[Japanese Children's Songs] Carefully selected timeless masterpieces loved across generations!
Japanese shoka—songs everyone has hummed at least once—include classics like “Furusato,” “Haru no Ogawa,” and “Momiji.” The nostalgic melodies we learned in music class or sang with friends in childhood stay with us no matter how much time passes.
These works, which sing of seasonal landscapes and everyday scenes, are filled with the sensibilities of the Japanese people.
In this article, we introduce a selection of shoka that have been sung across generations.
Just seeing the titles will make you want to start singing—be sure to check out these beloved Japanese classics.
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- [Local Songs] Recommended tracks packed with Japan’s nationwide classics and hometown pride
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- Children’s Song Medley: A playlist of classic and popular hits everyone knows
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[Japanese Shoka] Carefully Selected Timeless Classics Loved Across Generations (71–80)
Height comparisonSatoko Koga
I can feel the relaxed, close-knit bond between siblings from that era.
It also reminded me of the marks on our house’s pillar where we measured our height.
The second song, of all things, sings about comparing height with a mountain, which I found endearing.
I sensed Japan’s original landscape and a good, nostalgic time.
This roadOhnuki Taeko
The atmosphere is quite different from the image I’d had of this song until now.
Rather than a “path of memories,” it feels like a grown woman quietly walking, step by step, along the road she once traveled.
You can even feel a sense of life in it.
The setting seems to be Hokkaido and perhaps Kumamoto, and it feels as though it calmly speaks to us about life.
Desert of the MoonYamazaki Hako
I was surprised at first—Hako-san singing this song? But as I listened, I felt a deep drama in the vocals.
It didn’t feel like the usual fairytale of a prince and princess; it seemed to carry a more tragic tone, and I genuinely wondered where the two of them were headed.
Hako-san’s expressive power is amazing!
[Japanese Songs] Carefully Selected Masterpieces Loved Across Generations! (81–90)
Where does the morning begin?Okamoto Atsurō · Anzai Aiko
It seems this was a contest piece created to encourage Japan right after the end of the war.
It’s a bright, forward-looking song, fitting for living with hope.
I think it’s a heartwarming, uplifting song that encourages proper daily habits and greetings.
The Okamoto–Anzai duo feels like schoolteachers—you want to learn it and sing along with them.
teru teru bozu (a traditional Japanese handmade doll hung to wish for good weather)Hirayama Miyoko, Nakayama Kajiko, Omura Masako
I used to sing it when I was little, and I thought it was a cute wish song that says “I’ll give you this and that, just please make it sunny,” but when I got to the third verse, I was shocked.
Hearing the legend surprised me even more.
If it had ended at the second verse with straightforward wishes, I think it would have felt warm and gentle.
Tsutomu from the Yamaguchi FamilySaitō Kozue
The song was written and composed by Ranbou Minami and introduced on “Minna no Uta” in 1976, becoming a huge hit and selling 1.5 million records.
There are versions sung by various artists, but the one performed by Kozue Saito is the most famous.
The lyrics are very endearing.
I want to become the wind.Sapporo Kitano Shounen Shoujo Gasshoudan
Lyrics and music by Kazufumi Miyazawa, the vocalist of THE BOOM.
Crafted with a Latin flavor using a samba whistle and many percussion instruments.
It spread widely as it was often featured on television—used as a movie theme song and in commercials—and it even came to be included in high school music textbooks.