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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- Karaoke songs popular with women that they want men to sing
- [2026] Late-night listening! A roundup of recommended J-POP classics
- Enthralling mood kayō: A collection of classic Showa-era songs
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- Classic Japanese songs perfect for a relaxing day off
- A collection of nostalgic hits from the ’70s to 2000s that are perfect for livening up karaoke
- From Showa-era kayōkyoku to pop: songs that sound cool when you can really sing them
- Japanese songs perfect for the evening. Recommended evening tracks for your commute or as background music.
- [Sunset Songs] A selection of timeless classics and the latest tracks perfect for listening at dusk
- Songs That Attract Women in Their 40s: A Curated Selection of Male-Vocal Tracks That Women Love!
- [Popular and Crowd-Pleasing!] Stylish Song Selections and Karaoke Tracks
Moody Japanese Classics: Recommended Popular Songs (41–50)
NightmareSugiyama Kiyotaka
A song that feels like it stays close to you on a wistful night—that’s Kiyotaka Sugiyama’s latest work.
Its deep emotions and powerful melody blend exquisitely, leaving a quiet afterglow in the listener’s heart.
Included on the album “FREEDOM,” released in May 2023, it drew attention as his first new release in about three years.
Written by Sugiyama himself, the lyrics weave together reflections on past experiences, nostalgia for days gone by, and hope for the future.
It’s perfect as background music for spending time alone with a lover or someone special.
It’s also recommended for those who want to enjoy a relaxing night by themselves.
Wrapped in its comforting tones, this is a song that lets you feel the energy to face tomorrow.
Moody Japanese Classics: Recommended Popular Songs (51–60)
Hymn to LoveKoshiji Fubuki
When it comes to Japanese chanson singers, I think of Fubuki Koshiji.
She was also a former top otokoyaku (male-role) star of the Takarazuka Revue.
Hymne à l’amour is a song by the French chanson singer Édith Piaf, but the Japanese lyrics sung by Fubuki Koshiji are also passionate and wonderful.
It’s a song I’d like to listen to in a dimly lit bar while enjoying a good drink.
To Marie on Fifth AvenuePedoro & Kapurishasu
The vocalist at the time of this song’s release was Mariko Takahashi.
She performed this song at the 66th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen in 2015.
Forty-two years after its release, her voice has gained even more depth, giving the performance a richer, more moody quality.
A seagull is a seagull.Naoko Ken
Please take a look at Naoko Ken from back then.
She has a very distinctive face that actually feels quite contemporary.
The contrast between her chatty, childlike manner and the way she is when she sings is striking.
Her expression when she starts singing is mature and sultry.
She’s wonderful in variety shows as well, isn’t she?
Like the flow of a riverMisora Hibari
Hibari Misora, the songstress of the Showa era.
She had many other masterpieces, but the year this song was released, she sadly passed away, making it her final work.
The lyrics, which suit her later years perfectly, are deeply moving—and astonishingly, they were written by Yasushi Akimoto.
All-Night RadioAdo
Singer Ado, who made a sensational major debut in her teens and enjoys immense popularity at home and abroad as a Reiwa-era songstress, has released her 21st digital-only single, “All Night Radio.” The track was written as the theme song for the live-streamed stage drama Ano Yoru de Aetara.
Its lyrics, which capture the unique atmosphere you can only feel from late-night radio, conjure vivid scenes alongside an urban ensemble.
With a breezy arrangement that’s exquisitely nostalgic, it’s a pop tune recommended both as background music and as a go-to karaoke song.
My loverGorin Mayumi
This is a song that captures your heart from the very first notes.
It was written in memory of a former lover who died in a traffic accident, and you can feel the soul in both the lyrics and the vocals.
The clear, expansive voice heightens the sense of sorrow.
The lyrics, which express a wish that the breakup talk were only a joke, really pierce the heart.