[Warabe-uta] Beloved Classic Songs Passed Down Through Generations
Nursery rhymes that have been passed down in Japan since long ago.
There are many types of nursery rhymes, including drawing songs, counting songs, and play songs.
Many of you probably sang and played games like Kagome Kagome and Hana Ichi Monme at least once when you were children.
In this article, we introduce popular nursery rhymes.
If you want to remember the nursery rhymes you sang as a child or enjoy them with your kids, be sure to give them a listen!
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[Warabe-uta] Beloved Nostalgic Songs Passed Down Through Generations (31–40)
TulipSakushi: Kondo Miyako / Sakkyoku: Inoue Takeshi
This is one of Japan’s most beloved children’s songs, depicting a beautiful spring scene of red, white, and yellow tulips blooming in a row.
Miyako Kondo’s lyrics carry a warm message that recognizes diversity—“every flower has its own beauty”—and, together with Takeshi Inoue’s friendly melody, make it a tune that people of all ages can hum naturally.
Widely cherished in kindergarten and elementary school music classes, it was selected in 2006 for the list of 100 Best Japanese Songs.
It’s the perfect piece for when you want to feel the arrival of spring or enjoy singing with children!
The rice cracker is done.
This is a children’s song where beanbags are imagined as rice crackers.
Beanbags are familiar to older generations, but kids of the 2000s might not know them well.
It could be refreshing to put down your smartphone or computer once in a while and try playing with beanbags.
The song is simple and easy to learn, so even small children can enjoy it.
It might also be nice for parents and children to make beanbags together to play along with the song.
When playing outside, you can substitute leaves or stones for beanbags.
It’s easy to enjoy, so give it a try.
Please let me pass.
When people hear Tōryanse, many probably find themselves humming along without thinking.
That’s how familiar this song is to Japanese people.
Many of you may have also played the game that goes with it.
You’ve likely seen the scene at school where friends form a “bridge” with their arms and others pass underneath.
Playing this game can be a way to make friends at school.
Even very young children can learn it quickly, so invite your classmates and give it a try.
It’s also fun to play not just at school, but with the whole family at home.
There once was a stick.
When it comes to classic drawing songs, this is the one.
If you’re Japanese, you’ve probably drawn along to it at least once.
It’s exciting when the cute little chef turns out just like the song says, isn’t it? Even if it doesn’t come out perfectly, everyone’s personality shows through, which is fun too.
I think it would be interesting to use this song as inspiration to make your own drawing song.
Some people have probably done just that.
First, master this song and try drawing lots of cute little chefs.
Singing it with friends is fun as well.
pine coneSakushi: Hirota Takao / Sakkyoku: Kobayashi Tsuyae
This is an autumn children’s song that depicts a charming scene: a pine cone tumbles down a high mountain, and a little monkey picks it up and eats it.
The lyrics were written in 1936 by Takao Hirota, who was a first-grade elementary school student at the time, and the music was composed by Tsyae Kobayashi, a music teacher.
From the late 1950s to the 1960s, the song was included on King Records’ album “Songs for Kindergarten.” With just a single, simple, and easy-to-remember verse, it has long been loved as a seasonal song in nurseries and kindergartens.
It’s also recommended to add simple choreography and enjoy it as a hand-play song! Singing while moving your body will bring back fond memories of childhood fun playing in autumn nature.
[Warabe-uta] Beloved Nostalgic Songs Passed Down Through Generations (41–50)
Please let me pass.warabeuta
This is a traditional Japanese children’s song handed down since the Edo period, said to have been sung along the approach to Kawasaki Daishi Temple in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa.
In a game beloved by children, two players take the role of ogres, join hands to form a gate, and everyone slips through while singing.
The lyrics include the act of offering talismans for the seven celebratory milestones of childhood and convey a sense of awe toward a sacred place.
For those who remember gathering to play it in their neighborhood when they were young, or who know the melody from pedestrian crossing signals, it is a song that can be sung with a warm sense of nostalgia.
Bet one and two
This nostalgic Japanese counting song, sung to a traditional tune, is called “Ikakake Nikakete” (“One flick, two flicks”).
It follows the numbers and is sung with a pleasant rhythm.
At first you might think it’s a cute children’s counting song, but surprisingly, partway through it shifts into a slightly spooky, story-like narrative.
Still, true to its nursery-rhyme roots, it ends with a game of rock-paper-scissors—keeping kids entertained all the way through.
It’s also nice that it teaches a bit of history, set in Kagoshima, Kyushu.
The lyrics vary by region, each with its own expressions.
Why not look into the different versions?
