Hit J-Pop songs from 2002. Recommended classics and popular tracks.
Dragon Ash, Chitose Hajime, Ketsumeishi, Hikaru Utada, Porno Graffitti, MISIA, Kishidan…
From among the many classic songs that lit up the J-POP charts in 2002, our studio staff have selected their recommended hits.
It’s a moving playlist that still hasn’t lost its luster.
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Female Artists (11–20)
I want a perfect Christmas!Pucchimoni
A single by the second-generation lineup, and also Pucchi Moni’s final single.
It’s a catchy Christmas song that clearly feels like something Tsunku would make.
In the music video, the three appear in pajamas—a delightful treat for fans at the time.
That’s right! We’re ALIVEMōningu Musume.
This is Morning Musume’s 14th single, which was also used as the theme song for the Salt Lake City Olympics.
As befits a sports theme song, it carries a powerful, forward-driving feel, and in the interlude it even incorporates elements of the Russian song “Kalinka,” making it a truly global track.
PurenessUeto Aya
Aya Ueto’s debut single as an artist.
Despite having no tie-in at the time, it achieved the remarkable feat of reaching the top five on the Oricon chart.
Unlike her image as an actress, she wore a rock-style outfit—jeans and a T-shirt—and I think this song established a new image for her.
Tree of WadatsumiHajime Chitose
This is a track with a distinctive singing voice that employs Amami’s traditional vocal technique, guin, paired with a grand arrangement that feels wonderful.
Wadatsumi is the sea deity that appears in Japanese mythology, and this arrangement is so vast that it befits the name of a god.
This song also became the catalyst that made Chitose Hajime widely known across Japan as a singer from Amami.
Tears Flowing EndlesslyNatsukawa Rimi
Tears for You, well known as a farewell or graduation song, takes its title from the Okinawan phrase “namida sousou,” which means “tears falling and spilling over.” The lyrics were reportedly written by Ryoko Moriyama in memory of her late older brother.
It’s a song that evokes Okinawa’s blue sea and carries a certain warmth.