Timeless songs that go perfectly with autumn leaves. Autumn tunes ideal for beautiful scenery and drives.

Embraced by the wintry windKoizumi Kyoko

"Embraced by the Wintry Wind" Kyoko Koizumi (VINYL)

Ever since her glamorous debut as an idol from the so-called “Flower 1982 Generation,” Kyoko Koizumi—better known as Kyon-Kyon—has shown a range of activity that easily transcended the boundaries of idolhood with her unique sensibility and talent, achieving success both as a singer and an actress.

The song featured here, “Kogarashi ni Dakarete,” was released in November 1986, the season of autumn leaves, with lyrics and composition by Toshihiko Takamizawa of THE ALFEE—truly a classic you want to hear in late autumn.

It’s wonderful how, while romantically portraying the ache of unrequited love, the song also evokes a poignant loneliness that brings to mind the scene of autumn foliage turning to dead leaves, blown by the wintry wind and falling to the ground.

Koizumi’s restrained vocal performance, which captures the melancholy of autumn, is superb as well!

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

KOH-1

Report a problem

The Wind RisesMatsuda Seiko

Seiko Matsuda - The Wind Rises

When you hear the phrase “Kaze Tachinu” (“The Wind Rises”), some people might think of the Shōwa-era novelist Tatsuo Hori’s work, others might recall Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film, and still others may be reminded of Seiko Matsuda’s classic song.

For those who chose the third option, the quintessential autumn song is indeed Seiko Matsuda’s “Kaze Tachinu,” released in 1981.

Created by the longtime allies from the Happy End days, Takashi Matsumoto and Eiichi Ohtaki, this track stands as a masterpiece in the history of 1980s idol pop, a brilliant convergence of the talents of Matsuda, Matsumoto, and Ohtaki—and a turning point in Matsuda’s career as a singer in particular.

Why not become a traveler of the heart yourself, listening to this song as you watch the autumn leaves drift down?

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

KOH-1

Report a problem

In the season of wind and falling leavesKawaguchi Kyogo

Kyogo Kawaguchi – In the Season of Wind and Fallen Leaves

This is the title track from Kyogo Kawaguchi’s 2005 album “Kaze to Ochiba no Kisetsu ni” (“In the Season of Wind and Falling Leaves”).

It’s a gentle song that evokes the atmosphere of summer passing and the gradual drop in temperature.

Perhaps because autumn often carries the image of parting, the lyrics strikingly portray the ache of looking back on past memories in the autumn wind.

The song finely depicts the pain of everyday scenes overlapping with the scenes once shared by the two of them, which powerfully conveys the protagonist’s sense of regret.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

kappamaki

Report a problem

Tokyo autumn foliageyakozen

Nogodzen LIVE “Tokyo Autumn Leaves” Pistols Takehara, Hirochika Hamano

This is a song about autumn by Yakozen, the folk duo of Pistol Takehara and Hirochika Hamano.

Yakozen’s raw, stripped-down style centered on acoustic guitar and piano seems to draw out the full power of the words.

In this track, alongside an almost overwhelming surge of emotion, there’s also a mournful atmosphere.

Like autumn leaves turning color, the song urgently portrays the shifts in one’s life and feelings.

Even while carrying pain in the heart, it conveys a strong will to keep moving forward.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

kappamaki

Report a problem

A bird that cannot flyyuzu

Tobenaitori

This is a song by Yuzu that conveys a blend of freshness and melancholy.

From its acoustic sound, you can feel a cool sense of drive that seems to capture autumn—a season poised between heat and cold.

It begins with a relaxed mood, as if facing one’s own heart, and then unfolds in the chorus into a grand, powerful atmosphere that feels like the view is opening up.

The portrayal of this inner change overlaps with the autumn imagery in the lyrics, making it feel as though the scene before your eyes is being vividly dyed like autumn foliage.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

kappamaki

Report a problem

Scent of autumnBikkeburanka

Vickeblanka “Scent of Autumn” (official music video)

This is a song released in 2014 by Vickeblanka, known for arrangements that prominently feature high-tone vocals and piano.

From the very beginning, the soaring high notes instantly draw you into the world of the song.

It depicts the painful act of looking back on memories with an unforgettable loved one, while telling oneself not to remain stuck in place and to keep moving forward—a piece that evokes the loneliness of autumn.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

kappamaki

Report a problem

red-yellow fragrant olive (Osmanthus fragrans)Fujifaburikku

Fujifabric – Red-Yellow Osmanthus

That flutter in the chest at dusk in autumn, stirred by the elusive scent of fragrant olive drifting from who knows where.

Released in September 2004 as the autumn installment of Fuji Fabric’s Four Seasons series, this song delicately captures the moment when an invisible thing like a scent awakens memory.

From the opening guitar arpeggios, a lyrical mood wafts in as if the very air of autumn had been turned into sound, unfolding a lyrical world where impatience with the passage of time intersects with resignation toward fading memories.

Masahiko Shimura’s expressive power in portraying the subtle wavering of a heart that can’t fully give in to sentimentality is breathtaking.

Also included on their major-label debut album “Fujifabric,” it’s cherished as a staple that gets airplay on the radio every fall.

It’s a track you’ll want to savor on a long autumn night, recalling your walk home from school days.