Japanese ondō: a seasonal tradition everyone can enjoy.
We’ve gathered classic and must-hear picks of traditional Bon-odori songs recommended by our studio staff—fun for everyone from adults to kids.
It’s a playlist sure to delight festival-loving Japanese listeners!
Japanese ondo: a seasonal tradition everyone can enjoy (1–10)
Hometown Ibaraki Ondo
Set in Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture, this is a heart-stirring original bon-odori song.
Featuring the vocals of Mayuko Hayashida, the piece stands out with its brisk tempo and familiar, catchy phrasing.
Just by listening, you can feel your body naturally start to move as if you were in the festival circle—such is its joy.
Woven into the lyrics are deep affection for one’s hometown and a warm message encouraging everyone to cherish and carry on local traditions together.
Performed for many years at the Ibaraki Festival, it has been embraced as a bon dance number that promotes the community.
For those connected to Ibaraki City, it may well evoke fond memories and images of the hometown landscape.
Drifters’ Vibanon OndoThe Drifters
The members of The Drifters really like ondo (traditional Japanese dance songs).
Cheerful ondo numbers suit them perfectly.
The phrase “Babanba Banbanban~” is so famous that there’s hardly anyone who doesn’t know it.
It’s fun how they sing while adding various call-and-response interjections.
Jabu-Jabu Dancehibari jidō gasshōdan
When you hear the lyrics “Ah—jab-jab, ah—feels so good,” it’s the kind of bon dance tune that makes you want to do the laundry or hop in the bath.
Since it was featured on Minna no Uta, it seems like a fun song to sing with kids.
I’d love to listen to it in the summer when I want to feel refreshed.
Mushroom OndoKenmochi Yusuke
This is a summer Bon Odori song created by Hokuto, the mushroom company.
The choreography is by air:man.
You can enjoy a memorable music video featuring many kinds of mushrooms dancing.
Hokuto has also released another song called “Kinoko Taiso” (Mushroom Exercise).
Sumiyoshi Odori
This is a sacred and dynamic dedicatory dance song that has been passed down at Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka.
The lively rhythms marked by shamisen and drums seem to embody the very prayers of people wishing for a bountiful harvest.
During the rituals, charming young maidens dance with fans in hand.
Their presence overflows with vitality even amid the solemn atmosphere, lifting the hearts of all who watch.
Why not experience its sacred resonance and feel the breath of Osaka’s long history?
Makio Mountain Nobori-raising Ondo
One of the folk songs born in Izumi City, Osaka Prefecture, in the early Meiji period.
It is said to have begun as a travelers’ song sung while walking, with people raising banners during the public unveiling of sacred images at Makiōzan Temple.
A lively call-and-response overlays the cheerful Ise-ondo–style rhythm, conjuring up the bustling scene of a pilgrim procession.
The lyrics weave in local specialties like oranges, along with the scenery and atmosphere of the time, expressing affection for the region amid the merriment.
It may be the perfect piece when you want to attune your ears to Osaka’s long history and the prayers of the people who lived there.
Yokoyama Ondo
This is a bon odori song cherished in Kumatori Town.
Incorporating elements of joruri narrative music and kabuki, its lyrics weave in stories of pilgrims’ journeys and partings, evoking the lives of people in days gone by.
Over time, this ondo has evolved into a more danceable tempo—for example, tradition-bearer Kazuyoshi Kawai introduced the lively phrasing of the “Kawachi Ondo.” Perhaps its charm lies in the warm-hearted wish to let many people enjoy it while preserving tradition.