Hidden gems of Japanese love songs. Recommended popular tracks.

Spring ~spring~Hysteric Blue

Spring ~spring~ Hysteric Blue

It’s a hidden love song by the glamorous all-female band Hizbull.

The lyrics recall youthful springtime memories, and the track has the power to captivate the kids’ generation.

The chorus is incredibly catchy, and it also conveys a bittersweet feeling—the joy of meeting you again within cherished memories.

everything; the whole lot; lock, stock, and barrelKREVA

everything; the whole lot; lock, stock, and barrel

A refreshing summer makes you feel as if you’re at the beach.

It’s a pleasant, hip-hop-style track that makes you move your body without thinking.

The chorus ties it all together with soaring high notes, and as you listen, you somehow find yourself wanting to fall in love and have fun all over again.

Song of the Four SeasonsMINMI

MINMI – Shiki No Uta (Tribute to Samurai Champloo) Official Music Video

This is a hidden gem: a track by the late Nujabes featuring Minmi, a singer with a reggae-rooted husky tone and advanced rhythmic sense, whose Japanese-inspired flavor truly shines.

Used in the anime Samurai Champloo, it’s a love song that portrays the four seasons and has garnered support from a devoted core audience.

cactusPorno Graffitti

PORNOGRAFFITTI 'Cactus (Short ver.)' / PORNOGRAFFITTI 'Saboten (Short ver.)'

It somehow puts me in a quietly sentimental mood.

It’s supposed to be a bittersweet song, but the vocals are so outstanding that it doesn’t feel that way.

It has a slightly kayōkyoku-like vibe, and it’s the kind of track that would appeal to a wide audience.

I recommend listening to it alone, like during a nighttime drive.

phoenixSEKAI NO OWARI

SEKAI NO OWARI Phoenix

A B-side track from SEKAI NO OWARI’s major-label debut single, released in 2011.

The lyrics, which strikingly convey a boy’s feelings after falling in love with a robot girl through vocalist Fukase’s unique worldview, leave a strong impression.

It’s an unconventional love song with a distinctive atmosphere.

I’m beat.sumika

I'm beat.

A bittersweet portrayal of memories from a cold winter day, this is one of sumika’s hidden gems.

Kenta Kataoka’s deep, calm vocals resonate straight to the heart.

Included on the July 2017 album “Familia,” the song honestly expresses the narrator’s current feelings while looking back on a past romance.

With lyrics sprinkled with memories of “you” and your red nose, and the warmth of holding hands, it brings back the kind of tender heartache anyone can relate to.

It’s the perfect track for those troubled by love or wanting to reaffirm their feelings for someone important.

Carried by a soothing melody, it will gently stir the emotions deep within you.

No. 1tofubeats feat. G. Rina

tofubeats – No.1 feat.G.RINA(official MV)

A collaboration between tofubeats, who has emerged as a new-generation trackmaker, and G.Rina, an underground subculture songstress.

It’s a hidden gem of a love song: a core, moody track that couldn’t exist in the mainstream, with highly addictive vocals shining and dancing over it.