Songs to Play at the End of 2026! A Roundup of New Year’s Eve and Winter J‑Pop
The year that felt both long and short is already coming to an end.
From around the time Christmas passes, you really start to sense that the year is winding down, don’t you?
And as we reach the year’s end, a variety of music programs and events take place, starting with the Red and White Song Battle on New Year’s Eve.
Every year, I bet a lot of people ring in the New Year while listening to music.
With that in mind, this article rounds up a bunch of songs perfect for the end of the year, including tracks about New Year’s Eve and classic winter tunes.
It’s a playlist you can enjoy on your own to reflect on the past year, or throw on with everyone to hype up the countdown.
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- [Songs to Listen to in December] J-POP and Christmas Songs that Feel Like Winter [2026]
- Popular Winter Songs Ranking [2026]
- Masterpieces to Listen to in January: New Year-Themed, New Year-Ready, and Winter Songs
- [Winter Songs] The Best Classic and Popular Winter Tunes to Listen to in Winter
- [New Year’s Songs] Timeless classics and popular New Year tunes you’ll want to listen to at the start of the year
- Winter Songs: Classic tracks you want to listen to in winter. Songs you long for during the winter.
- Winter songs you'll want to listen to in the cold season! Recommended for the yutori generation
- Winter songs in 90s J-pop: a roundup of popular winter tunes
- [For Seniors] Beloved songs to sing in December: heartwarming moments with nostalgic kayōkyoku and children’s songs
- [For Seniors] Winter songs you'll want to hum along to. A collection of classic tunes recommended for BGM and recreational activities
- I want to hear more than just the classics! Hidden gems of winter songs
[2026] Year-End Must-Listen! New Year’s Eve Songs and Winter J-POP Roundup (1–10)
Harmony of DecemberKinKi Kids
Set to the gentle strains of December, this winter ballad tenderly portrays time spent with a loved one.
Released in 2006, it features a warm sound centered on strings and piano, with soft choral work that highlights the harmony between the two voices.
Chosen for commercials by dwango.jp and MUSIC.JP, it reached No.
1 on the Oricon weekly chart, extending their consecutive No.
1 streak since debut to 24 releases.
The song is also included on the best-of albums “39” and “The BEST,” and has remained a year-end concert staple.
It’s the perfect track for looking back on the year with a calm heart and savoring moments with someone special.
December 29reGretGirl
Armed with sentimental guitar rock, reGretGirl has been steadily stepping up from the indie scene.
The track that opens their 3rd mini-album “soon” depicts the moment a lover announces a breakup.
The imagery—the belongings left behind in the room, the figure seen from the window as they walk away—is poignant and hits home.
The title is actually the birthday of vocalist/guitarist Masahiro Hirabe; the music video was released and streaming began in August 2019.
This story, where the unfairness of being dumped on a birthday intertwines with lingering attachment, is perfect for listening to while looking back on the year’s end.
It’s a song that will keep you company on a winter night when memories of the past year drift through your mind.
STILL LOVE HER (A Lost Landscape)TM NETWORK
A ballad that faces memories gone by amid a wintry urban landscape, at the seasonal turning point when we begin walking toward the future.
Released in December 1988 as the closing track of the concept album “CAROL ~A DAY IN A GIRL’S LIFE 1991~,” it was used as the later ending theme for the Nippon TV anime City Hunter 2.
Its cool yet warm, urban sound and bittersweet story lingered in many hearts.
Concrete images—like double-decker buses and winter streets—evoke precious memories unique to each listener.
When you want to quietly look back on the past year and set your thoughts on the one to come, this work is a perfect companion.
[2026] Songs to Play at Year’s End! New Year’s Countdown & Winter J‑Pop Roundup (11–20)
December 31NMB48
NMB48’s “December 31” is a slightly sentimental year-end song released in 2013.
It’s included on NMB48’s first album, “Teppen Tottande!” The lyrics evoke thoughts of the year-end music shows that are major events for artists, which is a key point to listen for.
Featuring many popular idols including Sayaka Yamamoto, the music video makes this poignant track really hit you in the chest.
Grand Plans for the Year-End and New Yeartanpopo
It’s a song that captures the bustle of the year’s end and turns it into music, filling you with a sense of excitement.
The lyrics trace a romance that began in summer, continuing through Christmas and on into New Year’s, as if ticking off one by one the plans you’ll share with your partner over the holiday season—picking out presents, changing your hairstyle, making dates for movies and dinners.
The way these small, everyday moments become special memories just because you’re with someone you love is portrayed with great warmth.
Originally released in 2001 as the B-side to the single “Oujisama to Yuki no Yoru,” it was also included the following year on the album “All of Tanpopo.” Recorded by the four-member lineup of Kaori Iida, Mari Yaguchi, Rika Ishikawa, and Ai Kago, the track’s gentle Wurlitzer tones and layered harmonies are soothing—perfect for anyone spending the year’s end with someone special.
December without youYokoyama Yui
A winter ballad that quietly sets down the premonition and ache of losing someone precious in December.
Yui Yokoyama—who served at the core of AKB48 for many years and also as general manager—released it to the world alongside a music video she herself conceived and directed upon her graduation in December 2021.
Included as a graduation song on Type C of the September 2021 single “Root and Leaf Rumor” (Nemo Hamo Rumor), its piano- and string-centered arrangement gently wraps feelings of gratitude and farewell.
The visuals, crafted by Yokoyama herself after studying filmmaking during the COVID-19 pandemic, also have a Kyoto version, reflecting her affection for her hometown.
It’s a perfect track for looking back on twelve years with the group—or for quietly reexamining precious moments at year’s end.
Cats and Allergieskinoko teikoku
It’s the perfect song for a night when you want to quietly close out the year while facing the memory of a bittersweet goodbye.
It’s the title track from Kinoko Teikoku’s major-label debut album, “Neko to Arerugī” (Cat and Allergies), released in 2015, and vocalist Chiaki Sato’s clear, translucent voice pierces the heart.
Set in December, the lyrics candidly trace lingering feelings and regrets for a lost lover, with the image of someone loving a cat despite having allergies serving as a poignant metaphor for painful affection.
The gentle sound, boldly incorporating piano and strings, marks a departure from their previously shoegaze-heavy style.
It’s a piece you’ll want to listen to alone at the end of the year, while remembering someone who once meant a great deal to you.