Classic enka songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke: recommended popular tracks
Enka, the genre of music that helped energize Japan up through around the 1980s.
Countless masterpieces were born in this field of enka.
This time, we’re featuring the crème de la crème—timeless enka hits that defined their eras and are perfect for singing at karaoke.
From well-known classics to hidden gems known only to aficionados, we’ve selected songs across a wide range of years and styles, so be sure to find the one that suits you.
We’re introducing quite a number of tracks, making this a great pick for anyone who wants to reminisce alongside enka.
- Great enka masterpieces and hit songs of the 1970s
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- Enka Karaoke Popularity Rankings [2026]
- Great enka masterpieces and hit songs of the 1980s
- [For Women] A roundup of enka songs that can score high in karaoke
- Enka songs that are easy for men to sing: a roundup of tracks to try at karaoke
- Easy-to-sing enka: A roundup of recommended enka songs for karaoke
- [Showa Era] A Collection of Enka Hits: Timeless Classics Loved Across Generations
- [2026] Representative Famous Enka Songs: A Compilation of Classic Favorites [Beginner-Friendly]
- [Songs from the Showa Era] Introducing classic tracks that are easy to sing at karaoke.
- [Enka] Songs That Are Easy to Sing Even for the Tone-Deaf [Male Singer Edition]
- [Japan’s Best Vocalist] Fukuda Kohei’s Easy-to-Sing Karaoke Songs
- A roundup of hit enka songs from the Heisei era
Enka masterpieces you’ll want to sing at karaoke: recommended popular songs (91–100)
My daughter,Ashiya Gannosuke
This work is sung by Gannosuke Ashiya with a father’s love.
It gently expresses the complex emotions he feels before his daughter’s marriage.
Released in February 1984, the song quickly became a major hit and stayed on the Oricon charts for an extended period.
It also garnered numerous honors that year, including an appearance on the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen and a Special Award at the Japan Record Awards.
With lyrics that evoke the warmth of family love and Ashiya’s gentle voice, it’s a song that resonates with many.
It’s a perfect choice for those who cherish the parent-child bond or want to convey their feelings to a loved one through song.
Lament of ResentmentFuji Keiko
If lately he keeps showing up late to dates and you feel like he’s treating you a bit carelessly, try singing Keiko Fuji’s “Urami-bushi.” The title sounds scary, but the lyrics themselves aren’t that frightening.
If your lover hears this song, he’ll surely find you endearing.
And he’ll go back to being the kind, good person he was before.
Speaking of Keiko Fuji, she was famous as a singer, and in real life she was also Hikaru Utada’s mother.
From the northern innMiyako Harumi
It was released in 1975 as Harumi Miyako’s 66th single.
The song won the 18th Japan Record Award and became Miyako’s third million-selling hit.
It also received the 9th Japan Cable Music Award.
Written by Yū Aku and composed by Asei Kobayashi, this luxurious collaboration produced one of Harumi Miyako’s signature songs.
abandonedNagayama Yōko
It was released in 1995 as Yoko Nagayama’s seventh single.
The pose where Nagayama herself spreads her arms and waves them during the “demo ne” lines at the beginning and in the chorus became a major talking point.
The song won the 28th Japan Cable Radio Awards, and at the end of 1995 she made a comeback appearance—her second time after a two-year gap—on the 46th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
Yagiri no Watashi (Yagiri Ferry)chiaki naomi
In the early 1980s, Takashi Hosokawa’s song “Yagiri no Watashi” became a huge hit.
However, the song had actually been the B-side of Naomi Chiaki’s record “Sakabagawa,” released in October 1976.
The production team had planned to release “Yagiri no Watashi” as the A-side single, but at Chiaki’s strong request it was included as the B-side instead, ultimately altering the fate of the hit songs for both Hosokawa and Chiaki.
Kyoto NostalgiaTakigawa Maiko
Kyoto Bojo has a gently wilted, faintly bittersweet melody, and it creates a mysteriously enchanting atmosphere that makes male listeners see the woman singing it as very cute and want to protect her.
Please try singing it as your winning song to capture the heart of the man you love.
Premonition of PartingYamamoto Miyuki
Miyuki Yamamoto, an enka singer, delivers an emotionally rich rendition of Wakare no Yokan, a beautiful melody line that evokes a subtle sense of melancholy.
If your relationship has gone on for a while and you’ve started to neglect things a bit, try singing it in front of him and surprise him.
The original song, familiar in Japan, was released by Teresa Teng in June 1987.