[For Seniors] Songs to Hum in March: Heartwarming Moments with Nostalgic Classics that Evoke Spring

Flowers ~Flowers for everyone’s heart~NEW!Sakushi sakkyoku: Kina Shoukichi

Hana ~Flowers for Everyone's Hearts~/Shoukichi Kina [With Lyrics] (covered by Mariko Miho) [Mihomari no Ototama]

This is one of Shokichi Kina’s signature songs, featuring a relaxed melody that evokes the beautiful sea and breeze of Okinawa and deeply touches the heart.

It conveys the importance of laughing and crying, gently encouraging each person to let a flower bloom within their heart.

Imbued with a wish for peace, the song has been passed down across borders since it was included on the album “BLOOD LINE,” released in June 1980.

It is also well known for being covered as the theme song of the 1995 film “Himeyuri no Tō,” and many people may find its melody nostalgic.

Humming it together with older adults while feeling the spring warmth will surely wrap you in a calm and gentle mood.

It’s a masterpiece that accompanies life’s milestones, inviting a time of richness of heart.

The Flower Girl of TokyoNEW!Haruo Oka

Tokyo Flower-Selling Girl, Nostalgic Song, Kayōkyoku (Japanese pop song)

This is a classic song that portrays the touching figure of a young woman selling flowers on a spring night, on a street corner in Tokyo just after the war.

The hint of melancholy that drifts within its cheerful vocals deeply resonates with listeners.

Released in June 1946, the single “Tokyo no Hanauri Musume” (The Flower-Selling Girl of Tokyo) has long been cherished as a signature piece by Haruo Oka.

Issued by King Records at the time, it became a song of hope for people during the postwar reconstruction era.

The friendly melody crafted by Gento Uehara is pleasant to the ear and remains timeless even today.

It’s perfect for March, when the first signs of spring can be felt—listen to it while reminiscing about your youthful days.

Humming along to its nostalgic rhythm naturally brings smiles and creates a heartwarming moment.

Flowers will bloom.NEW!Sakushi: Iwai Shunji/Sakkyoku: Kanno Yoko

Flowers Will Bloom Hanahasaku / Opening lyrics ♪ On a pure white snowy road / With easy-to-read lyrics [Choral Piece Chorus]

With the arrival of spring, a gentle yet powerful melody comes to mind.

With lyrics by Shunji Iwai and music composed by Yoko Kanno, this piece is a ballad that conveys the thoughts of the departed toward those left behind.

Its melody, evoking hope that life endures into the future beyond sorrow, is sure to kindle a warm light in listeners’ hearts.

Released as a single in May 2012, it was created as an NHK support song for reconstruction after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Known as an ongoing project standing with the disaster-affected areas, all performance royalties have been donated.

In March—the season of remembrance and new beginnings—why not hum it while thinking of someone dear to you? It may also spark conversations about the flowers blooming in each of your hearts.

Japanese bush warblerNEW!Sakushi: Hayashi Ryūha / Sakkyoku: Inoue Takeshi

Uguisu (♬ On a plum twig, the bush warbler—) by Himawari 🌻 with lyrics | Ministry of Education Song | Japanese bush warbler

Do you know the children’s song that takes as its theme the charming call of the bird beloved as a herald of spring? With lyrics by Yanagiha Hayashi and music by Takeshi Inoue, this piece was included in the government-issued textbook “Uta no Hon: Upper” published in March 1941.

You can almost picture it descending from plum-blossomed twigs and snow-dappled mountains down into the village.

Its light, lilting melody—like the bird’s distinctive call set straight to music—has a delight you can’t forget once you hear it.

Although it appeared in a wartime textbook, it is a gentle work that evokes a tranquil spring scene.

Hum it under the warm sunshine, and memories of childhood classrooms and nostalgic landscapes will come back, surely brightening your heart.

Goodbye for today.NEW!Moriyama Ryoko

Goodbye for today.

This classic by Ryoko Moriyama lights a warm glow in the heart during March, the season of farewells.

The lyrics, filled with unchanging friendship and the hope of reunion, let us feel hope even amid loneliness.

Originally born out of volunteer activities in 1966, it was released in 1967 as the B-side to the single “Love Is Blue.” Since then, it has been loved for many years, being broadcast on NHK’s “Minna no Uta,” selected in 2007 for the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ “100 Best Japanese Songs,” and even adopted as a station melody in 2018.

Its simple, beautiful melody is easy to hum—perfect for recreation time or moments of nostalgic reflection.

How about joining your voices together, reaffirming the bonds of friendship with everyone?

Until we meet againNEW!Ozaki Kiyohiko

Until the Day We Meet Again / Kiyohiko Ozaki (with lyrics)

Kiyohiko Ozaki, who took the Showa-era pop scene by storm with his overwhelming vocal ability and rich voice.

Released in March 1971, “Mata Au Hi Made” is an enduring masterpiece with lyrics by Yu Aku and music by Kyohei Tsutsumi, and it won the 13th Japan Record Award that same year.

Though it depicts the parting of a man and woman, it never turns maudlin; instead, its powerful message of stepping into the future while believing in a reunion is truly moving.

The following year, 1972, it was also chosen as the entrance march for the spring National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament, making it perfectly suited to a season of new beginnings.

Why not let the spring warmth inspire you to reminisce about your youthful days? If older listeners hum along together with friends, it’s sure to create a warm moment filled with fresh, beaming smiles.

White Plum Blossoms of YushimaNEW!Obata Minoru

White Plum Blossoms of Yushima (Song from Onna Keizu), 1942 (Vocals: Minoru Obata), Lyrics: Takao Saeki, Music: Yasuo Shimizu

Minoru Obata’s “Yushima no Shirayume (White Plum Blossoms of Yushima)” is a poignant masterpiece inspired by Kyoka Izumi’s classic Fuedzuka (Onna Keizu).

Set at Yushima Tenjin Shrine, it portrays the sorrowful love of Otsuta and Chikara, who must part despite their deep affection.

Obata’s sweet, heartrending voice vividly brings back the scene of the shrine grounds where white plum blossoms bloom.

This historically significant song was released as the theme for Toho’s film Fuedzuka, and at the time it was fondly known as “The Song of Fuedzuka.” Many listeners will surely remember shedding tears over the film or the Shinpaha stage productions.

As March ushers in the feeling of spring, why not listen to this nostalgic melody and say, “Back in those days…,” letting memories blossom into conversation?