, this song is sure to warm your heart.
eeeeverydayGRe4N BOYZ
It’s an exceptionally bright, poppy cheer-up song that makes everyday housework more fun.
Created by GRe4N BOYZ, it was included as a B-side on the single “Akatsuki no Kimi ni,” released in December 2016.
Written specifically as the campaign song for Lion’s housework festival “CLeeeeaN,” this track turns routines like doing the dishes and cleaning into something positive with its lively rhythm.
The lyrics trace the flow of a week, and the depiction of curry rice on the table on Friday wonderfully heightens the excitement for the weekend.
familySEKAI NO OWARI
It’s a moving medium-tempo ballad written as the theme song for the drama “IP: Cyber Investigation Team.” Created by SEKAI NO OWARI, it’s included on the album “scent of memory,” released in July 2021.
The lyrics resonate with the conflicts that arise precisely because family is so close, and with the awkward kindness found there.
And the curry that appears as a small detail of everyday life further enhances the song’s warm atmosphere.
RaSuiyōbi no Campanella
A uniquely brilliant concept that fuses the ancient Egyptian sun god with Japan’s beloved national dish, curry—an irresistibly addictive track.
Featured on the album “Zipangu,” released in November 2015, the song leaves a powerful impression with its striking contrast between a divine worldview and appetite-stimulating lyrics.
It also drew attention through a collaboration with Nissin Foods’ “Nissin Curry Meshi,” and its music video won an award at the SPACE SHOWER MUSIC AWARDS.
Wordplay unfolds over electronic beats, brimming with a playful energy that sparks listeners’ imaginations.
I want to eat ramen.Yano Akiko
Akiko Yano is often impersonated on variety shows.
That mystical voice of hers really is one of a kind.
One of her most comical songs is the 1984 single “Ramen Tabetai” (“I Want to Eat Ramen”).
The title is so straightforward it makes you laugh.
They say she was composing in the middle of the night when she suddenly craved ramen, and that’s what sparked the song.
With lyrics that go, “Women, just like men, have so many hardships—ah, I want to eat ramen,” fans even hail it as a divine track.
Listen to it and you’ll definitely find yourself craving ramen.
ennsumika
It’s a medium-tempo tune that traces bonds and circles between people, warming the heart little by little.
The song is by sumika, a band from Kanagawa Prefecture, and is included on their mini-album Answer Parade, released in May 2016.
Keyboardist Takayuki Ogawa composed the piece and took on lead vocals for the first time.
Among lyrics that sing about connections with family and loved ones, the appearance of curry as a symbol of everyday life is especially striking.
Ogawa’s gentle, conversational singing voice sinks deeply into the listener’s heart.
[2026] Songs about cooking: Recommended masterpieces (Japanese music) (21–30)
aonori (green laver seaweed)Buriifu & Torankusu
Brief & Trunks are a folk duo who comically capture everyday life within a five-meter radius.
This is one of their early signature songs, released as a single in 1998, which caught fire in popularity through cable radio.
The lyrics depict the bittersweet inner struggle of a man who just can’t bring himself to point out the green powder stuck to his beloved girlfriend’s front teeth.
And in the latter half, there’s a scene where, during their date, a curry-rice smell wafts from her mouth.
The track is also included on the album “The Greatest Harmony Since the War.”