Nostalgic Japanese hit songs from the 1960s. A collection of popular Showa-era classic melodies.
The Tokaido Shinkansen opening, the advent of color TV, the Beatles’ visit to Japan, Astro Boy, the Apollo 11 moon landing, and more…
The 1960s were a decade energized by a wide array of new cultural phenomena amid the era of rapid economic growth.
In 1964, Tokyo also hosted the Olympic Games.
In music, from kayōkyoku to sounds influenced by foreign styles, one of the charms of the ’60s is that you can actually enjoy a rich variety of tastes.
Some legendary artists from that time are still active today! From among the classic songs that lit up the hit charts of the tumultuous Shōwa era, we’ve thoroughly researched a selection of nothing-but-recommended nostalgic tracks from the ’60s.
You might rediscover a longtime favorite or stumble upon a wonderful new tune! Please enjoy these timeless masterpieces that continue to resonate in the hearts of the Japanese people, even as the times keep changing.
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- A roundup of classic Showa-era kayō songs: a comprehensive introduction to timeless tracks loved across generations.
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- Female Singer-Songwriters of the ’60s: Popular Songs Ranking [2026]
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Nostalgic Japanese hit songs from the 1960s: A collection of popular Showa-era oldies (11–20)
Lullaby of the Silk TreeYoshinaga Sayuri
This song is a lullaby composed and presented in celebration of Prince Akishino Fumihito’s birth in 1965, and it has a slightly unusual background: the lyrics use a poem written by Empress Emerita Michiko during her high school years.
The composer is Masami Yamamoto, the wife of Naosumi Yamamoto.
Although many artists have performed this piece, the version sung with an orchestral backing truly seems to invite the most blissful sleep—it’s wonderful, isn’t it?
Black Cat TangoMinagawa Osamu
This is the song sung by Osamu Minagawa, the nephew of Kazuko Minagawa, founder of the Hibari Children’s Choir, when he was six years old.
If you listen closely, the relatively adult lyrics contrast charmingly with Minagawa’s cute, slightly halting delivery, where his high notes at the ends of phrases sound like they’re about to flip—quite endearing, isn’t it? Apparently, he didn’t even know what “tango” meant at the time.
In 2014, he succeeded to become the head of the Hibari Children’s Choir, and he is said to be nurturing young talents who are likely to make their mark in the world.
The setting sun is crying.Za Supaidāsu
The Spiders’ “The Setting Sun Is Crying.” It wraps you in a very nostalgic, bittersweet, and distinctive atmosphere.
It’s a short song that the band performs on screen as an insert song in the film Farewell, Tears, a youth movie in which the Spiders themselves appear.
The lyricist-composer Kuranosuke Hamaguchi’s expression “the sunset is the sun crying” also contributes to this feeling, giving it a subtly Japanese sensibility.
It’s one of the tracks that cemented the Spiders’ popularity around the time when Group Sounds was gaining mainstream acceptance and folk songs were starting to take root.
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your handsSakamoto Kyu
The song is based on an American folk tune.
In Japan, it became a hit when Kyu Sakamoto sang it in 1964, and it’s also beloved as a children’s song with hand motions.
It is said to have begun when Toshihito Kimura, now an honorary professor at Waseda University’s School of Human Sciences, heard the original tune while doing volunteer work in the Philippines as a student and wrote Japanese lyrics for it.
Sakamoto happened to hear it and ended up recording it.
It’s a song with a curious chain of connections.
In 2007, it was selected as one of Japan’s 100 Favorite Songs.
When the Acacia Rain StopsNishida Sachiko
Here is the song sung by Sachiko Nishida, released in 1960.
In the past, some records had each side featuring a different singer, and it’s said that the other side of this record included Nobuo Harada’s “Yogiri no Terebi-tō” (The TV Tower in the Night Fog).
In 1963, a film titled “When the Acacia Rain Stops,” starring Ruriko Asaoka and also featuring Sachiko Nishida herself, was released.
It is said that young people weary from the Anpo protests (the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty struggles) supported this song, making it a piece that reflects its era.
A Love Story in GinzaYūjirō Ishihara · Junko Makimura
When people say “Ginkoi” (Silver Love), isn’t this the duet that comes to mind first? Released in 1961, it’s a duet by Yujiro Ishihara and Junko Makimura.
Originally an insert song for an Ishihara film released the same year, it became such a hit that a film with the same title was released the following year.
Part of the song is used as the departure melody at Tokyo Metro’s Hibiya Line Ginza Station, so some generations may have heard it on the subway.
Nostalgic Japanese hit songs from the 1960s: A collection of popular Showa-era oldies (21–30)
Drifters’ Zundoko BushiZa Dorifutāzu
It’s a popular song by The Drifters, a band also famous as a comedy group.
Since it’s an arrangement of the military song “Navy Ditty,” it carries a certain bravado, but the quirky catchiness and snappy call-and-response are spot on, giving it an addictive quality that makes you want to hum along.