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

Azusa No. 2karyūdō

Azusa Nigo (2015 Remaster)

This song, with the wonderful harmonies of the brother duo Kariudo, is a breakup song about a woman who decides to leave her boyfriend and set off for the Shinano region with another man on the Azusa No.

2.

At the time of its release, as the lyrics say, Azusa No.

2 was a down train heading from Shinjuku toward Matsumoto.

However, when the timetable was revised in 1978, a year after the release, even-numbered trains, including Azusa No.

2, were changed to the opposite direction—up trains.

Because of that, there’s a well-known anecdote that soon after the release, the actual train no longer matched the song’s lyrics.

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.

Chikumagawa RiverItsuki Hiroshi

Chikuma River

Chikuma River, which accounts for 60% of the Shinano River—the longest river in Japan—has long had its surrounding natural beauty celebrated in poetry, from the Man’yōshū to works by Toson Shimazaki.

Hiroshi Itsuki’s “Chikuma River” was the final performance at the 1997 year-end NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, in part because it was just before the Nagano Olympics.

The lyrics of “Chikuma River”, too, sing of an unchangingly beautiful current and the nostalgic mood of Shinano, intertwined with memories of a first love.

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.

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.