Moody Japanese classics: recommended popular songs
I’ve put together a playlist of moody Japanese songs—popular hits, timeless classics, and hidden gems—perfect for twilight or nighttime, when you want to savor some grown-up time.
It’s great for relaxing alone, or for listening quietly with your spouse, partner, or someone special.
Enjoy a wonderful time.
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Moody Japanese Classics: Recommended Popular Songs (31–40)
Boat SongYashiro Aki
This is one of Aki Yashiro’s signature songs.
The opening lyrics are very famous.
It’s a wonderful piece where the contrast between the male-perspective lyrics of a ‘man’s song’ and Yashiro’s gentle aura really shines.
Listening to this track puts me in a New Year’s Eve mood.
rootKing Gnu
A warm, gem-like mid-tempo ballad that sings of the value found even in those who don’t stand out.
Alongside the characteristically beautiful piano and strings of King Gnu, nursery rhyme–style choral parts and contemporary beats are interwoven, culminating in a weighty track that evokes the passage of time.
It’s a precious song imbued with deep affection—quietly accompanying one’s feelings and gently embracing care for someone dear.
Written as the theme song for the TBS Sunday drama “Diamonds Sleeping in the Sea” in October 2024, it’s equally at home soundtracking peaceful moments with someone special or a nighttime drive, letting you savor a refined, adult-tinged ballad.
First LoveUtada Hikaru
Weren’t you shocked the first time you listened to this song? I heard that Hikaru Utada, who sings it, was 15 years old when it was released.
What kind of experiences could one have in just 15 years of life to be able to write a song like this? Besides this track, I also really love songs like “Hanataba wo Kimi ni.”
Someday Merry ChristmasB’z
A ballad by B’z that opens with richly seasonal imagery—city streets dressed for Christmas and gifts for a lover.
It’s a highly narrative masterpiece, delicately and meticulously portraying the feelings of a man who chooses a chair as a present and the poignant moment he realizes the relationship is ending.
Included on the mini-album “FRIENDS,” released in December 1992, and featured in Pepsi NEX’s Christmas commercial “Xmas Lover,” the song has become a familiar staple of holiday music heard on street corners.
It’s a track perfect for a moody winter night when you want to look back on memories with a lover, ideal for setting the tone of a grown-up Christmas with a glass in hand.
Love SongGReeeeN
A crystal-clear melody flows through the lounge.
This is a message song GReeeeN delivered in May 2007.
Its warm tones gently embrace feelings for someone dear, and its lyrics, conveying straightforward affection, quietly stir the heart.
The track was selected as the ending theme for NTV’s “Uta Sta!!” and Fuji TV’s “Ken Shimura no Daijoubuda II,” and it also drew attention as the song for Hoyu’s “Beauteen” commercial.
It peaked at No.
2 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart and achieved CD sales of 300,000 copies.
A rich, resonant piece that accompanies moments spent with someone special in a calm space wrapped in soft light.
Moody Japanese Classics: Recommended Popular Songs (41–50)
Goodbyeofukōsu
A gem of a ballad that gently and poignantly portrays a lovers’ parting.
Against the backdrop of a cold day when rain turns to snow, their memories and emotions are woven with delicate detail.
Kazumasa Oda’s clear, pure vocals beautifully convey the wavering heart of the protagonist who chooses to say goodbye.
Released in December 1979, the song was used as an insert track in the first season of the TBS drama “Mr.
Kinpachi in Class 3-B” and reached No.
2 on the Oricon weekly singles chart, making it one of Off Course’s signature classics.
It’s a soul-stirring piece you’ll want to listen to alone on a quiet night, glass in hand.
single bedSha ran Q
This is a gem of a ballad that strikingly portrays the poignant feelings of a heartbroken man.
Sharam Q released the song in October 1994. It was used as the ending theme for the Nippon TV anime “D·N·A²: A Girl Who Arrived?” and went on to become a million-selling hit.
It is included on the album “Rettōkan” (Inferiority Complex) and was later featured as an insert song in the 2017 film “Memoirs of a Murderer.” Furniture steeped in memories of a former lover is depicted as a symbol that highlights the protagonist’s loneliness, powerfully expressing a shift in values toward love.
This moving masterpiece is perfect for a calm night drive or for quiet moments when you think of someone dear.