Songs that hit home when you're feeling blue: masterpieces of Japanese music
“I feel a vague sense of anxiety and can’t find any energy.” “I’m struggling with my relationships.” Don’t you have times when you feel so down that you don’t know what to do?
All you want is to live immersed in simple happiness… but it’s so hard.
At times like that, rather than forcing yourself to grit your teeth and endure, it might actually be easier to stop pushing and let yourself cry it all out.
Here, I’ve put together a selection of classic Japanese songs that will stay close to your heart when you’re feeling unbearably blue.
I hope this article can be of help to you.
- [Melancholy] For when you want to sink all the way. Masterpieces that depict various kinds of gloom.
- [Dark Songs] A carefully curated selection of deeply dark tracks and heartbreaking songs that accompany you in tough times
- [Yami Song] Fight darkness with darkness!? Deep tracks that stay close to your pain
- [Yami Song] A mental breakdown track that sings the true feelings of a melancholic heart
- [Tearjerker] Songs that make your heart tremble with tears & moving tracks with lyrics that touch the soul
- [For High School Students] Melancholy Songs That Stay Close to Your Feelings [Tough Times]
- Masterpieces that sing of despair. Recommended popular songs.
- [For when you want to cry or feel sad] Tear-jerking masterpieces that make you cry when you listen
- [When You're Lonely] A Collection of Songs That Resonate With Those All Alone
- [Songs of Worries] Listening will gently lighten your heart. Masterpieces that speak for your feelings
- A masterpiece that sings of loneliness. Recommended popular songs.
- Masterpieces that sing about loneliness: J-pop to listen to when you're alone
- [Cheering Songs] Japanese tracks to listen to when you’re troubled, lost, or feeling anxious
Piercing songs to listen to when you're feeling melancholic: Masterpieces of Japanese music (31–40)
LonelinessMrs. GREEN APPLE
This track, included on the album ANTENNA released in July 2023, squarely asks how we confront loneliness.
It portrays the protagonist’s introspection as they try to take a step forward despite their weakness and sense of stagnation, with lyrics that are striking for the heartbeat that emerges not by rejecting loneliness, but by accepting it.
In live performances, it’s unveiled amid a spectacle of pillars of flame in the darkness, and despite being an album track, it instantly raises the venue’s energy with its commanding presence.
The sound—where dark emotionality coexists with the driving force of dance music—is truly one of a kind.
It’s a song that quietly stays by your side on nights when you want to face yourself or when you want to confirm the feelings deep in your heart.
Everyday lifeOfisharu Higedan Dism
In the days that pass as a matter of course, there are moments when anyone might suddenly feel, “I dread tomorrow.” This song by Official HIGE DANDism, a driving force in the J-pop scene, gently stays close to those restless feelings.
The lyrics portray the heart’s cries worn down by work and relationships, and a quiet despair toward things that can’t be changed.
Yet what makes this piece so affecting is that it isn’t merely dark.
Its calm, warm sound brings into focus the subtle kindnesses in everyday life and the fleeting moments of salvation, tightening the chest all the more.
Released in September 2023 as a double A-side single with “Chessboard,” it was written as the theme song for Nippon TV’s “news zero.” On nights when you can’t help but feel unbearably sad, why not sink into a sentimental moment with this song?
Omelet riceReoNa
It’s sure to resonate with anyone who couldn’t go to school.
Released digitally by ReoNa in May 2024, this track features lyrics and composition by Vocaloid producer Toa Kasamura and arrangement by Ryohei Arahata.
The lyrics, which begin with a question, symbolically portray the protagonist’s loneliness and sense of self-negation through the imagery of a lunchbox scene.
A wistful melody seeps into the heart.
It’s a song that gently reaches out a hand to those who, even while carrying pain, still wish to face forward.
in my placeHiguchi Ai
A song that embraces the parts of yourself that feel incapable and lights the courage to keep moving forward.
It’s the second installment of Ai Higuchi’s “Soliloquy Trilogy,” released digitally in August 2025.
The expansive sound and gentle vocals are a perfect match.
The lyrics depict the feelings of repeatedly grappling with self-loathing while taking one step at a time.
Try listening on a quiet night or on a heavy-footed morning on your way to class.
It will bring your heart’s pace back to your own stride.
Song of the Depressingly/Beautiful PeopleMakishimamu Za Horumon
Feeling that life is hard—maybe that itself is what it means to be alive.
This song by Maximum the Hormone is included on the album “Yoshu Fukushu,” released in July 2013.
Its lyrics, carrying a message to people struggling with depression and melancholy, stand out in stark contrast to the intense sound.
You can sense the band members’ conviction when they say, “We never intended to sing a shallow, feel-good anthem.” It portrays the pains of everyday life and inner conflict, marked by deeply expressive emotion.
It’s a track you’ll want to listen to when you’re ready to face your own shadow.
Songs that hit hard when you're feeling blue: Classic J‑Pop gems (41–50)
hydrangeaPEOPLE 1
A poignant ballad you’ll want to listen to on a rainy day.
This song, performed by PEOPLE 1, is a masterpiece in which vocalist Ito’s richly expressive voice gently sinks into your heart.
Released in June 2022, it colored the drama Kanakana’s most heartrending scenes as an insert song.
It was later included on the album Hoshimeguri, Kimi ni Kinsei.
The lyrics, which liken shifting romantic feelings to the seasons and hydrangeas, are lyrical and squeeze your heart even just to read them.
pickled plumsupittsu
They’re a skilled male band that has kept producing hits since the ’90s music scene.
The vocalist is Masamune Kusano.
It’s a relatively older song, but its downbeat tone is striking.
If you delve into the lyrics, you might even feel an indescribable sense of melancholy.