Recommended tear-jerking songs for women: classic and popular J‑pop tracks
We’ve put together a collection of songs you’ll want to listen to when you’re heartbroken, or when, for reasons you can’t quite explain, you just want to have a good cry.
From famous tracks to hidden gems, this feature is sure to help you find the perfect song to match your mood.
Listen while thinking of someone, or while facing your own feelings.
Even well-known songs you hear all the time can make you think, “Wait, was this always such a tearjerker?” when you really listen closely.
So go ahead and cry your heart out—and feel refreshed afterward!
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Tearjerker songs recommended for women: Classic and popular Japanese tracks (41–50)
At the End of SorrowElefanto Kashimashi
It’s a tear-jerking song released by The Elephant Kashimashi in 1996.
What lies beyond sorrow, I wonder? Perhaps the thoughts we have in the midst of despair are about the small joys of everyday life.
It’s a masterpiece of Japanese rock that I’d like people who are feeling sad to listen to.
Tearjerker songs recommended for women: Japanese classics and popular tracks (51–60)
meteorKobukuro
This is a song by Kobukuro, a wonderful musical duo from Japan known for their beautiful harmonies.
The gently flowing, drifting chorus feels like floating in a starry sky, and it’s so beautiful that you can’t help but be moved.
It’s a truly lovely classic that makes you want to gaze at the night sky and wish upon the stars.
pupilaiko
It’s a song said to have been given by aiko to a friend.
The very gentle atmosphere conveyed by the melody and lyrics feels similar to the tenderness of a mother embracing her child.
The joy of living, the farewells that will one day come, the loved ones who stay by our side—this is a song that turns our thoughts to the life that continues on and fills us with kindness.
heartaimyon
A poignant ballad that carefully portrays the complex emotions of love.
Released in 2021, this song was written by Aimyon as the theme for the TBS Tuesday drama “Only Just Married.” During production, she rewrote the lyrics from scratch for the first time, focusing on expressing feelings that are “not too cute, yet not too clumsy.” Inspired by the heart’s shape—round on top and pointed at the bottom—the song explores a relationship where affection and pain coexist.
It resonates deeply with those struggling with marriage or romance.
Sentimental KissShio Reira
A gentle ballad by Reira Shio that delivers bittersweet feelings on a warm acoustic sound.
The lyrics delicately portray the distance between lovers after a breakup and the emotions wavering between heart and body, resonating deeply.
Her voice weaves memories of a feverish love and a faint lingering warmth with novel-like beauty, tenderly embracing the kind of heartache everyone has felt at least once.
Released in March 2022, the song was also used as background music for ABEMA’s dating show “He and the Wolf-chan Won’t Deceive.” It’s a track that will stay by your side on nights when you want to bask in memories of someone special, or when you need someone to hear the feelings you can’t hold inside.
AiHata Motohiro
Moto Hiro Hata, a singer-songwriter with a special voice that carries both warmth and coolness.
His ninth single, “Ai (Love),” is a song in which the protagonist—who once distrusted the idea of loving—comes to believe in “love.” After past heartbreaks or witnessing relationship dramas around us, it’s easy to lose a positive outlook on romance without noticing.
It seems the protagonist experienced a life-changing encounter that overturned those feelings.
This is a song that brings tears as you hear how a heart that had grown cold slowly softens through that meeting.
wedgeOku Hanako
Some of you may have been heartbroken for a while yet still find it hard to forget your ex.
If that’s you, I recommend listening to “Kusabi (Wedge).” This song was released by Hanako Oku to mark her 10th anniversary.
Told from the perspective of a woman in a couple who, despite mutually loving each other, ended up breaking up, it looks back on the happy days they shared.
It’s a great listen when you feel like reminiscing a little.
Try both the streaming version and the stripped-down, self-accompanied version!
