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

Messenger from the MoonBaishō Chieko

Chieko Baisho Messenger from the Moon

The film dates from the 1930s to the 1950s, and its theme song—sharing the same title as the film—was released in 1949.

The story is set on a plateau in Nagano Prefecture, and the title “Messenger from the Moon” refers to the heroine, Michiko, a nurse renowned for her exceptional beauty.

The theme song was also recorded as a duet by the lead actor and actress, among others, but for people of that era, Chieko Baisho’s rendition seems to be the most memorable.

Matsumoto Bon BonMaekawa Yōko

Matsumoto Bon Bon

Matsumoto Bonbon is the largest summer festival in the prefecture, held in Matsumoto City on the first Saturday of August every year.

The name’s origin is said to come from a girls’ event called “bonbon,” where girls in yukata carried lanterns, wore pokkuri clogs, walked through town, and comforted the spirits of their ancestors.

In the second verse of the song, the mention of Aoyama-sama refers to a boys’ event said to have been combined with it, in which boys raised the banners of Aoyama Shrine and carried a portable shrine (mikoshi).

A Summer Resort Romancecherisshu

A Summer Resort Romance

The duo Cherish, who scored numerous hits with their refreshing duets, released this song at a time in the 1970s when, rather than having weddings overseas, it was many girls’ dream to get married in a stylish church in Karuizawa.

It’s a perfect song for the fresh-faced Cherish, who were dreaming of marrying the ones they loved.

A slightly capricious migratory birdHikawa Kiyoshi

Kiyoshi Hikawa / A Slightly Capricious Drifter [Official]

This song by Kiyoshi Hikawa, synonymous with matabii-style enka, is a local-themed tune that journeys from Miho no Matsubara to the Amagi Pass in Izu and, finally, from Komoro in Nagano to Kutsukake-juku—now Nakakaruizawa in Kitasaku District, Nagano—the 19th post station from Edo, where it stirs maternal feelings as it recalls the singer’s mother back home.

Elegy of the Chikuma RiverNomura Mina

Mina Nomura “Elegy of the Chikuma River”

The Bessho Line mentioned in the song is a local railway that connects Ueda Station to Bessho-Onsen Station in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture.

Throughout the lyrics, landmarks around Ueda—such as Ueda Castle, the Chikuma River, and references to the Sanada clan—appear, but it is a heartbreak song.

It portrays a wounded heart that shares the harshness of winter and the pain of lost love, while wishing for the flow of the Chikuma River to carry the sorrow away.

Kiso KoishigureKitajima Saburō

Kiso Koishigure - Saburo Kitajima / by Nogawakawa

Enka singers have performed a great many so-called local songs, and Saburo Kitajima has sung about regions across almost the entire country—from Hakodate no Onna in the north in Hokkaido to Okinawa no Onna in the south.

As for why Kiso, among the many picturesque solo-travel destinations in Nagano Prefecture, was chosen as a theme, perhaps it’s because Kiso, with its numerous post stations along the Nakasendo, fit the enka image as a stage setting.

Karuizawa Hotelsadamasashi

Karuizawa Hotel / Masashi Sada ♭6

It’s one of the tracks from the original album “ADVANTAGE.” It was the theme song for the stage play “Karuizawa Suite” performed at the 2nd Masashing WORLD Concert held in 1985.

It conveys the loneliness of Karuizawa at summer’s end and the feelings of lovers who parted at a Karuizawa hotel.