[Heisei-Era Summer Songs] A curated selection of timeless summer tunes loved across generations!
A summer when you hung out with friends and made tons of memories, a summer of passionate love, a summer when you poured your sweat into club activities and studying.
What kind of memories do you have of summer?
In this article, we’ll introduce summer songs released during the Heisei era.
We’ve gathered a variety of Heisei summer tracks, including songs by artists strongly associated with summer and timeless summer classics loved across generations.
You might even find a song that colored your own Heisei summers!
If you spent the Heisei years with the songs we introduce, take a trip down memory lane.
And if you’re discovering them for the first time, find your favorites and be sure to give them a listen this summer!
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[Heisei Summer Songs] A curated selection of timeless summer tunes loved across generations! (81–90)
For the momentEvery Little Thing
Every Little Thing is a two-member music unit with numerous cross-generational hit songs like “Time goes by” and “fragile.” Their fourth single, “For the moment,” which became their first single to top the Oricon chart, was used in a Morinaga Seika ICE BOX commercial and as the ending theme for the music program COUNT DOWN TV.
Its lyrics, which straightforwardly depict the feelings of love, especially evoke vivid summer scenes.
It’s a gem of a pop tune, marked by the striking contrast between hard-edged guitar sounds and crystal-clear synths.
cotton candyback number
Back number is a three-piece band that has produced many hit songs, such as Hanataba released in 2011 and Takaneno Hanako-san released in 2013.
Their 2012 track Watagashi is an exquisite summer song that perfectly suits the atmosphere of a summer festival.
Using a minor-key chord progression, the piece has a touch of kayōkyoku (old-style Japanese pop), which makes it all the more intriguing.
The more you listen, the more depth it reveals—surely a hidden gem among their catalog.
Summer Splash!arashi
This song by the nationally beloved idol group Arashi was included on their ninth album, “Boku no Miteiru Fukei,” released in 2010.
Chosen as the CM song for JAL’s “JAL Wakuwaku Aloha Plan 2010,” it became a hot topic.
With music that evokes an endless blue sky and lyrics carrying a refreshing message of “Let’s enjoy summer to the fullest!”, it’s a pop tune that leaves you feeling clear and uplifted.
It’s got the power to blow away the summer heat!
BLUE BIRDHamasaki Ayumi
Ayumi Hamasaki, a singer who has produced numerous summer hits, released “BLUE BIRD” in 2006—a bright pop tune that evokes a glittering summer sea.
Her clear, crystalline vocals and catchy melody alone are enough to lift your spirits.
The music video is also a must-see, letting you enjoy her stunning visuals—she was a charismatic trendsetter in fashion and makeup at the time.
Shine We Are!BoA
Featuring BoA’s striking vocals and dance performance, this work is a refreshing and powerful cheer song.
It carries a positive message, evoking a sun-embracing sense of happiness and images of white waves pouring into the future.
Released in January 2004, the track is also known as the title song of the album “Shine We Are!”.
It’s a perfect song for young people chasing their dreams or anyone standing at a crossroads in life.
Listen to it on a hot summer day, and it will surely refresh your heart.
Buoyed by BoA’s powerful voice, you’ll find the courage to take a new step forward.
Shanana☆MINMI
This is the song that helped establish MINMI—active as a singer-songwriter—as an artist associated with summer.
In addition to reggae, it incorporates soca, drawing attention even in its birthplace of Trinidad and Tobago.
Its sound blends power and lightness, vividly conveying bustling summertime feelings and a sense of anticipation.
The lyrics depict a summer romance, and the track also evokes a positive, forward-looking mindset.
[Summer Songs of the Heisei Era] A curated selection of timeless summer tunes loved across generations! (91–100)
BoyhoodInoue Yosui
This song, powerfully sung by Yosui Inoue, paints a nostalgic summer landscape.
It’s widely known—partly because it was featured in music textbooks—and is recognized as Inoue’s biggest hit.
Centered on the piano, with strings and acoustic guitar layered in, the sound is gentle and spacious, conveying warmth.
Through both the lyrics and the arrangement, the song clearly evokes the slow act of looking back on summer scenes and the many memories they hold, carrying a tender sense of nostalgia that invites you to surrender your heart to it.