Nursery rhymes you’ll want to sing at karaoke: classic and popular songs everyone can enjoy together.

Donguri Korokoro

Japanese Children’s Song – Donguri Korokoro 3D! – Donguri Korokoro

When you think about it, it’s pretty strange and funny that almost everyone in Japan knows a song about an acorn rolling and falling into a pond.

That universally known “Donguri Korokoro” actually gets the crowd going when you sing it at karaoke.

Try singing it together with everyone.

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Saitō Ayumu

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School of Medaka

Medaka no Gakkō

This is a children’s song that was selected for the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ “100 Best Japanese Songs” in 2007.

When you see medaka (Japanese rice fish), the melody and lyrics naturally come to mind, and you find yourself humming along—it’s such a well-known classic.

The lyrics, with their repeated phrases, are very pleasant and easy to remember.

Since everyone knows the melody and words, I think it would really liven things up if you sang it at karaoke!

Watermelon-producing region

With Lyrics: Watermelon Production Area [King Records Kids, Baby, and Nursery Music Specialty Site “Suku♪Iku”]

If you heard the melody and thought, “Huh?”, that’s right! The song “Suika no Meisanchi” (Watermelon’s Famous Producing Area) is actually based on the American folk song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.” The lyrics to this version were written by Takada Sakuzo, who served as president of the All-Japan Children’s Music Association.

Many people likely sang this folk tune back in elementary school.

Even if you’re hearing it for the first time, it’s so catchy you won’t forget it after a single listen.

Whether you already know it or not, it’s a great song for kids and adults alike to sing together and have fun!

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Yuuko.S

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This road

This Road (with lyrics) Yumiko Shiojima

Kono Michi (This Road), with lyrics by Hakushu Kitahara and music by Kosaku Yamada.

The lyrics of verses 1 and 2 depict scenes from Kitahara’s memories of Kita-Ichijo Avenue in Sapporo—where the Sapporo Clock Tower stands and rows of acacia trees give off their fragrance—based on his trip there in 1925 (Taisho 14).

The second verse traces a route from Nankan in Kumamoto Prefecture, which Kitahara called his “second hometown,” back to Yanagawa in a palanquin.

Both are, it seems, beautiful roads in Kitahara’s heart.

Dog Policeman

Japanese Children’s Song – Nursery Rhyme – The Dog Policeman – Inu no Omawari-san

“The Policeman Dog” is a song many of us watched on educational TV shows or sang at school when we were little.

When you think about it, the lyrics are actually quite quirky, but as kids we sang them as if it were perfectly normal.

It’s a cute song everyone knows, and you may find it surprisingly enjoyable even as an adult.

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Saitō Ayumu

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red dragonfly

Red Dragonfly - Emiko Shiratori

It’s a song selected in 2007 for the “100 Best Japanese Songs.” Composed by Koscak Yamada, its slightly sentimental melody set to a triple-time rhythm, combined with the beautiful, lyrical worldview of lyrics by Rofu Miki, instantly evokes nostalgia.

Listening while thinking of one’s hometown moves the heart deeply.

That’s only natural, as Miki himself is said to have written the lyrics while recalling his own hometown of Tatsuno City in Hyogo Prefecture.

Adorable foalSakushi: Satō Hachirō / Sakkyoku: Niki Takio

Adorable Foal - Children's Song - Showa-era Song - Radio Kayō / National Kayō - With Lyrics

This song warmly portrays the life of a foal and a child, while carrying a curious, poignant sense of the times quietly creeping in.

You dry the foal’s wet mane, run together, and eventually part ways.

Such scenes unfold alongside rhythmic calls and responses.

The lyricist, Hachirō Satō, was active across a wide range from children’s songs to popular music, and the composer, Takio Niki, was a seasoned talent also known for film scores.

The work was released in December 1940 and broadcast nationwide the following January 1941 on NHK’s “National Songs.” It is closely connected to the film “Uma” (Horse), and has long been loved, later even featured in animated films.

Singing it as a family invites reflections on life in earlier times, and in early childhood settings it can be enjoyed as a play activity by imitating a foal’s movements.