[Ballads That Suit the Sea] A handpicked selection of fleetingly beautiful masterpieces perfect for summer listening!
When thinking of songs to listen to at the beach, many people probably imagine lively, upbeat tracks.
But the ocean suits not only sparkly, high-energy tunes—it also pairs beautifully with tender ballads.
In this article, we introduce Japanese ballad songs that go well with the sea.
From tracks that match the romantic ocean scenery at sunset or under the starry night sky, to gentle songs that let you reflect as you gaze at the waves, we’ve picked a wide range.
Enjoy the vast seascape together with your favorite ballad songs!
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[Ballads That Suit the Sea] A handpicked selection of fleetingly beautiful masterpieces perfect for summer listening! (21–30)
Islanders’ TreasureBEGIN
When it comes to representative songs by BEGIN, a band rooted in Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, you can’t leave out “Shimanchu nu Takara.” Released as a single in 2002, it’s a classic that has been covered by many artists.
The lyrics were written based on words from then-second-year middle school students, who wrote about their “feelings for the island” at the request of vocalist Eisho Higa, conveyed through a former classmate who was teaching at Ishigaki Municipal Ishigaki Junior High School.
The song was also used as the image song for the NHK TV program commemorating the 30th anniversary of Okinawa’s reversion to Japan.
SparkleRADWIMPS
It’s an emotional and captivating ballad, known as a memorable insert song from the film “Your Name.” and released in November 2016.
Created by RADWIMPS, it weaves in grand themes like fate and the future while expressing the sparkle of love and fateful encounters.
It’s a song that resonates when listened to by a quiet seaside, with the piano’s clear, transparent melody evoking light reflecting off the ocean’s surface.
If you listen while walking along the beach at dusk, or as if meditating under a starry sky, it will conjure up even more vivid scenes.
It’s a piece that makes any view feel more romantic and enriches the heart.
Your heart is marine blue.Sugiyama Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe
A nostalgic Omega Tribe ballad that was essential in the summer.
Since their previous songs were mostly upbeat numbers, the ballad revealed a new kind of appeal and became popular.
It’s definitely one of those tracks you want to listen to by the sea, so why not give it a spin again after a long time?
harborsupittsu
The steady sound of Spitz’s music is cleansing for the soul.
No matter the season or the moment, it feels like it gently stays by your side with a kind warmth.
Spitz’s song “Minato” is one you can listen to calmly without ever getting tired of it.
Let’s go look for fragments of stars.fukumimi
Fukumimi is a group formed by star artists from Office Augusta, including Kyoko, Shikao Suga, and Masayoshi Yamazaki.
Their first single, released in 1999, was “Hoshi no Kakera wo Sagashi ni Ikou Again,” a remake of Kyoko’s 1995 single.
It reached No.
9 on the Oricon Singles Chart and was used as the image song for NHK BS’s 10th anniversary.
It’s a track you’ll want to listen to while gazing up at the summer night sky by the sea.
Ephemeral FireworksKamisama wa saikoro o furanai
The rock ballad by God Doesn’t Roll Dice gently accompanies that faintly wistful feeling of bidding farewell to summer.
This work likens a blazing summer romance and its end to lights blooming and vanishing in the night sky.
Told from a female perspective, the lyrics conjure scenes like the mismatched footprints the two leave along the water’s edge, calling summer memories back to life.
Released in July 2020, the song was later included on the EP Cultural Singularity and the acclaimed album Event Horizon.
It’s the perfect number for late summer nights, when you want to be alone with your thoughts and sink into the ache of a bittersweet love.
At the end of summerT-BOLAN
T-BOLAN’s contributions are indispensable when discussing the J-POP scene of the ’90s.
While their hallmark is passionate rock ballads, they also have masterpieces that quietly seep into the heart.
This work sets the loneliness that creeps in at summer’s end and the helpless feelings toward a love that has passed onto an acoustic soundscape.
Rather than belting it out, the restrained vocals make each word stand out, all the more highlighting the protagonist’s bittersweet emotions.
This track is included on the band’s first acoustic release, the album “Natsu no Owari ni ~Acoustic Version~,” released in September 1992.
It’s a gem of a ballad—perhaps a little different from the songs you’d belt out at karaoke—that you’ll want to listen to intently while lost in thought on a summer evening.