A slightly under-the-radar but wonderful love song.
It didn’t become an explosive hit, but it’s a favorite!
Doesn’t everyone have one or two songs like that?
In this article, we’ve researched those hidden gems.
From among them, we carefully selected love songs from the “Hogaku” (Japanese pop/rock) scene that received great feedback from our readers.
How many of them do you know?
If you think, “I love this!”, you might want to share the link with your friends or someone special.
Please enjoy!
- Songs to give to your lover or someone you like. Love songs devoted wholeheartedly to your boyfriend or girlfriend.
- Heart-Touching Unrequited Love Songs: Masterpieces That Sing of Hidden Affections
- [Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks
- Hidden gems of Japanese love songs. Recommended popular tracks.
- [A Gem of a Love Song] Classic and Popular Tracks to Listen to When You're in Love
- A tear-jerking love song that gently stays by your heart
- [Love Songs] Say Goodbye to Uncertain Feelings! Love Songs to Listen to When You’re Not Sure If You Like Someone
- [Hidden Gem] Japanese Songs You'll Want to Share with Someone Right Now
- [Love Songs] A roundup of classic and latest hits about love that can’t be honest
- Masterpieces of bittersweet breakup songs. Recommended popular tracks.
- [Heart-Throbbing Songs] Timeless tunes that make your heart flutter and keep the excitement unstoppable
- [Songs for Thinking of Someone You Love] Love Songs That Make Your Chest Tighten—From Unrequited to Mutual Love
- [Cute Track] A charming love song. A heart-fluttering love tune.
Hidden gems of love songs. Recommended popular tracks (1–10)
coloring; color scheme; hues; decoration; embellishment; added flair (figurative)neguse.
Neguse, a rock band based in Nagoya.
This work they’ve woven is a love song brimming with happiness, in which the ordinary days with a lover shine like an amusement park.
Released in April 2021 as a track on their mini-album “Happy na Kurashi” (“Happy Life”), its straightforward expression of affection resonated with many listeners.
Later, a work said to sing about the end of the happy days depicted in this song also appeared, likely attracting many fans with its sense of storytelling.
It’s a heartwarming song that makes you realize that the unremarkable everyday is the most precious treasure.
knot; tie; bind; concludeSaucy Dog
Saucy Dog is a three-piece band with many bittersweet, heartrending songs.
Their track “Yui” was released in March 2020.
This song is another heart-fluttering love tune that portrays the uneasy feelings of romance—even when the feelings are mutual.
Some people just can’t help being curious about their partner’s past, right? You know you shouldn’t, but you still worry and get sulky—if that’s you, you’ll relate to this one.
But that kind of jealousy is human, and kind of charming, too.
snow jamRin Oto
It’s a love song sung over a track that’s cool yet warm.
The rapper Rin-ne from Fukuoka performs it.
It’s included on the 2020 EP “film drip.” We live in an age where it’s easy to contact anyone, but instead, the lyrics express a pure wish to meet and talk face-to-face with the person you like.
It’s a lovely way of thinking, isn’t it? Thanks to the natural vocals and flow, you can’t help but feel relaxed as you listen.
A single miracle among seven billionACE COLLECTION
This is something I’d definitely recommend to anyone in a long-distance relationship.
It’s a song by the rock band ACE COLLECTION, included on their first major mini-album, “L.O.V.E.” released in 2020.
It drew attention when it was chosen as the theme song for the drama “Bokudake ga 17-sai no Sekai de” (In a World Where Only I Am 17).
Centered on a band sound and adorned with the tones of strings, it’s a warm love ballad.
The honest, soaring vocals gently stir deep in your ears.
Love @ LiarHONEY WORKS
This is a Vocaloid song by the creator unit HoneyWorks, whose popularity took off through their online activities.
It was released in 2013.
It’s a collaborative project linked with a manga by illustrator Mogelatta.
The lyrics tell a bittersweet, heartrending love story: a girl who lies that she’s a boy so she can stay by the side of the person she likes, and a boy who doesn’t notice.
Since the theme centers on a band, it also features technical terms that will make band members go, “Oh!”—another distinctive touch.
It’s a youthful love song that especially resonates with the younger generation.
That’s all.GIRLFRIEND
GIRLFRIEND is a girls’ band from Osaka.
Their song “Soredake.” was released digitally in January 2020.
The track was produced by singer-songwriter Shota Shimizu.
The collaboration came about because both acts share a connection as alumni of the same vocal and dance school.
It’s a love song that expresses the indescribable, heartrending feelings of a woman in love, along with her pure, single-minded devotion.
Did I become an idiot or something?Suda Masaki
A hidden gem by Masaki Suda that sings about the feeling of falling in love and losing control.
This track is the B-side to the single “Mita Koto mo Nai Keshiki,” released in June 2017.
Written and composed by Kazuya Kaneki, it beautifully portrays an awkward heart in love—acting unlike oneself after falling for someone.
Suda’s straightforward vocals blend perfectly with the acoustic sound.
If you’re feeling a bit timid about love, you’ll surely find it relatable.