[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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[Japanese Shoka] Carefully Selected Timeless Classics Loved Across Generations (71–80)
Plover on the BeachSakushi: Kashima Naruaki / Sakkyoku: Hirota Ryūtarō
It is said to be inspired by the coast of Kashiwazaki in Niigata Prefecture.
It’s a quiet piece, yet it feels somewhat melancholy.
Perhaps that’s because it’s searching for its parent.
More than the beauty of the plovers on the beach, what lingers is the sorrow of disappearing beyond the sea.
In the Taisho era, it seems that many different types of lyrics were being published.
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!
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.