From heartbreak to hope: A stylish collection of Japanese pop ballads
When you want to heal the pain of heartbreak or lean into those aching feelings, many of us have entrusted our hearts to ballads.
These are masterpieces of Japanese music whose lyrics and melodies strike a chord and help transmute sadness.
In this article, we’ll be introducing a variety of works under the theme of “stylish ballad songs.” We’ve picked songs across different eras, so you might even rediscover some nostalgic tunes.
Be sure to read to the end and find the one song that’s just right for you.
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- A deeply moving song that resonates with the heart. A stylish collection of Japanese music.
From Heartbreak to Hope: A Stylish Collection of Japanese Ballads (1–10)
First LoveUtada Hikaru
This is one of Hikaru Utada’s signature ballads, a song about the end of an unforgettable love.
Released in April 1999 as a single from her album, it became a major sensation as the theme song for the drama “Majo no Jōken,” which portrays a romance between a teacher and a student.
The opening scene—beginning with the bitter, heartrending scent of a cigarette from a farewell kiss—is strikingly vivid, almost unbelievable for something written by her at just sixteen.
Even if you fall in love with someone else, your first love remains special in your heart, and the message that you learned how to love from that relationship transforms the pain of heartbreak into beautiful hope.
A perfect listen for nights when you want to linger in bittersweet memories.
globeYonezu Kenshi
Kenshi Yonezu is a singer-songwriter whose immense presence has been indispensable to any discussion of J-POP since 2010.
Released in July 2023 as his 14th single, this song was written over the course of four years as the theme for Studio Ghibli’s film The Boy and the Heron (original title: How Do You Live?).
From the beginning of life to the profound sense of loss in parting from someone dear, its lyrics evoke an epic journey, reflecting a vision of hope that looks beyond sorrow toward the future.
It is a moving number that stays close to hearts sunk in the pain of despair and gives the strength to walk forward once again.
for a whilerikon densetsu
A ballad that gently nestles up to memories of lost love.
The music unit Divorce Densetsu released it in January 2025.
While lamenting a past that can never return, the song portrays the aching sway of trying to forget someone dear.
Vocalist Matsuda’s sweet, mellow voice rides atop a nostalgic sound reminiscent of ’80s New Music, soaking into the heart.
A healing track that wraps you in sentimental emotion.
From Heartbreak to Hope: A Stylish Collection of Japanese Pop Ballads (11–20)
SoranjiMrs. GREEN APPLE
An emotionally moving ballad by Mrs.
GREEN APPLE, driven by grand, stirring strings.
This piece feels like a song that wholly embodies the preciousness of life and the hope that never fades.
It brims with a pure and powerful message: that feelings for someone dear can become the strength to live.
Released as a single in November 2022, it was chosen as the theme song for the film “From Siberia With Love” (Lageri yori Ai wo Komete).
The determination to believe in the future, no matter how harsh the fate, gives listeners deep inspiration and the courage to live.
Happy Endingback number
A gem-like ballad by the three-piece rock band back number, featured as the theme song for the film “My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday.” The song portrays the complex emotional landscape of a woman who has decided to part ways with someone she still loves, where bravado and true feelings intertwine.
The sentimental strings blend with the delicate band sound, evoking the ache of heartbreak.
You’ll feel your chest tighten as she tells herself that a sorrowful farewell is a “happy ending.” It’s a dramatic number that will move you to tears.
Don’t disappear.Aina ji Endo
A ballad that begins with quiet piano notes and unfolds into a grand sound as emotions overflow.
This work marks the origin of Aina The End’s solo career.
She wrote both the lyrics and music, pouring in the earnest feelings she held at eighteen—the desperate wish not to lose someone precious.
The sense of loss—like a world drained of color without you—comes through painfully through her one-of-a-kind husky voice.
On nights when inescapable loneliness strikes, this singing will be there to help you.
roomshaitoopu
This is a rock ballad that portrays someone spending the night alone in their room, thinking about an ex.
Released in June 2022 by Shytope, a three-piece band from Kyoto, the song was later included on the album Hors d’oeuvre.
Because Sō Sasaki, who wrote both the lyrics and music, drew from his own heartbreak, the raw, regret-laden words are deeply affecting.
On nights when unattainable wishes circle in your mind, listening to this track might move you to tears.