![[Mighty Guy] A Selection of Easy-to-Sing Songs by Akira Kobayashi](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MPuaqmSYBJo/sddefault.jpg)
Born in 1938, Akira Kobayashi—known as the “Mighty Guy,” a true legend among legends and one of the last of the so-called silver screen stars—continues to work actively even now in the 2020s, well into his late eighties.
A towering figure who has left his mark on Japanese entertainment history as both an actor and a singer, he even wrote the lyrics himself for his long-awaited 2022 single, “Ganbare Wakazō” (“Hang in There, Young Fella”), hinting that he’ll keep energizing Japan through various activities going forward.
Kobayashi’s songs are also hugely popular at karaoke.
In this article, we’ve selected and compiled tracks that are especially easy for beginners to sing.
If you’re a younger listener curious about enka or Showa-era pop, be sure to check them out!
- [Final Boss] A Collection of Easy-to-Sing Songs by Sachiko Kobayashi [2026]
- [Enka] Songs That Are Easy to Sing Even for the Tone-Deaf [Male Singer Edition]
- [Sub-chan] A Collection of Easy-to-Sing Songs by Saburo Kitajima [2026]
- [Japan’s Best Vocalist] Fukuda Kohei’s Easy-to-Sing Karaoke Songs
- [For Beginners] Recommended Enka Masterpieces for Karaoke — Male Singers Edition
- [Queen of Enka] A Collection of Easy-to-Sing Songs by Sayuri Ishikawa [2026]
- [2026] Easy Enka Songs Recommended for Karaoke – Male Singers Edition
- [Treasure of Powerful Enka] Takashi Hosokawa’s Easy-to-Sing Songs
- Queen of Enka: A roundup of Aki Yashiro’s easy-to-sing songs
- 【2026】Recommended Enka by Male Singers with Captivating High Notes
- [Flower News] A Collection of Hiroshi Takeshima’s Easy-to-Sing Songs [2026]
- The Allure of Deep Vocals: A Collection of Yutaka Yamakawa’s Easy-to-Sing Songs [2026]
- From Comic Songs to Enka: Easy-to-Sing Songs by Ikuzo Yoshi [2026]
[Might Guy] A roundup of easy-to-sing songs by Akira Kobayashi (1–10)
With a fiery heartKobayashi Akira
A work notable for its distinctive sound featuring strings, “Atsuki Kokoro ni.” This piece includes few of Akira Kobayashi’s trademark upward-climbing long tones.
Since most of the long tones occur while the melody descends, even those who struggle with upward vibrato can sing it without issue.
It’s a kayōkyoku with a strong pop flavor, and advanced vocal techniques like kobushi do not appear at all.
However, the rhythm at the beginning of the chorus is somewhat irregular, so you’ll need to practice that part thoroughly.
Homeward Journey to the NorthKobayashi Akira
Hokkikō, a work that depicts the feelings of a man returning to his hometown.
This piece is characterized by a very gentle melody that perfectly matches its theme.
Above all, the tempo is extremely slow, allowing ample preparation before each entry in any part.
In addition, the vocal line itself is simple, and it does not feature the complex lines that often appeared in popular songs of that era using enka-style melismatic ornamentation.
With its narrow vocal range, it ranks among the easiest of Akira Kobayashi’s songs to sing.
Only a rainbow on my armKobayashi Akira
While Akira Kobayashi is known for works full of melancholy or powerful, upbeat numbers, he also has songs rich in mood.
Among them, the one I especially recommend is Ude ni Niji Dake (Only a Rainbow on My Arm).
Although it’s not a love-themed song, its melodic structure is extremely sultry, and at the end of the chorus you get his signature high, sustained note.
Because it’s an Akira Kobayashi piece, the vocal range is inevitably on the wider side, but there aren’t fine pitch inflections like kobushi, so it’s still a quite singable song.
Automobile Show SongKobayashi Akira
The classic “Automobile Show Song,” composed as an insert song for the film “The Dice You Threw Call Tomorrow.” As befits film music, it strongly features a comic-song flavor and maintains a cheerful melody throughout.
While it’s classified as kayōkyoku (Japanese popular song), its melody is closer to American pop of the time and doesn’t require the intricate pitch bends typical of kayōkyoku leaning toward enka.
However, there’s one spot right before the chorus begins and one spot within the chorus where a kobushi (ornamental vocal turn) appears, so take care with those parts.
In a dreamKobayashi Akira
Akira Kobayashi’s hidden gem “Yume-n-naka.” This piece is highly distinctive: the guitar part is blues, the overall performance is kayōkyoku (Japanese pop), and the vocal line is enka—a mix of multiple genres.
True to Kobayashi’s style, the enka-flavored vocal line has a relatively wide range, but it doesn’t feature fine-grained kobushi (melismatic turns).
The hiccup technique at the end of the chorus—where the voice flips for expressive effect—is a bit tricky.
If you find it too hard to sing, try adding a vibrato with a jaw-driven feel to emulate the kobushi.
Will you come with me?Kobayashi Akira
Kobayashi Akira’s classic “Tsuite Kurukai,” marked by its poignantly sorrowful melody, is impressive.
As is typical of Kobayashi’s songs, the vocal range is on the wider side, but in this piece the only true high-tone section is the long note right before the chorus, so it shouldn’t pose a major obstacle.
However, there is one instance of kobushi in the middle of the chorus, which calls for attention.
The kobushi here is closer to a Western-style vocal riff than to an enka-style kobushi, so some familiarity with that approach will be necessary.
In the distant Showa era…Kobayashi Akira
When it comes to Akira Kobayashi, his expansive high notes are striking, aren’t they? Of course, that’s part of his appeal, but his charm isn’t limited to the high register.
In “Tōki Shōwa no…,” you can fully savor the depth of his low tones.
As it’s a later-career work, his high notes were starting to fade, but that makes the low range all the more pronounced.
Simply removing long sustained high notes lowers the difficulty considerably, and on top of that, this piece has relatively little contour in the vocal line, making it an easy song to sing from multiple angles.