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

oshikura manju (a children’s pushing game)

[Children's Song] Oshikura Manju

This song is charming for its friendly melody and playful lyrics that use the image of manju buns.

Born from the wisdom of keeping warm, it has been passed down across generations as a game that shares warmth and smiles.

Beyond its value as a play song, it is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, even appearing in haiku as a winter season word.

On a cold winter day, if you sing it while actually doing oshikura manju—huddling and gently pushing each other—children will surely feel not only the warmth of skin, but also the joy of time spent with friends and family.

Sakura, sakura

“Sakura Sakura” Suginami Children’s Choir

Though the composer of this piece is unknown, it is one of Japan’s representative songs known internationally.

The lyrics, which sing of mountain cherry blossoms so veiled that one cannot tell whether it is mist or cloud, evoke the beauty of sakura in every Japanese person’s mind.

At Musashi-Koganei Station, the nearest station to Koganei Park famed for its cherry blossoms, the song is even used as the JR departure melody.

Choo-choo train

Choo-choo Train Poppo Pochacco ver.

In the days when hardly any cars were on the road, long-distance travel was by train.

Airplanes existed too—still in the propeller era—but fares were expensive, so trains and ships were the common choices.

Back then, when there were barely any railroad crossings, we would always see locomotives on our way home from school and even count how many cars they had.

Even riding the train was something we did at most once a year, so that buoyant, singable feeling is well reflected in the simple verses of children’s songs from that time.

TulipSakushi: Kondo Miyako / Sakkyoku: Inoue Takeshi

Tulips (Nos. 1–3) — Lyrics by Miyako Kondo; additional lyrics and composition by Takeshi Inoue

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!

Donguri Korokoro

Donguri Korokoro

When I was a child, I didn’t sing it as “donburiko” but as “donguriko.” Since I learned most nursery rhymes just by ear, I didn’t really understand their meanings, but with this song I felt that even acorns had feelings, and that the loaches and squirrels were kind and helped them—a notion that resonated with a child’s heart.

Songs and picture books are important for nurturing emotions in early childhood, aren’t they?

One, two, three, four, two, five

One, two, three, four, two, five

This traditional children’s song, beloved across generations, features a simple way to play: sing rhythmic number phrases while raising and bending your fingers.

It has been featured on NHK’s children’s program Nihongo de Asobo and is popular on video-sharing sites.

The piece has been carried forward in new forms by contemporary artists such as dmg’s “Ichi Ni San Shi” and Gen Hoshino’s “Ichi Ni San.” It’s a fun song you can enjoy with parents or friends while nurturing finger dexterity and a sense of rhythm.

Oonami Konami

Can you sing the jump rope song “Big Waves, Small Waves” all the way to the end?

Positioned as a staple song for long-rope jumping and Eurhythmics, this piece is enjoyed along with movements that express the motion of waves by swinging the rope widely from side to side.

By moving their bodies while singing, children naturally develop a sense of rhythm and cooperation.

It is also used in settings for children’s music education and emotional development, and is included in Kyoiku Geijutsusha’s elementary school music textbook “Ongaku for Elementary Students 1.” Many people may remember happily doing group long-rope jumping to this tune while humming it as children.

The lyrics seem to vary by region, so if you’re curious, be sure to check them out.