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[Food Songs] Popular Japanese songs that use names of foods

When everyday familiar things are chosen as the subject of a song, it somehow makes us feel a sense of closeness all by itself.

If a song’s title or theme is food, it’s easier to picture, isn’t it?

This time, under the theme of Japanese music related to food, we’ve put together songs where the very title features food or drink, or the lyrics are connected to food!

From the latest hits to timeless classics and hidden favorites, please enjoy these J-POP gems that might just make your stomach growl.

[Food Songs] Popular Japanese songs that use food names (81–90)

Cherry CherryChara

This is a 2007 song by Chara, and I think it’s one that allows each listener to interpret it in their own way.

The tone of the song has a fragile, heartrending atmosphere.

I wonder if there’s some meaning embedded in the monochrome music video as well.

Eat some sushi!Shibugakitai

By firing off the names of sushi toppings in a rap-like flow, this track fuses a distinctive rhythm with Japanese food culture to create a fresh, innovative pop song.

Its uniquely witty lyrics—sure to make anyone grin—combine with spirited call-and-response shouts to deliver a piece overflowing with fun.

True to Shibugakitai, it avoids being just another standard idol love song, wrapping you in a positive vibe that makes you want to sing along.

Released in February 1986, it was performed on NHK’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen even before the record came out, and it was also broadcast on NHK’s Minna no Uta.

It even sparked a social phenomenon, inspiring a drama of the same name on Fuji TV’s Getsuyō Doramaland.

With its infectious groove and playful lyrics, it’s the perfect song to lift your spirits when you’re feeling down or low on energy.

Genghis KhanSuiyōbi no Campanella

You might think it’s a song about Genghis Khan, the first emperor of the Mongol Empire, but it’s actually a track themed around jingisukan, the lamb dish said to be named after Genghis Khan.

Being included on the album “SUPERMAN,” where all the track titles use the names of great historical figures, makes it clear they’ve intentionally chosen a confusing title.

With distinctive timbres and rhythms that incorporate folk music and evoke Mongolia through various languages, the song stands out for portraying scenes from Japanese eateries that serve jingisukan.

Though packed with jokes, the lyrics vividly depict the lamb sizzling to perfection, thoroughly whetting the listener’s appetite.

I want to eat ramen.Yano Akiko

Akiko Yano × Hiromi Uehara – “I Want to Eat Ramen” Live Clip
I want to eat ramen.Yano Akiko

Akiko Yano is often impersonated on variety shows.

That mystical voice of hers really is one of a kind.

One of her most comical songs is the 1984 single “Ramen Tabetai” (“I Want to Eat Ramen”).

The title is so straightforward it makes you laugh.

They say she was composing in the middle of the night when she suddenly craved ramen, and that’s what sparked the song.

With lyrics that go, “Women, just like men, have so many hardships—ah, I want to eat ramen,” fans even hail it as a divine track.

Listen to it and you’ll definitely find yourself craving ramen.

Salad for youDREAMS COME TRUE

DREAMS COME TRUE – A Salad for You (from THE LOVE ROCKS TOUR 2006 Live Ver.)
Salad for youDREAMS COME TRUE

It’s a bubbly pop song brimming with excitement, singing, “I’m going to make something I love for someone I love!” It’s a track by DREAMS COME TRUE, a band that has long been at the forefront of the Japanese music scene.

It was included on their fourth album, MILLION KISSES, released in 1991.

It’s the perfect song when you want to feel warm and cozy or spend a relaxed moment.

It kind of makes you hungry, doesn’t it? I’m craving a salad loaded with fresh vegetables and lots of dressing!