[Folk and Children's Songs of Hokkaido] Songs of Hokkaido that continue to be loved across generations
The folk songs and children’s songs that resound across Hokkaido’s land carry the lives, joys, and prayers of people who have long faced its harsh nature.
Traditional music such as Esashi Oiwake and Soran Bushi has been passed down across generations and remains deeply rooted in many hearts today.
In this article, we introduce beloved classics—folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes—that have been handed down in Hokkaido and are still cherished today.
Why not lend an ear to these nostalgic melodies and feel the allure of music nurtured by the northern land?
- [2026] Masterpieces that sing of Hokkaido: the heart of a beloved homeland passed down in song
- December children's songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes: fun winter hand-play songs
- Ranking of Popular Folk Songs
- Collection of winter nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs. Includes fun winter hand-play songs too.
- Folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes of Kumamoto: the enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
- Beautiful Folk Songs Passed Down in Miyagi Prefecture: A Collection of Masterpieces that Play the Heart of the Hometown
- Folk Songs, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes of Aomori: Japanese Songs from Tsugaru and Hachinohe that Resonate with the Heart
- Japanese counting songs: nostalgic temari (handball) songs and children’s folk songs
- Okinawan folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes: the heart of our hometown passed down through song.
- Tokushima’s Folk Songs, Children’s Songs, and Nursery Rhymes | Traditional Songs Rooted in the Region, Including Awa Odori
- Folk songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes of Iwate: the heart of the hometown passed down through song
- Japanese Shoka, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes | Timeless masterpieces that resonate in the heart, passed down across generations
- [Folk Songs of Yamagata] The Heart of Our Hometown Passed Down in Song: Feelings Woven into Nostalgic Melodies
[Hokkaido Folk Songs and Children's Songs] Hokkaido Songs Loved Across Generations (31–40)
Tourist Asahikawa OndoHokkaidō min’yō
In August, it seems there’s a citizen dance parade on the main street during the Asahikawa Summer Festival.
The song playing goes something like, “I meant to stay one night, but Asahikawa is so nice I’ll stay another,” capturing how delightful the city is.
The tune was composed as the theme song for the 1950 Hokkaido Development Grand Exposition.
Isohama Bon UtaOtsuka Fumio
This is a Bon Odori song from the Cape Suttsu area on the west coast of Hokkaido.
It’s said to have originally been brought by people from the mainland when they came to settle the land, as a song for tamping down the ground.
Unlike the cheerful image of typical Bon Odori, it carries a somewhat wistful tone.
Even so, it invites you to come at least once.
Donan KudokiKawasaki Keiko
It includes place names from Hakodate to Isoya.
Since it contains the syllable “sae,” it’s also called the Sae-bushi.
At any rate, an amusing number of place names appear.
Some of them are ones you wouldn’t recognize unless you’re familiar with Hokkaido, so it’s worth listening carefully.
Hokkai Cod Fishing Songumezu tomohide
It’s said to be one of Hokkaido’s five major folk songs.
Fishermen heading out to cod fishing would hum it on their boats, and it was apparently created by the fishermen themselves.
They would visit a Jizo shrine, scatter purifying rice and salt into the sea, and pray for the safety of their boat—this is a song that conveys the spirit and resolve before setting out to fish.
Song of Ezo Fujimin’yō bando Komachi
This is a piece that praises Mount Yotei, known as the Ezo Fuji.
It’s a volcano located in western Hokkaido.
One can imagine the beautiful scenery with Lake Tōya and the Nakayama Pass nearby.
Befitting the beautiful mountain, the performance features powerful yet beautiful vocals and shamisen.
The piano is also put to excellent use.
[Hokkaido Folk Songs and Children's Songs] Hokkaido Songs Loved Across the Ages (41–50)
Shibetsu OndoHatakeyama Midori
Shibetsu is a city in the northern part of the Kamikawa region of Hokkaido and is said to be one of the last tondenhei (pioneer militia) settlements.
In August, a Thousand-People Dance parade is held during the Teshio River Festival.
It seems that lively dance processions from local organizations continue through the city.
The voice of Midori Hatakeyama, who hails from Shibetsu, matches the scene well.
Nemuro Women’s Worker’s SongTakae Kumiko
It was passed down in song among the female workers at the canning factories in Nemuro and the Kuril Islands.
Women who had come as seasonal laborers were made to work from early morning until late at night, with no end to the tasks in sight.
You can keenly feel the hardship of working in what we would now call a black company.
As the number of singers gradually declined, a monument bearing the song was erected to preserve their sentiments.