[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-Era Summer Songs] A curated selection of timeless summer tunes loved across generations! (41–50)
HOTEL PACIFICSazan Ōrusutāzu
This number perfectly fuses passionate Latin rhythms with the familiar melodies of Japanese pop, conjuring images of a blazing sun and an endless blue sea.
It was written for a large-scale outdoor concert held in the summer of 2000 in Chigasaki, the hometown of Southern All Stars.
Released in July 2000 as their 45th single, it also brightened living rooms across Japan as the theme song for WOWOW’s “Summer Campaign” commercials.
It’s the perfect track to lift your spirits even higher when you’re heading out for a seaside drive or a barbecue with friends.
HANABIHamasaki Ayumi
This is a song whose bittersweet yet beautiful melody seeps into the heart, as if announcing the end of summer.
Ayumi Hamasaki expresses the fleeting beauty that vanishes in an instant, and the yearning for rebirth that arises from it, all conveyed through a deeply emotive vocal performance.
This track is included on the EP “H,” released in July 2002 and certified a million-seller.
Many of you may also remember it as a commercial jingle.
It’s a classic you’ll want to listen to on nights when you want to linger over the passing season and lose yourself in a beautiful melody.
July 1stHamasaki Ayumi
This is Ayumi Hamasaki’s summer anthem, distinguished by a sparkling, dazzling sound that seems to herald the arrival of summer.
Under the blue sky, the protagonist’s exhilaration as they set out to meet their beloved and their straightforward emotions brimming with hope for the future set listeners’ hearts free.
The song appears on the single “H,” released in July 2002, which became the only million-selling single of that year.
It was also widely known as the theme song for KOSÉ’s VISÉE commercial.
It’s a track you’ll want to play during summer drives or events when you want to boost your mood to the max.
End of SummerShimizu Shota
This song is a lovely ballad that captures the unique loneliness everyone feels at least once at the end of summer.
Its bittersweet yet beautiful melody seeps deep into the heart, evoking memories of a summer romance that ended too soon and a nostalgia too delicate to put into words.
Shota Shimizu’s soulful, sometimes fragile vocals bring that scene to life with even greater clarity.
The track appears on Shota Shimizu’s fifth album, ENCORE, released in March 2014.
It’s perfect for listening alone on a late summer night.
Summer memories scented by the windAAA
A song whose bittersweet yet beautiful melody seeps into the heart, like recalling an old love in a fleeting moment on a summer evening.
Don’t the memories AAA sings of—days of summer now gone and a fragile romance—spread through your chest like a pale watercolor? The track was included as the B-side to AAA’s single “Wake up!” released in July 2014, and later featured on the album “GOLD SYMPHONY” released the same year, as well as the following year’s best-of collection “AAA 10th ANNIVERSARY BEST.” It was used in Ito-Yokado’s yukata commercial, coloring the memories of many alongside the sights and sounds of summer.
For those who want to soak in a sentimental mood at summer’s end, this song will gently stay by your side, bringing you close to those sweet-and-sour memories of days gone by.
Summer is comingDaikoku Maki
With the crisp, catchy rhythm of timbales that seems to herald the arrival of summer, this is a standout track by Maki Ohguro.
Released in April 1994, the song is also included on the album “Eien no Yume ni Mukatte.” Its charm lies in the straightforward lyrics that capture the slightly stubborn feelings of a protagonist who can’t quite be honest despite the expectations around marriage.
It also reached living rooms nationwide as the opening theme for COUNT DOWN TV and as a Sapporo Beer commercial song.
It’s a perfect pick to amp up a summer drive and to give courage to anyone who wants to move forward at their own pace.
Feeling great!!mihimaru GT
mihimaru GT is a musical duo consisting of hiroko, who handles vocals and rap, and miyake, who is in charge of supporting vocals, lyrics, and composition.
Their 2006 release “Kibun Jojo ↑↑” is a dance-pop track that perfectly suits summer and makes you want to start dancing.
Unusually for J-pop, it frequently features record-scratch sounds, and many people may remember how fresh and new it sounded at the time.
Even now, the song’s charm hasn’t faded at all—just hearing the intro naturally lifts your spirits!
