Masterpieces to Listen to in January: New Year-Themed, New Year-Ready, and Winter Songs
January marks the beginning of a new year—what kind of songs do you feel like listening to? There are plenty of tracks that suit January: refreshing songs that evoke a fresh start, cheerful tunes themed around the New Year, and even wintery ballads.
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide selection of songs that are perfect for January.
We’ve gathered many tracks regardless of gender or generation, so be sure to find your favorites.
Let’s dive in and see what songs are out there!
- [New Year’s Songs] Timeless classics and popular New Year tunes you’ll want to listen to at the start of the year
- [For Seniors] Winter songs you'll want to hum along to. A collection of classic tunes recommended for BGM and recreational activities
- [New Year BGM] New Year Songs Loved Across Generations
- Winter songs you'll want to listen to in the cold season! Recommended for the yutori generation
- [Winter Songs] The Best Classic and Popular Winter Tunes to Listen to in Winter
- Popular Winter Songs Ranking [2026]
- Winter Songs: Classic tracks you want to listen to in winter. Songs you long for during the winter.
- [Winter Songs] Recommended for Instagram Reels! Classic winter hits
- [1980s J-Pop] Popular winter songs: from chart-toppers to hidden gems!
- Snow Songs to Enjoy in Winter! Children's Snow Nursery Rhymes & Hand-Play Songs
- A classic winter song you often hear recommended on TikTok.
- [Masterpiece] Big Winter Anime Song Special!
- [Winter Songs] Recommended for Women! A Collection of Winter Songs That Get the Crowd Going at Karaoke
Masterpieces to Listen to in January: New Year-Themed Songs, Tracks Suited for the New Year, and Winter Songs (31–40)
Love multiplied by 100! New Year’s-holiday-defying training☆Mikoshiba Momotarō (CV: Kenichi Suzumura) Nitori Aiichirō (CV: Kousuke Miyata)
One of the character songs from the anime Free!, this track depicts New Year’s–specific training scenes.
Although it starts with New Year’s greetings, the spotlight quickly shifts to the duo’s lively back-and-forth as they throw themselves into practice, leaving the celebratory mood behind.
The calls for warm-ups and the stretching sequences are expressed with an upbeat tempo, conveying the passionate energy of youth dedicated to sports.
Included in the Free! Character Song Mini Album Additional Edition released in August 2023, this piece is a duet realized nine years after their respective solo songs in 2014.
It’s recommended for those who want to stay disciplined toward their goals from New Year’s Day, or when you want to reminisce about your club activity days!
this winterMakihara Noriyuki
In Noriyuki Makihara’s serene winter ballad, the gentle happiness of everyday life is carefully woven together with the season’s atmosphere.
Through distinctly wintry visual motifs—like the cold and visible white breath—the song’s gaze on the distance between lovers and the accumulation of shared time resonates deeply.
Included on the album PHARMACY, released in October 1994, and later selected for the 1997 best-of compilation SMILING II – THE BEST OF NORIYUKI MAKIHARA, this piece may not be showy, but it has long been cherished as a beloved winter staple.
It’s a song you’ll want to play softly on a quiet night around the New Year, while spending time with someone special.
The Bell of BeginningsUguisumaru Tomonari (CV: Shimizu Ayaka) Namazuo Toushirou (CV: Watada Misaki) Hotarumaru Kunitoshi (CV: Tachibana Meemu)
This is a character song that vividly colors the dawn of a new year.
It was released digitally by Pony Canyon in January 2021 and was later included on the album “Hyakka Ryoran III” in July of the same year.
The lyrics intertwine the sound of New Year’s temple bells with the resolve held in one’s heart, capturing the exhilaration of standing tall in festive attire and stepping forward into a new self.
Blending the crisp air of early January with a melody full of hope, this number is perfect for etching your resolutions into your heart as you watch the first sunrise of the year.
Its clear, radiant vocals gently deliver the sparkle of the New Year.
Snow, Moon, and FlowersShonan no Kaze
It’s a song with straightforward, masculine lyrics that express feelings from a man’s perspective.
You can feel a man’s direct emotions without any roundaboutness.
It reminds you of the importance of conveying your feelings honestly.
It’s a winter song, but it’s a fiery one!
Rising SunEXILE
On New Year’s Day, we greet the year by watching the first sunrise, right? EXILE’s “Rising Sun” is a perfect fit for that hope-filled morning when you feel ready to give your all for the year ahead.
The free, soaring vocals that sing of the sunrise evoke the freshness and divinity that spread across the sky at dawn.
As it builds toward the final chorus, your emotions gradually rise, and even after it ends, a pleasant afterglow lingers.
It’s a piece that perfectly matches the resolve to make a fresh start and kick off the new year.
Masterpieces to Hear in January: Songs with a New Year’s Theme, Tracks Suited for the New Year, and Winter Songs (41–50)
STARTJUN SKY WALKER(S)
When we welcome a new year, we’re filled with a fresh mindset and energy, aren’t we? Some couples may take this opportunity to set new goals.
For those two, I’d like to recommend JUN SKY WALKER(S)’s “START.” It’s a guiding song that gives a supportive push to couples who want to try something different from last year or step into a new life stage as the new year begins.
It’s a punk number that fuels you with the power to charge ahead without wavering!
ORIONNakajima Mika
January, after Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and the New Year holidays have all passed, somehow feels a little lonely, doesn’t it? In times like that, there’s a song that gently stays by your side: “ORION,” a piece that contemplates the winter constellation Orion.
It’s a winter ballad by Mika Nakashima that was also used as an insert song in the drama “Ryūsei no Kizuna” (Bonds of the Meteor).
Because it’s cold, the warmth of someone precious sinks in deeper and makes you feel even more tenderness—or, conversely, you might feel a vague sense of anxiety, as if you could fade away.
“ORION,” a song about such fragile love, will help you hold on to that warmth.