Nostalgic Children’s Songs, Folk Songs, and Nursery Rhymes: The Heart of Japan Passed Down Through Song

tidying up

♪Cleaning Up <with gestures> - ♪Clean up, clean up~ [Japanese song / children’s song]

This is a practical, everyday children’s song often sung during clean-up time at nurseries and kindergartens.

Its simple structure repeats call-and-response phrases, making it easy and friendly for young children to memorize right away.

Many arrangements speed up partway through, adding a playful touch that naturally guides kids into tidying up.

It’s also featured on childcare-related YouTube channels and is widely used as background music at home and in schools.

A perfect pick for parents who want to make tidying a fun habit and for professionals working in early childhood education.

the temple’s head monk

Hand play song: The Temple Priest

This hand-clapping song, sung while holding hands and chanting “Ses-ses-se—no, yoi yoi yoi,” is a traditional children’s rhyme that playfully traces, with gestures, the monk sowing pumpkin seeds and the flowers blooming.

Passed down orally, it has developed numerous lyrical variations across regions and eras, and it continues to evolve alongside children’s play today.

Its appeal lies in a singable range, a clear storyline, and a structure that invites movement.

Beyond early childhood settings, it is also used in rehabilitation for the elderly, and it will likely continue to be sung as a song that people of all generations can enjoy together.

Mr. Elephant

[Children’s Song] Elephant / Daisuke Yokoyama

In this song, Michio Mado’s poem is set to a gentle triple-meter melody by Ikuma Dan.

Through the image of a baby elephant, teased for its long trunk, proudly replying, “My mother’s is the same,” it tenderly conveys a heart that embraces differences.

In the 2003 “Favorite Children’s Songs” ranking, it placed seventh and has continued to be loved across generations.

It has been included in many collections, such as King Records’ “Zō-san — Michio Mado Children’s Song Collection [White Jubilee Commemoration]” and Nippon Columbia’s “Michio Mado Works — Zō-san.” It’s a song to hum along with someone dear to you, nurturing a spirit that cherishes your own individuality.

I accidentally broke the clarinet.Sakushi: Ishii Yoshiko / Sakkyoku: Fumei

I Broke My Clarinet [Children’s Song] French folk song “J’ai perdu le do de ma clarinette” NHK Minna no Uta♪

This piece, for which Yoshiko Ishii wrote Japanese lyrics to a traditional French children’s song, comically portrays a child’s bewilderment when their clarinet suddenly stops making sound.

The mysterious chant “Opa kyamarado” derives from a French marching call meaning “In step, comrades.” It was broadcast in 1963 on NHK’s Minna no Uta, sung by Dark Ducks with animation by Yoji Kuri, and has remained beloved, being rebroadcast many times since.

Turning small instrumental mishaps into humor, this song is perfect not only for singing in kindergartens and elementary schools, but also for parents and children to hum together at home.

Adorable foalSakushi: Satō Hachirō / Sakkyoku: Niki Takio

Adorable Foal - Children's Song - Showa-era Song - Radio Kayō / National Kayō - With Lyrics

This song warmly portrays the life of a foal and a child, while carrying a curious, poignant sense of the times quietly creeping in.

You dry the foal’s wet mane, run together, and eventually part ways.

Such scenes unfold alongside rhythmic calls and responses.

The lyricist, Hachirō Satō, was active across a wide range from children’s songs to popular music, and the composer, Takio Niki, was a seasoned talent also known for film scores.

The work was released in December 1940 and broadcast nationwide the following January 1941 on NHK’s “National Songs.” It is closely connected to the film “Uma” (Horse), and has long been loved, later even featured in animated films.

Singing it as a family invites reflections on life in earlier times, and in early childhood settings it can be enjoyed as a play activity by imitating a foal’s movements.

Horse’s tail, pig’s tail.Sakushi: Abe Hitomi / Sakkyoku: Yamamoto Naozumi

Horse tails, pig tails

Broadcast on NHK’s Minna no Uta in August 1983, this song is a humorous children’s tune themed around the tails of a horse and a pig.

Written by Hitomi Abe and composed by Naosumi Yamamoto, it was selected as an outstanding piece in NHK’s Children’s Song Lyrics and Composition Contest.

The story charmingly likens a boy’s puppy-love—teasing the girl he likes—to animal tails, sweetly capturing that childish urge to tug on her pigtails.

Sung by Kyu Sakamoto and the NHK Tokyo Children’s Choir, it became well-loved and was rebroadcast in 2010 and 2015.

There are also covers by various artists, including Seiji Tanaka, and it is widely sung in kindergarten and nursery school choirs.

Its lively melody and catchy refrain make it perfect for parents and children to sing together.

All mothersamerika min’yō

[Children’s Song] All the Horses / Daisuke Yokoyama

This is a song arranged for Japanese audiences from a folk tune that originated in 19th-century America.

Tomoko Nakayama’s Japanese lyrics pose questions like why a horse goes clip-clop as it runs and why a piglet’s tail curls—“no one knows why.” Easy-to-remember onomatopoeia is repeated to the rhythm, making it appealing and well-suited for creating parody verses.

Sung on NHK’s children’s programs, this piece has reached many homes and childcare settings through performances by Yuko Kanzaki and Osamu Sakata.

Combined with fingerplay or marching movements, it’s a perfect nursery song for parents and children to enjoy together.