Recommended for the Yutori generation! Tear-jerking masterpieces from the J-pop scene
Have you ever unexpectedly found tears streaming down your face while listening to music?
Beyond songs that are bittersweet or sad, music can carry powerful messages or a warm sense of comfort that truly moves the heart.
This time, we’re introducing tear-jerking tracks especially recommended for the Yutori generation.
From universally known hit songs to hidden gems, we’ve compiled a wide selection—so be sure to find the tracks that resonate with your heart!
- Just listening makes my chest tighten... Breakup songs recommended for the Yutori generation
- Tear ducts guaranteed to burst! Heart-wrenching masterpiece songs I’d recommend to Gen Z
- Winter songs you'll want to listen to in the cold season! Recommended for the yutori generation
- It cleanses the soul… Great J-pop songs recommended for the yutori generation
- Bittersweet feelings come rushing back! Recommended love songs for the Yutori generation
- Tear-jerking J-pop from the ’90s. Hit songs and real tearjerkers.
- Tear-jerking songs recommended for women in their 30s: timeless Japanese hits that touch the heart
- Tear-jerking songs recommended for women in their 40s: classic and popular Japanese tracks
- Masterpieces with the theme of “tears.” A roundup of moving tracks that tug at the heartstrings.
- A lineup of classic hits! Karaoke songs recommended for the yutori generation
- Tear-jerking masterpieces sung by male artists that I’d recommend to Gen Z
- Tears for a heartrending story… Tear-jerking songs by women recommended for the Yutori generation
- Tear-jerking songs recommended for women in their 50s: classic and popular Japanese hits
Recommended for the Yutori Generation! Tear-jerking J-POP Classics (21–30)
Love PhotosOtsuka Ai
Ai Otsuka’s 13th single, released in 2006.
Chosen as the theme song for the film “Heavenly Forest” (Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru), this piece is a poignant love song that expresses pure feelings for a past lover.
It’s a piano- and string-driven ballad in which the melody leaps in the chorus as if pouring out pent-up emotion, stirring a heart-wrenching sensation.
There’s even an anecdote that the song influenced the film’s title, which speaks to the power of its words.
The feeling of still loving someone after a breakup, and the inability to forget the happy moments locked in memory, is something many of us have experienced at least once.
It’s a song that brings tears with its pure, heartfelt longing for the one you love.
Wherever you areONE OK ROCK
A tear-jerking rock ballad that sings a vow of eternal love: “No matter where you are, I’ll always be by your side.” One of ONE OK ROCK’s signature songs, included on their 2010 album Niche Syndrome.
It was featured in NTT Docomo’s 2015 commercial “Family,” and ranked No.
1 for songs used at weddings for two consecutive years, 2017 and 2018.
It’s a track you’ll want to hear when you want to reaffirm your bond with someone important, especially if you’re not great at expressing your love straightforwardly.
crescent moonayaka
Even when we’re apart, our hearts are connected.
This is Ayaka’s ballad that paints such a bittersweet yet warm feeling.
Released in 2006 as her fourth single, it was featured in an au “LISMO” commercial and used as the theme song for NHK General TV’s “Mirai Kansoku Tsunagaru TV @Human.” While carrying the loneliness of a long-distance relationship where you can’t meet, the song portrays thinking of each other by looking up at the same sky.
That pure bond is sung with tender care.
On a long autumn night, it’s a song that makes you want to gaze at the moon outside your window and think of someone dear.
It’s perfect for quietly remembering friends from your school days or a lover far away.
366 daysHY
A gem of a ballad by HY, a mixture band from Okinawa, included on their 2008 album HeartY.
Chosen as the theme song for the film Threads of Red, it became a major hit.
Based on member Izumi Nakasone’s own experience of heartbreak, the lyrics candidly portray the aching feelings of being unable to forget someone after a breakup.
Carried by a simple piano melody, the powerful vocals convey the protagonist’s pain and lingering attachment with great depth.
Though centered on an unfulfilled love, it’s a masterpiece that brings the feelings for the other person poignantly to the fore.
Letter to TomorrowTeshima Aoi
A heartwarming ballad gently portraying people looking ahead in life with both hope and unease, framed by the motif of a letter from the future.
Aoi Teshima’s translucent voice resonates deeply alongside the beautiful arrangement of piano and strings.
First released in July 2014 on the album “Ren’dez-vous,” the song drew renewed attention in February 2016 as the theme for Fuji TV’s Monday 9 p.m.
drama “Someday I’ll Remember This Love, and Surely I’ll Cry.” The piece won the Best Theme Song Award at the Tokyo Drama Awards 2016.
When you find yourself pausing on the path toward your dreams, or when you want to be close to your feelings for someone important, why not listen quietly? It will surely become a tear-jerker of a song for you.
DEPARTURESglobe
A love song that defined the ’90s, where a heart-stirringly beautiful melody and gentle vocals resonate deep in your chest.
Through the faint hopes and anxieties born from sharing the same days, and the eventual parting and new beginnings, this single—released in February 1996—lovingly captures the memories the two protagonists walked together.
Its familiar dance tune and bittersweet romantic feelings lead you into a breathtakingly dramatic progression.
Featured in JR East’s ski campaign “JR ski ski,” it was etched into many people’s hearts alongside the striking visuals of Yutaka Takenouchi and Makiko Esumi.
An eternal classic from globe, dedicated to everyone setting out on a new path.
To the futureKiroro
This is a heartwarming ballad that depicts the strong bond between mother and child.
Born from experiences in junior high school, the piece carries a message filled with love for a child and hope for the future.
Its gentle piano melody is striking, and Chiharu Tamashiro’s clear, pure vocals are deeply moving.
Released in June 1998 as Kiroro’s second single, it achieved an impressive No.
4 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.
It has been covered by numerous artists and was also featured as the theme song for P&G’s “Bridge of Feelings Project” commercials.
Brimming with a parent’s love for their child and a child’s gratitude for their parent, this song is also beloved as a graduation anthem—sure to evoke memories of youth.