[Heisei Retro] Hit Japanese songs that defined the 1990s. Recommended J-POP classics.
When you think of the Japanese music scene of the ’90s, what kind of sounds come to mind? It was an era when million-selling hits kept emerging and CD sales marked a golden age for the music industry.
Hit songs poured from TV and radio into the streets, and everyone was humming the same tunes.
From guitar rock to dance music, from the Shibuya-kei movement to the Being-kei style, a wide variety of genres coexisted, each shining with its own unique brilliance in the ’90s.
In this article, we’ll introduce a selection of hit songs that colored that rich musical scene.
For those who lived through the era, they’ll feel nostalgic; for first-time listeners, they’ll sound fresh.
Please take your time and enjoy.
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[Heisei Retro] Hit Japanese songs that defined the 1990s. Recommended J-POP masterpieces (61–70)
Goodbye, Summer DaysYamashita Tatsuro
Tatsuro Yamashita’s 21st single, released in May 1991, is a classic inspired by his own high school experience of being caught in a sudden shower at an amusement park pool and seeing a rainbow after the rain.
It beautifully captures the bittersweet feeling at summer’s end and the tender emotions of first love before adulthood.
The song was also used in a commercial for Dai-ichi Life and released as an advance single from the album “ARTISAN.” It reached No.
12 on the Oricon Weekly Chart and was certified Gold.
It’s a quintessential summer ballad recommended for those who want to relive their youthful memories or nostalgically revisit the delicate romances of those days.
LOVE IS ALLTokunaga Hideaki
Released in September 1991, this was Hideaki Tokunaga’s 12th single, themed around a grand, universal love that transcends personal romance.
Inspired by images of soldiers heading to the battlefield during the Gulf War carrying photos of their families, the song was featured in a Gekkeikan commercial and became memorable alongside the ad starring Hiroyuki Sanada.
It reached No.
3 on the Oricon Weekly Chart and sold approximately 354,000 copies.
The track was also included on the album “Revolution,” released in October of the same year.
Its universal message—portraying the love and sorrow people share under the same sky—continues to resonate with hearts swayed by changing times.
Legendary GirlMizuki Arisa
The debut single, released in May 1991, is a mid-tempo song written and composed by Ami Ozaki.
Depicting a girl who dreams of one day becoming the heroine of a sparkling story, the track features vocals mature beyond her 14 years and a graceful melody, earning the New Artist Award at the 33rd Japan Record Awards.
As the theme song for Kirin Beverage’s Chasse commercial, it became a household talking point and peaked at No.
5 on the Oricon charts.
Marking a confident first step as a singer, this work remains an enduring anthem that continues to encourage all who chase their dreams.
Robinsonsupittsu
This is Spitz’s 11th single and, even today, the song with their highest sales.
It was also a milestone for the band as their first entry into the Oricon Top 10.
Originally, it might have ended up as a B-side—shows you never know what can happen.
LA LA LA Love SongKubota Toshinobu
As an aside, when you select this song on karaoke systems like DAM, it picks that stock background video with a toy carousel spinning.
You can really feel the taste of the person who decided that.
It’s a timeless classic that never fades with age.
Until the World Ends…WANDS
It was used as the theme song for the anime Slam Dunk, and even now, when you go to karaoke with men in their 30s and up, many of them still sing it.
When you select it at karaoke, the background shows original anime scenes edited specifically for this song.
It really shows how influential it is.
Why…Hysteric Blue
The fourth single by the rock band Hysteric Blue, who rose to popularity with their distinctive high-tone vocals and pop-leaning sound.
It poignantly sings about the frustration and heartache of love, where feelings miss each other despite being in love.
The pure question of why one’s feelings can’t get through rides on vocalist Tama’s endlessly soaring, emotional voice and truly hits home.
Released in July 1999, the song was used as the theme for the drama “P.S.
Genki Desu, Shumpei” starring Koichi Domoto, and reached No.
2 on the Oricon weekly chart.
Its heartrending melody, which swells in emotion toward the chorus, feels like it gently embraces an irresistible, helpless longing.