This is a song list of ballads performed by Japanese singers, featuring striking piano sounds.
It’s packed with highly soothing tracks whose warm piano tones and gentle melodies will put listeners at ease.
Recommended for those who are feeling tired.
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Masterpieces of piano ballads (1–10)
First loveOku Hanako
Released in 2010 as Hanako Oku’s 10th single.
It is the ultimate heartbreak song, depicting “after an adult loses a love they genuinely fell for,” and has been praised by many women as deeply relatable.
The piano’s timbre and Oku’s clear, translucent vocals create a ballad that conveys the poignant ache of a broken heart.
dogwood (flowering dogwood)Hitoto Yo
It was released in 2004 as Yo Hitoto’s fifth single.
The lyrics were written in about a week, inspired by an email from a friend who was in New York at the time of the September 11 attacks, and they express a wish for life to continue alongside someone dear.
It is regarded as Yo Hitoto’s biggest hit.
dearestKOH+
It was released in 2008 as KOH+’s second single.
The song was used as the theme for the film adaptation of the drama Galileo, titled Suspect X, and marked KOH+’s first activity in a year, the collaboration unit of Kou Shibasaki and Masaharu Fukuyama.
The following year, Masaharu Fukuyama recorded a self-cover.
Tears of MagnoliaStardust Revue
This song, included as the first track on Stardust Revue’s 1993 album CD “SOLA,” was released as a single the same year.
It’s a song about parting with someone important, with piano accompaniment and a heartrending vocal that resonates deeply.
It’s a ballad you’ll want to listen to while thinking of someone dear.
KissHugaiko
Released in 2008 as Aiko’s 24th single, this song was used as an insert track in the film Hana Yori Dango F (Final) starring Mao Inoue.
It reached No.
2 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.
Aiko performed it at the 2008 NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen, and it is a bittersweet ballad that conveys the end of a romance.
FlowerNaka Kousuke
It was released in 2007 as Kousuke Atari’s third single.
The song was newly written by the duo Naotaro Moriyama and Omodakacho Taito, and was used in a commercial for Satsuma Shuzo’s sweet potato shochu “Satsuma Shiranami.” With its warm and distinctive vocals that encourage many listeners, it is one of Kousuke Atari’s signature songs.
Goodbye, my beloved.Hana＊Hana
It was released in 2000 as Hana*Hana’s second single.
The song was written by vocalist Izumi Kojima as a dedication to her grandfather, who passed away when she was 16, and it was used as the theme song for the TBS/Toshiba Sunday Theater drama “Oyaji.” It became Hana*Hana’s biggest hit.