[Thank You] A song for grandpa and grandma: a classic that makes you want to express your gratitude

A Letter to GrandpaTARAKO

A Letter to Grandpa

It’s the ending theme song of the TV anime “Mikan Enikki.” The lyrics express the feelings of a cat who fondly remembers its previous owner—a grandfather—while now living happily in a new home.

Sung by TARAKO, who also voiced the character in the anime, it’s a melancholy, country-style song.

Yakitori Jiisanmoritakashi

Yakitori Grandpa Exercise — now available in 4 versions —

This is the yakitori campaign song for Fukushima City, whose world imbued with the melancholy of an elderly yakitori shop owner sinks the listener’s mood.

It’s been used as background music for health exercises and continues to attract steady popularity.

Some even say it’s a reincarnation of “Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun.”

Grandpa’s TrainFujita Toshiko

Grandpa's Train / Toshiko Fujita

It aired on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” in April 1984.

Toshiko Fujita is a voice actress best known for playing Ikkyu in the anime “Ikkyu-san,” and her childlike singing voice matches the nostalgic animation.

It’s a slice-of-life style story about a grandfather who used to be a train driver and his grandchild.

From me to yousakuramaya

Sakura Maya “From Me to You” (short ver.)

This song conveys, from a child’s perspective, gratitude toward grandparents and the wish for them to stay healthy.

Its powerful vocals over an enka-style sound further emphasize the message in the lyrics.

Because it depicts simple, relatable memories, it’s likely to prompt listeners to reflect on their own.

By delivering straightforward words like those in this song—hoping they live a long life—let’s encourage them to keep living energetically from here on out.

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Grandpa Marcosaneyoshi isako

Isako Saneyoshi - Grandpa Marco - PV

It’s a lively comic song.

Grandpa Marco is quite the drinker and very poor, and he innocently tells anyone and everyone about his unlucky life.

But in truth, they say he’s a hidden poet who recalls the past and sheds tears whenever he sunbathes alone.

Maybe what we see isn’t the whole story of what “Grandpa” really is.

Theme of the Mean/Spiteful Old Ladysurappusuteikku

Slapstick – Theme of the Mean Old Lady

It’s a lively pop song performed by a band of popular voice actors as the theme song for a TV drama based on Machiko Hasegawa’s work.

Covers and arrangements have been used in remakes of the drama and anime, and as a theme song for a screen adaptation of Hasegawa’s works, it’s as famous as the opening theme of the anime Sazae-san.

Many of you may already be familiar with it, right?

Song of the Elderly RevolutionIzumiya Shigeru

Song of the Elderly Revolution

Released in 1973, Shigeru Izumiya’s work is a powerful protest song that calls for the dignity and social standing of the elderly.

The lyrics, packed with Izumiya’s distinctive perspective and sharp social critique, convey a deep insight into the inevitability of aging and the issues faced by older people.

Featured on the album “Hikari to Kage” (Light and Shadow), the song’s message remains undimmed more than 50 years after its release.

Its folk-rock sound and Izumiya’s forceful vocals make the theme even more striking.

In today’s aging society, it provides a prompt to consider intergenerational understanding and mutual support.