Timeless songs that go perfectly with autumn leaves. Autumn tunes ideal for beautiful scenery and drives.
During the fall foliage season, our hearts are captured by the beautiful landscapes that shine in the crisp autumn air.
Of course, the breathtaking views at famous spots are wonderful, but even the small scenes we come across in everyday life can soothe us.
Those vivid hues of red, yellow, and orange.
Spend the moment with music, and you’ll create even more wonderful memories.
In this article, we’ve picked songs that pair perfectly with autumn leaves.
There are plenty of autumn-themed songs, but surprisingly few that focus specifically on fall foliage.
So we’ve also included tunes that match a leisurely stroll, perfect drive songs for cruising down a momiji (maple) road, and some ballads as well.
We hope this helps you choose the perfect BGM for your fall foliage outings.
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Masterpieces that pair well with autumn foliage: perfect fall songs for beautiful scenery and drives (11–20)
Missing AutumnMISIA
At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony, MISIA sang Japan’s national anthem “Kimigayo,” earning acclaim for her overwhelming vocal power and commanding presence as a national singer Japan can proudly present to the world.
“MISSING AUTUMN” is a track included on MISIA’s eighth original album, “EIGHTH WORLD,” released in 2008.
With its refined J-pop feel rooted in R&B, it truly showcases MISIA’s signature style.
Coupled with the poignant lyrics MISIA wrote herself—evoking a sense of lovers parting with the arrival of autumn—the song feels perfectly suited to the season of autumn leaves.
Come to think of it, many songs that evoke autumn seem to be about farewells…
Embraced by the wintry windKoizumi Kyoko
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!
The Wind RisesMatsuda Seiko
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?
In the season of wind and falling leavesKawaguchi Kyogo
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.
Tokyo autumn foliageyakozen
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.
A bird that cannot flyyuzu
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.
Masterpieces that pair perfectly with autumn leaves. Fall songs ideal for beautiful scenery and drives (21–30)
The wintry wind does not cry.Sakurazaka46
This work, included on Sakurazaka46’s 13th single “Unhappy birthday Syntax,” is a song performed by the BACKS members.
It was released in October 2025.
The motif is the chilly winds of autumn, and the resolve embedded in the title—“I won’t cry”—conveys a strength that strives to overcome pent-up frustration and loneliness.
Its heartrending melody and cool, airy sound really stir the emotions.
It’s a dramatic idol song perfect for the nip in the air during the colder season.