Hidden gems among tear-jerker songs. Recommended popular tracks.
This is a playlist of carefully selected hidden gems among tear-jerking Japanese songs that move listeners to tears.
While it’s centered on ballads, the approaches vary: some are dramatic, some unadorned, some have a rich, weighty sound, and others are built simply.
All of them have great lyrics, so be sure to check them out.
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Hidden gems of tearjerker songs: Recommended popular tracks (21–30)
Under the same skyayaka
Ayaka’s “Minna Sora no Shita” (“Everyone Under the Sky”) is a song released in 2009, just before she paused her activities for medical treatment.
It became a famous tune through its tie-in as the theme for a Kao shampoo commercial, and as an encouraging song that strongly supports a friend, it’s the kind of piece that can move you to tears.
Unchanging ThingsOku Hanako
“Kawaranai Mono” is included on Hanako Oku’s fourth CD, Garnet, released in 2006.
It’s a tearjerker that also gained attention as the theme song for the film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time—a masterpiece that conveys a slice of youth, along with its bittersweetness and loneliness.
Love in both handsACIDMAN
A classic song that gently speaks to the sorrow of losing a close family member.
When someone dear passes away, we’re often tormented by regret—wondering whether we were truly kind to them, whether we showed gratitude beyond what we received.
As the song repeatedly asks whether the departed lived a happy life, strings in both high and low registers tenderly intertwine, expressing the sadness with a subdued grace.
366 daysHY
HY’s “366 Days” was also the theme song for Fuji TV’s drama and the film “Red Thread.” Because it sold so well, it’s easy to get the wrong idea, but HY—whose members are all from Uruma City in Okinawa—are currently active as an indie band.
It’s surprising, isn’t it?
OverMr.Children
“Over,” an early Mr.Children song included at the end of the album “Atomic Heart,” is one of the tracks highly popular among fans.
It’s a breakup song whose bittersweet yet bright mood is a hallmark of Mr.Children.
The song “Over” carries a dual meaning: “it ends here, and it begins from here.”
the scent of flowersMr.Children
Released on October 1, 2008.
It was their first single in about two months since the previous release, “HANABI,” and Mr.Children’s first download-only single.
It’s no longer available for distribution.
Mr.Children has so many great songs that there are also many hidden gems!
RAINSEKAI NO OWARI
SEKAI NO OWARI’s “RAIN” is famous as the theme song for Studio Ghibli’s film Mary and the Witch’s Flower.
Its lyrics and melody are lovely, evoking tears even in moments of happiness.
The music video is also an animated piece edited from Mary and the Witch’s Flower.