“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 blue: Masterpieces of Japanese music (1–10)
moonlightOnitsuka Chihiro
It’s an undisputed masterpiece of contemporary Japanese music.
Despite being her debut song, it’s extremely dark.
However, as the title “Moonlight” suggests, it strongly evokes a kind of gentleness that exists only in the night, making it, I think, a healing song.
Even if it’s one of a kindNEW!kujira
That sudden sense of loneliness, the impatience that comes from comparing yourself to others.
KujiRa’s “Even If I’m an Only One” gives voice to those feelings that have nowhere to go.
Released digitally in July 2025, the track is also included as the coupling song on the CD single featuring the opening theme for the anime “Shabake.” The lyrics, which capture fragments of contemporary life, and the light yet somehow wistful melody slip right into your heart.
We all have those nights when we worry we’ll never become anyone at all, don’t we? In those moments, KujiRa’s distinctive choice of words is sure to gently loosen a heart grown stiff.
Title of mineBUMP OF CHICKEN
One song from the popular rock band BUMP OF CHICKEN.
Among their tracks, this one is said to be among the darkest.
Its candid outpouring of inner feelings seems to be very popular with some fans.
ARRIVAL TIMEBRAHMAN
This is a song that stays close to the hearts of people carrying sorrow or suffering.
It was included on a single released by BRAHMAN in September 1999 and reached No.
6 on the Oricon weekly chart.
The lyrics, which convey deep emotion, and the distinctive sound rooted in hardcore punk are truly stirring.
TOSHI-LOW’s powerful vocals seem to give courage to those who listen.
It’s recommended for times when you feel lost in life or want to face yourself.
Be sure to listen to it slowly on a quiet night.
flower burialL’Arc〜en〜Ciel
It’s one of L’Arc~en~Ciel’s signature songs, notable for its fantastical atmosphere and heartrending lyrics.
Hyde’s translucent vocals and Ken’s arpeggios resonate beautifully together.
Released as a single in July 1998, it was first performed on a TV Asahi music program that March.
The lyrics, imbued with the sorrow of lost love and longing for the past, evoke deep emotions.
If you’re struggling with relationships or feeling a vague sense of anxiety, listening to this song may soothe your heart.
Try giving it a listen alone on a quiet night.
I don’t have an umbrella.Inoue Yosui
It’s a fun date with someone you love, but it’s raining outside… That alone can make you feel pretty depressed, right? Inoue Yosui’s 1972 song “Kasa ga Nai” (“I Don’t Have an Umbrella”) sings about that familiar, everyday gloom that anyone can fall into, as well as the melancholy that overflows in the world.
There are all sorts of problems out there, and sometimes they even affect our own lives.
But the lyrics honestly say that the issue pressing down on me right now is, for me, the most important one of all—and that’s the charm of this song.
Perhaps when we feel down is precisely when we should think about what truly matters and what we truly need.
If being alive is painfulNEW!Moriyama Naotaro
It’s a ballad whose shocking opening line makes everyone doubt their ears—and then captures their hearts.
Sung by Naotaro Moriyama, who frames the world from a unique perspective, this masterpiece lays bare both the pain and joy of living.
The lyrics, written by poet Ochanomizu Kazu around 1997, were turned into a song after Moriyama happened upon them.
Released in August 2008 as his 16th single, it also drew attention as the CM song for Shuto Iko, Osaka Isen, and Nagoya Isen.
Its paradoxical wording delivers a message that affirms “living,” one that should especially resonate with those carrying deep worries.
Rather than forcing yourself to be cheerful, why not listen quietly on a night when you want to face your heart with calm?