Nostalgic Children’s Songs, Folk Songs, and Nursery Rhymes: The Heart of Japan Passed Down Through Song
When we hear the gentle melodies of nostalgic children’s songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes, memories from our early childhood come vividly rushing back, as if we’ve crossed time and space.
Perhaps you, too, have a “song of nostalgia” that has stayed with you since you were young.
In this article, we introduce iconic Japanese children’s songs (shoka), folk songs and nursery rhymes cherished and passed down across the regions, as well as beloved tunes often featured in school performances and recreational activities.
Shall we set off on a heartwarming sonic journey into the world of children’s songs that softly reflect Japan’s seasons, culture, and everyday life?
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Nostalgic Children's Songs, Folk Songs, and Nursery Rhymes: The Heart of Japan Passed Down in Song (71–80)
red dragonfly
It’s a nursery song that everyone knows, but it also carries a deep meaning.
Back then, many farming families were poor, and to reduce the number of mouths to feed, girls were married off early.
Seeing a red dragonfly might have brought back memories of the older sister who used to carry the child on her back.
The song says she married at fifteen and then all contact was lost—she must have endured a hard life.
This song was also used long ago in a commercial that said, “Shūkan ○chō goes on sale tomorrow.”
Doll with Blue Eyes
Nowadays dolls are nothing rare, but the blue-eyed dolls were donated by America to promote friendship with Japan and were distributed to Japanese kindergartens and elementary schools.
Because there were only a limited number, recipients were chosen by lottery.
This song expresses, in human feelings, the emotions of such a rare blue-eyed doll that had just arrived in a foreign land.
No one in particular taught this kind of song, but back then everyone knew it.
Friendly Path
In the old days there were no walking-to-school groups, so just like in that nursery rhyme, we would hold hands with boys we were friendly with and head to school, or invite neighborhood kids and go separately in little groups.
Parents’ worry for their children hasn’t changed then or now, but at least the traffic conditions weren’t as dangerous as they are today.
Still, if we were late getting home, our parents would worry, and neighbors would often caution us to go on home.
In conclusion
Memories of humming as a child, the warm recollections of singing with parents and grandparents.
Beloved nursery songs, folk songs, and children’s rhymes live on in our hearts across generations.
Why not spend a heartwarming moment with someone special as you listen to their gentle melodies?