[2026] Masterpieces themed on Ehime: from local songs to municipal anthems

Matsuyama Love TourTsuyama Sayuri

Sayuri Tsuyama - Matsuyama Love Tour PV

This song, set against the backdrop of the singer’s hometown, gently expresses a bittersweet first love.

It differs somewhat from the typical image of enka, conveying the feelings of a girl’s heartbreak that could happen anywhere.

The date spots in Matsuyama come across as well-known tourist locations, revealing a clear affection for the local area.

Sayuri Tsuyama, a native of Matsuyama, is actively working, having also produced support songs for events like the Ehime Marathon.

Come on over to Matsuyamaehime kenichi

Come to Matsuyama — Ehime Kenichi

It’s an irresistible song for people who love Matsuyama City in Ehime Prefecture.

After all, the singer—whose stage name, I believe, is Ehime Kenichi—bears the name “Ehime” itself.

Come to think of it, Ehime includes the pilgrimage route covering temples 40 through 65 of the Shikoku 88-temple circuit.

The song captures that kind of atmosphere.

This track is the B-side of “Furusato ga Ichiban” (“Hometown Is the Best”).

For some reason, judging from the title, I assumed the A-side would be a local song about Ehime Prefecture, but it wasn’t.

Kurushima StraitReemondo Matsuya

Kurushimakaikyo

Precisely because I’m from Ehime Prefecture, I strongly feel this song could only have been created.

Well-known tourist spots come to mind for anyone who listens, but just from hearing names like Itoyama or Odagahama, you wouldn’t immediately think of Ehime.

Itoyama is a park with a panoramic view of the Kurushima Strait, and Odagahama is a beach bustling with families, but the theme of this song is the Kurushima Strait—a treacherous stretch of sea and one of Japan’s three great rapid tidal currents, alongside the Naruto and Kanmon Straits.

It matches the powerful vocals perfectly.

Shikoku Travel Sentimentsyashima hiromi

Hiromi Yashima “Shikoku Travel Sentiment” Fukuoka Kokusai Center

It gently and leisurely sings the charms of Shikoku.

Tokushima is all about the Awa Odori dance, and for Kochi, it has to be Sakamoto Ryoma.

Ehime brings to mind the famous Dogo Onsen and Natsume Soseki’s novel Botchan, while Kagawa is Sanuki-Takamatsu—so, udon, perhaps? It makes you want to travel, doesn’t it?

Song of Uwajima JakotenAsada Yasumichi & Eisako

Uwajima Jakoten Song

Jakoten is a specialty product made along the coastal areas of the Nanyo region in Ehime Prefecture.

Among them, Uwajima—home to major manufacturers—is so famous that it’s even celebrated in song.

As for the tune, hmm… it feels more like listening to a supermarket commercial than an actual song.

Still, the jakoten looks incredibly delicious.

Nostalgic MatsuyamawakiZAKA naomi

Naomi Wakisaka, “Homesick for Matsuyama,” 1981

From the mood of the song, it feels like it’s set in quite an old era.

After parting with the woman he loved out of a sense of duty, he hears rumors on the wind that she’s struggling in the entertainment district (Beijing-machi in Matsuyama City).

Overwhelmed by regret and pain, he sings of his memories of his hometown and his feelings for the woman he left behind.

Rainy Night on Sakura ShinmichiTakeda sanjūyon

Guitar singer-songwriter original: 'Sakura Shindō Night Rain'

Unable to resist the tides of the times, Uwajima once prospered with industries such as yellowtail farming, mandarin orange production, and pearl cultivation.

Back then, Sakura Shindō, which appears in the song, was said to be the busiest entertainment district.

Now, however, it has lost its former appearance.

This song was composed by Mr.

Takeda Sanjūshi (Takeda Sanjūyō), a native of the area, with the hope of restoring the lively atmosphere it once had.