Miyagi Songs: Popular tracks that celebrate famous sights and specialties, and timeless pieces filled with love for home

Come to ShiogamaKikuchi Toshihiko

Come to Shiogama / Toshihiko Kikuchi

This is a song composed by Toshihiko Kikuchi, who hails from Shiogama City, which suffered devastating damage in the 3.11 disaster, with a heartfelt wish for recovery.

When local festivals and other events resume, the joy is all the greater, isn’t it? This song is also a recommended piece by the Shiogama Minato Festival Sponsorship Association, and it’s a festival tune that conveys the feeling of a fresh new start.

Michinoku NarukoAoi Kawori

Kaori Aoi “Michinoku Naruko” (Short ver.)

The hot spring town is set in the famous Naruko Onsen.

With nearly 400 hot spring sources in the Naruko Onsen area, Naruko is well known throughout Japan, and even its name evokes a sense of charm.

The lyrics, as expected, sing of the sorrow of deciding to part ways, but there’s another thing Naruko is famous for: kokeshi dolls.

Naruko kokeshi are known for the squeaking sound they make, and the lyrics, which liken a “kokeshi” to a woman and lament that the one being waited for never comes, are heartbreaking.

Natori RiverChiba Genta

“Natorigawa” Genta Chiba PV with superimposed titles

The Natori River is a Class A river that flows through Sendai City and Natori City into the Pacific Ocean, and it is also famous as an uta-makura (a poetic place-name).

The flow of the Natori carries spiciness and carries dreams, and it gently sings of the arrival of spring in Tohoku.

Although Genta Chiba is originally from Miyagi Prefecture, he has steadily built a loyal fan base across Japan through diligent grassroots promotion.

Nice to meet you, SendaiSawada Yuki

Nice to meet you, Sendai / Yuji Mori and the Southern Cross ♪ Yukio Sawada [With Lyrics]

This is an approachable song themed around Sendai City in Miyagi Prefecture.

Yuki Sawada’s vocals gently embrace the feelings of a woman who has just moved to Sendai as a bride.

You can sense her earnest resolve to seize happiness even as she feels bewildered by her new surroundings.

Among the many local songs produced by Southern Cross, its fresh and breezy atmosphere stands out.

While fully conveying Sendai’s charm, it beautifully portrays the mingled hopes and anxieties of starting a new life.

It’s a song that residents of Sendai—and those planning to move there—should definitely hear.

It’s sure to give you courage.

setting sunyoshida takurou

setting sun

This is a song written by folk singer Masami Okamoto based on real-life experiences.

The dice symbolize gambling, and the lyrics liken life to the encounters made while wandering and to the phrase “back to square one” when rolling the dice.

The ferry from Tomakomai, Hokkaido to Sendai is operated by Taiheiyo Ferry and still runs today.

Perhaps Sendai is the very first step back at the starting point.