[Yutori Generation] Heart-piercing, bittersweet songs & lyrics that touch the soul

Love PhotosOtsuka Ai

Ai Otsuka / Love Photograph

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.

Close your eyesHirai Ken

Ken Hirai 'Close Your Eyes' MUSIC VIDEO

This work sings of the grief of suddenly losing a loved one and the love that still refuses to fade.

Released in 2004, the song was written as the theme for the film “Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World” and topped the Oricon year-end singles chart.

Close your eyes and the smile, tears, and warmth of that precious person surface.

The bittersweet feelings—sensing loss in everyday life and cherishing even that pain—are delicately expressed through Ken Hirai’s rich vocals.

Singing of the resolve to live while holding onto feelings that never fade with time, this piece is sure to resonate with anyone who has experienced parting from someone dear.

MetronomeYonezu Kenshi

Kenshi Yonezu – Metronome

A song that overlays the gradual misalignment of two people’s relationship with an instrument keeping a steady rhythm, conveying a poignant sense of missed connections that tugs at the heart.

Included on the 2015 album “Bremen,” this track powerfully conveys the helplessness of starting in the same tempo only to drift apart over time, as well as the lingering attachment that makes you keep searching for the other person even after you’ve parted.

The animated music video—hand-drawn by Kenshi Yonezu himself with about 200 illustrations—visually deepens the song’s world and leaves a strong impression.

For anyone with an unforgettable love or who has experienced growing apart from someone dear, this is a sorrowful yet beautiful ballad that resonates deeply.

Stop this nightJUJU

JUJU “Stop This Night for Me”

This work delicately depicts that bittersweet moment when, on a night heavy with the sense of an impending breakup, the other person’s words of love only deepen the sorrow.

JUJU’s translucent vocals and the piano-centered arrangement gently draw out the unspoken tremors of the heart.

Released in November 2010, it gained attention as the theme song for the TV drama “Guilty: The Woman Who Made a Pact with the Devil.” It peaked at No.

10 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart and was selected for the Excellence Award at the 53rd Japan Record Awards.

Many listeners will relate to the heart that can’t accept the end and the wish for time to stop.

It’s a song that quietly stays by your side when you’re carrying the pain of heartbreak.

DOLLSJanne Da Arc

Janne Da Arc – DOLLS

A heart-wrenching ballad by Janne Da Arc that captures the final conversation between lovers who have decided to part ways.

The questions exchanged at the shoreline at dusk, the reason for the tears, and the memory of that moment of being held close all rise vividly, like a scene from a film.

Released in May 2004 as a limited-edition first entry in a three-week consecutive single series commemorating the band’s fifth major-label anniversary, it reached No.

7 on the Oricon weekly chart and earned Gold certification.

Despite having no tie-in, the song maintains enduring popularity thanks to yasu’s heartrending storytelling and an arrangement resonant with strings.

Anyone who has ever had to choose separate paths despite caring for each other will feel their chest tighten every time they hear this track.

inside youmilet

inside you

This is a single that delicately weaves together the emotional sway between deep introspection—venturing into the depths of the heart—and the will to step out into the world.

Released digitally as milet’s debut track in February 2019, it was issued the following month as the title song of the EP “inside you EP.” It was selected as the opening theme for the Fuji TV drama “Scandal Specialist Lawyer QUEEN,” and won the Best Theme Song at the Tokyo Drama Awards 2019.

Produced by Toru from ONE OK ROCK, the track is notable for its fusion of an electronic texture with rock.

It depicts the inner conflict of striving to move forward while confronting one’s own weaknesses and pain, and is sure to resonate deeply with those living with past wounds and doubts.

It’s a song that gently gives you a push when you’re lost in thought alone at night or facing an important decision.

Your TraceMomoiro Kurōbā Zetto

Your Trace

Released in July 2011, this is a quiet ballad included on Momoiro Clover Z’s album “Battle and Romance.” Its clear, piano-led melody seeps gently into the heart.

Lyrics and composition are by Shinya Tada, with arrangement by Magokoro Ikuta.

The song portrays feelings for a beloved person who is setting off, and the lingering pain of a farewell that won’t fade.

Alongside everyday scenes like rain and umbrellas, it captures the aching sense of emotions that went unspoken, remaining as “traces” on the heart.

The members’ sincere vocals deliver the emotion just as it is, making tears well up before you know it.

Born during a turning point for the group, this track remains a signature song on the acclaimed album that won the 2012 CD Shop Award, and it continues to be sung today.

It will resonate deeply with anyone who has parted ways with a friend or seen someone dear off on their journey.