Recommended songs about mountains: classic and popular tracks for mountaineering and mountain songs
Mountains are popular spots that people of all ages—from children to seniors—can enjoy through activities like climbing and hiking.
When you take in the majestic scenery and beautiful nature, your mind and body feel refreshed, and everyday worries and stress can start to seem small—you might even wonder, “Why was I so worried in the first place?”
In this article, we’ll introduce songs themed around mountains.
It’s packed with tracks you’ll want to sing with friends in the mountains and songs you’ll want to listen to before a hike.
By listening, you might get a sense of why so many people are so captivated by mountains.
- [Japan’s Tallest Mountain] Famous songs about Mount Fuji: recommended popular tracks
- Songs for every season: classic and popular tunes of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
- [BGM] Japanese songs for campfires and BBQs: A playlist of J-pop to enjoy while camping
- [Snow Songs] Classic winter tunes themed around snow. Snow songs that touch the heart.
- [Tearjerker] Songs that make your heart tremble with tears & moving tracks with lyrics that touch the soul
- [2026 Edition] Songs Loved by People in Their 60s: Classic Hits from Their Youth
- A song themed around a picnic. A perfect track for a picnic.
- Recommended songs for solo camping to listen to in nature
- Song of the Wind: A masterpiece themed around the wind. Popular songs [2026]
- Masterpieces that sing of the stars. Star songs that resonate in the heart, best heard beneath the night sky.
- Classic songs that sing about flowers. Popular songs related to flowers.
- Songs of the constellations: classic and popular tracks you’ll want to listen to while gazing at the night sky
- Tear-jerking songs recommended for men in their 50s: classic and popular Japanese hits
Recommended songs that sing about mountains: Classic and popular tracks about mountaineering and mountain songs (11–20)
Mikamoyama (Mount Mikamo)Nobby
This is the title track from Nobby’s original album “Mikamoyama,” released in March 2015.
It was issued as a single in July of the same year.
The song is about Mount Mikamo, which rises on the border between Sano City and Tochigi City in Tochigi Prefecture, where Nobby is from.
mountainKitajima Saburō
This is a song composed by Saburo Kitajima himself under the pen name Joji Hara.
It sings of a man’s way of life and outlook on life as he strives to surpass his master, a presence as immense as a mountain.
At the time, Kitajima was approaching the 30-year mark of his career, and the result is a grand, perfectly scaled piece.
Mountains of the Four SeasonsToba Ichirō, Tsubuki Miyu
Mountain Day, a new holiday that debuted in August 2016, garnered attention as the first national holiday established in 20 years.
To commemorate it, a song was created as the “Song of Mountain Day.” This piece, Shiki no Yama (Mountains of the Four Seasons), is a duet by Ichiro Toba and Miyu Tsubuki, and was released as a single together with Saburo Kitajima’s Yama, Utsukushiki (Mountains, Beautiful).
The song celebrates the beauty of mountains in each of the four seasons.
Smoke of the mountainItō Hisao
Up until the late 1950s, it’s said that various kinds of smoke rose over rural villages in addition to open field burning.
The smoke from these mountains could be called a late-autumn tradition, as people would make charcoal in preparation for winter.
This song depicts that scene, with lyrics by Yoshiro Okura and music by Hideaki Yashima.
Its melody is in a minor key, with touches of major interwoven here and there—an indescribably tasteful, slightly stylish effect.
Harvest Moon over Mount AkagiShimazu Aya
Set against the majestic backdrop of Mount Akagi, this song celebrates the friendship and fate of men.
Centered on the life of the chivalrous outlaw Chūji Kunisada, it unfolds with scenes reminiscent of a historical drama.
Originally released in 1939, it was powerfully reinterpreted by Aya Shimazu in July 2009.
Her commanding vocals bring the song’s deep emotions into even sharper relief.
You’ll be drawn into a world where the natural beauty of Akagi and human drama are interwoven.
It’s a great listen before a mountain hike to lift your spirits, and it’s also recommended for life’s turning points, such as when you’re about to part ways with a friend.
Praying to the mountain
In 1959 (Showa 34), a small booklet titled “Prayers to the Mountains” was created to call for the prevention of mountain accidents by compiling memoirs written by the bereaved families of victims.
The choral suite Prayers to the Mountains was composed based on the diary of a victim and the memoir written by his mother that were published in this booklet.
The suite’s structure, which shifts from a bright tone to an increasingly somber one, conveys the mountains’ terrifying side, not just their grandeur.
Recommended songs about mountains: classic and popular tracks for mountaineering and mountain songs (21–30)
Mount TsurugiKitayama Takeshi
This is a single by Takeshi Kitayama released in January 2009.
It centers on Mount Tsurugi in Tokushima Prefecture, the highest peak in the prefecture and one of Japan’s 100 famous mountains.
The song conveys the grandeur of the mountain.
Kitayama performed it at the 60th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen later that same year.