![[Grateful for Encounters] A Collection of Classic Songs Celebrating Cherished Meetings [Love & Friendship]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/W41Zop41W3E/maxresdefault.webp)
When you hear “a song about encounters,” what kind of meeting do you imagine?
Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is a man and woman meeting in a romantic context!
But there are many kinds of encounters—between friends, between teammates—and there are songs that celebrate each kind of meeting.
In this article, I’ll introduce songs themed around all sorts of encounters!
Just as people say “after parting comes a new meeting,” some songs that seem at first glance to be about farewells are actually about encounters when you look closely at the lyrics!
We’ll be introducing lots of songs, so read on to the end!
- [Thank-You Song] A song to convey your feelings of “thank you” to someone special
- [Song of Destiny] Love songs to listen to when you meet your destined person
- A bright song about comrades. A roundup of classic tracks that make you feel the bonds.
- [A New Love Song] A romance song themed around meeting someone
- Only masterpieces that color the season of meetings and farewells! Spring songs recommended for Gen Z.
- [Tears of Joy] Beautiful Friendship Songs with Lyrics You’ll Want to Gift to a Dear Friend
- A gratitude song for friends. A thank-you song dedicated to someone special.
- [Song of Gratitude] Timeless classics and the latest tracks that convey heartfelt “thank you” to your seniors
- Mutual love, unrequited love, familial love... classic songs that sing about affection
- Friendship Songs: Rediscover Your Bonds! A Carefully Curated Selection of Moving Masterpieces That Will Bring You to Tears
- [Tearjerker] Songs that make your heart tremble with tears & moving tracks with lyrics that touch the soul
- Emotional songs to listen to in spring: a collection of masterpieces that suit the season of meetings and farewells.
- Love, bonds, parting, cheers… songs so moving they pierce the heart and make you cry uncontrollably
[Grateful for Encounters] A Collection of Classic Songs About Cherished Meetings [Love & Friendship] (1–10)
Run Through the MemoriesMy Hair is Bad
Written as the theme song for the film “Crayon Shin-chan: Ora-tachi no Kyōryū Nikki,” I felt this track resonates with anyone who grows through repeated meetings and farewells.
Released digitally in June 2024 and closing out the album “ghosts,” it carries the message that every day that has passed connects to who we are now.
In the lyrics—Tomomi Shiiki’s first to be written with “someone else” in mind—there’s a kindness that embraces not only the happy moments but even sorrow.
It’s a warm number that tells us the time spent with that precious “you” becomes the strength to move into the future.
When you want to reaffirm your gratitude for friends and family, or when you’re feeling a bit unsure of yourself, listening to it will surely give you a push forward!
I’ll call your name.SUPER BEAVER
Written as the theme song for the film Tokyo Revengers, this piece is a rock number packed with a fiery message! Through the simple act of “calling someone’s name,” the lyrics make us rediscover the certainty of our bonds and the preciousness of encounters, powerfully moving the hearts of listeners.
Released as a single in July 2021, it also marked an important milestone celebrating SUPER BEAVER’s 15th anniversary.
The sound—linked to the film’s worldview—evokes human connection and is a must-listen! Play it while spending time with dear friends or teammates, or in a quiet moment, and you’ll be reminded of how much they mean to you.
It’s the perfect track for feeling gratitude for the people you’ve met and for cherishing the ties you want to nurture from here on.
THE GIFTHirai Dai
Hirai Dai’s song “THE GIFT” is striking for its beautiful lyrics and melody that express gratitude for meeting someone special.
Included on the album “THE GIFT,” released in July 2019, the track evokes a clear blue sky and a warm breeze.
It celebrates friendship and conveys heartfelt thanks to the companions with whom we’ve spent time, sung in words that are both gentle and powerful.
Listening to this piece makes you realize that meeting someone important is an irreplaceable gift.
It’s recommended when you want to reaffirm the importance of encounters and when you want to express your gratitude to friends.
Eine KleineYonezu Kenshi
Kenshi Yonezu’s “Eine Kleine” is a song with bittersweet, aching lyrics and melody that tremble at anxieties looming ahead, even in the midst of present happiness.
Released in 2014, it was never issued as a single, yet it has remained on the charts for a long time and continues to be widely loved.
The content of the song isn’t negative; it’s a song that sings of a strength born from acknowledging one’s weakness, in order to keep facing forward and moving on.
“Eine Kleine” reaffirms the importance of savoring the happiness we have right now.
It’s a number well-suited to scenes of both romance and friendship.
Song of PointillismMrs. GREEN APPLE
A song by the three-piece rock band Mrs.
GREEN APPLE, who announced the opening of Phase 2 in 2022 and are expected to resume activities.
Included on their seventh single, “Ao to Natsu” (Blue and Summer), it’s known as a signature number representing the band’s Phase 1.
The conflict between holding unchanged feelings for a former lover and trying to move forward on a new path is something many who’ve experienced a painful breakup will likely relate to.
Featuring a piano-centered arrangement, it delivers the lyrics straight to the heart along with the beauty of its melody—a track that gives you a push to embrace new encounters.
Fragments of an EncounterKetsumeishi
This song was chosen as the theme for the film “Flowers in the Shadow” and is also a popular ballad often played at weddings.
In life, meetings and partings repeat, and there are difficult times, but if you come to know the true joy of meeting someone, you can remain happy even when parting comes.
The lyrics can be read that way—gentle, and reminding us of someone irreplaceable.
We want to cherish encounters with people we consider precious and with those who consider us precious, don’t we?
From Me to Youflumpool
Set to an exhilarating, fast-paced band sound, this song gives voice to a straightforward devotion to someone special.
It portrays that frustrating yet pure feeling of wanting to say it but not finding the words, carrying a strength that gently gives listeners a push forward.
The story of Takafumi Yamamura choosing to sing in a deliberately high key—almost like crying out his feelings—for his first work after surgery is especially moving.
Chosen as the theme song for the film “Kimi ni Todoke,” it was released as a single in September 2010 and later included as the opening track on the January 2011 album “Fantasia of Life Stripe.” It’s a number brimming with the radiance of youth—perfect not only for romance, but also for expressing gratitude to an irreplaceable friend.