Japanese Shoka, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes | Timeless masterpieces that resonate in the heart, passed down across generations
Do you ever recall the nursery rhymes and children’s songs you sang with family and friends when you were little? The nostalgic songs—including the Monbushō shōka (Ministry of Education songs)—are treasures of Japan that have been passed down across generations.
Still, there are times when you remember a title but can’t recall the lyrics, or you know the melody but can’t remember the title.
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of shōka, nursery rhymes, and traditional children’s songs that everyone has heard at least once.
As you listen to those nostalgic voices, try humming along with someone dear to you.
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Japanese Songs: Shoka, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes — Timeless Classics Passed Down Across Generations That Resonate in the Heart (41–50)
The Flowers in the Gardensakushi: satomi gi (yakushi) / sakkyoku: airurando min’yō
Based on an Irish folk tune, this is a school song with lyrics by Yoshishi Satomi that has been sung since the Meiji era.
Its lyrics poignantly capture the loneliness of autumn as the garden’s grasses and flowers wither, and overlay that scene with the image of chrysanthemums that bloom beautifully despite the frost—an emblem of living nobly while enduring solitude.
The piece was published in June 1884 in the Ministry of Education’s Elementary School Song Collection, Part Three, and was later covered by artists such as Yoichi Sugawara and Rainbook.
It’s a wonderful choice for quiet contemplation on a long autumn night.
The song’s powerful message, nestled within its melancholy, will gently accompany the bittersweet feelings that come with the changing seasons.
Its somehow nostalgic, beautiful melody is sure to soothe the heart.
Choo-choo train
It’s a cheerful song that sings about the scenery flowing by on both sides while riding a train, but it was created in 1937, before the war, and was released at the time under the title “The Soldiers’ Train.” It is said to have been a song for seeing off soldiers riding a steam locomotive as they headed to the battlefield.
Please let me pass.warabeuta
This is a traditional Japanese children’s song handed down since the Edo period, said to have been sung along the approach to Kawasaki Daishi Temple in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa.
In a game beloved by children, two players take the role of ogres, join hands to form a gate, and everyone slips through while singing.
The lyrics include the act of offering talismans for the seven celebratory milestones of childhood and convey a sense of awe toward a sacred place.
For those who remember gathering to play it in their neighborhood when they were young, or who know the melody from pedestrian crossing signals, it is a song that can be sung with a warm sense of nostalgia.
One crow
It is a traditional Japanese children’s song also known as a jump rope rhyme.
Characterized by a simple melody and lyrics that include animal sounds, it is beloved in children’s play and educational settings.
By singing while jumping rope, children can enjoyably learn a sense of rhythm and the concept of numbers.
It’s fun for families and highly valued in early childhood education, and it will likely continue to be loved for many years to come.
Brr, it’s so cold.
A nursery rhyme known for its catchy phrases.
It’s also a round that can be sung in canon partway through, making it fun for multiple people.
Great to sing alone, with friends, or with family.
As the title suggests, it’s a winter song, so why not sing it together during the colder season?
Tanuki of Fist Mountain
Some of you may only know the song, while others might have learned it together with the choreography, right? You play rock-paper-scissors at the end of the song, which makes it fun and game-like.
The choreography is made to match the lyrics, so it’s easy to remember and a great song to use in recreational activities.
Horsetail shoots are poking up.
A masterpiece of children’s song that lets you feel the breath of nature.
Within its simple wordplay, it deftly weaves in the moment when plants sprout, offering the delight of a stroll through spring fields and hills.
More than lofty musical artistry, it’s the easy singability that has kept it beloved for many years.
It’s also enjoyed with hand motions and is widely used in early childhood education settings.
This work beautifully expresses the Japanese sense of the seasons and a heartfelt reverence for nature, making it enjoyable across generations, from children to adults.
Why not sing it together with family and friends, feeling the arrival of a nature-rich spring?