A classic song about Nagano. The enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.

holidayDragon Ash

holiday

It’s a Dragon Ash song that depicts young people carrying various feelings through life in the city, who end up at Lake Suwa after a late-night drive and resolve to start living new days from tomorrow.

If you’re worn out by the dizzying pace of everyday life or feel the urge to escape the routine, you might feel as though the lyrics speak directly for your own emotions.

It’s also a great listen before a trip to Nagano to savor a break from the ordinary.

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Rain in AzuminoShimazu Etsuko

Rain in Azumino

One of Etsuko Shimazu’s signature songs, in which the rain falling in the Shinshu mountains resonates deep in the heart.

Haruo Yoshioka’s lyrics weave together the joy and pain of love, while Tetsuya Gen’s wistful melody beautifully portrays a heartrending romance.

Released by King Records in June 2003, the song has also been included in the albums “Etsuko Shimazu Complete Collection 2013” and “Etsuko Shimazu Best Selection 2014,” and has long remained beloved.

It is a song that gently accompanies those who carry memories of their hometown or past love in their hearts, and those standing at a turning point in life.

Lake Nojiri AloneMizumori Kaori

Nojiri Lake Alone / Kaori Mizumori 2020

This is a gem of a regional enka song, richly performed by Kaori Mizumori, capturing the feelings of a woman trying to heal a broken heart on the quiet shores of a Shinshu lake.

Against the beautiful scenery of Lake Nojiri, it vividly portrays her poignant resolve to sever ties with the past.

Released in April 2005 as the B-side to the single “Gonō Line,” it was also included on her 10th anniversary album the same year.

Highly recommended for those facing the end of a romance or seeking a fresh start at a turning point in life.

pointed hatKawada Masako

Pointed Hats ~ The Hill Where Bells Ring | Lyrics by Kazuo Kikuta, Music by Yuji Koseki

This is a song that became beloved as the theme for NHK’s radio drama “Kane no Naru Oka” in 1950, early in the postwar Shōwa era.

The drama, which depicted war orphans looking forward and living together in a mountain village in Nagano, was a major hit.

You may not have known about the radio drama itself, but perhaps you’ve heard this song somewhere before.

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Scarred KaruizawaBureddo & Batā

Karuizawa Full of Scars, Bread & Butter

This early masterpiece, released to the world in September 1969 as a debut single, is a song about a summer romance at a resort.

Its lyrics depict moments in Karuizawa with a woman in a black lace gown, beautifully expressing the bittersweetness of a sweet love in a heavenly place that eventually becomes wounded like fallen leaves.

With poetic lyrics seamlessly fused with a refined melody, the piece is praised as a pioneering work that bridged folk and pop.

It’s a perfect song for those who like to picture the scenery of Karuizawa or nostalgically look back on a past romance.

Shinano ProvinceNaganoken

Shinano no Kuni 4K Video

This is a prefectural anthem overflowing with local pride that enjoys overwhelming support from the people of Nagano.

Composed as a school song in 1900, it was officially adopted as the prefectural anthem in 1968.

Its lyrics, which comprehensively cover Nagano’s rich mountains and rivers as well as notable historical figures, are distinctive, and it’s counted among Japan’s three great prefectural anthems.

Although its content is like a geography or history textbook, the melody is easy to remember and singing it sets your heart ablaze.

It was even performed at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, and it’s a song whose passion will surely overwhelm you, even if you’re not from Nagano Prefecture.

Suzaka City AnthemSakushi: Minamisawa Tsuguo / Sakkyoku: Yamada Kousaku

Suzaka City Anthem

The Suzaka City Song—a dignified ode to the majestic nature of Shinshu and love for one’s hometown—features lyrics by Tsuguo Minamisawa and a solemn melody by Kosaku Yamada.

Premiered in October 1957 at the Suzaka Elementary School auditorium, the work depicts Nagano’s beautiful scenery over three verses: the seven-colored rainbow, the flow of the Chikuma River, and the bounty of the surrounding mountains, powerfully expressing civic pride and hope for the future.

Yamada remarked that he was able to compose it in one go, affectionately calling the piece “my child.” Created to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Suzaka’s incorporation as a city, it has continued to be sung at milestones such as Coming-of-Age ceremonies and graduations, cherished across generations as a song that nurtures love for the hometown.