[New Year’s Songs] Timeless classics and popular New Year tunes you’ll want to listen to at the start of the year
For New Year’s, you want to listen to songs that fit the season, right?
You might think of traditional pieces like “Haru no Umi,” but isn’t it surprisingly hard to find J-pop that feels perfect for New Year’s?
In fact, while there are tons of Christmas songs, there are relatively few songs for the New Year.
In this article, we’ll introduce lots of tracks you’ll want to play as the year begins, focusing mainly on J-pop!
Be sure to read to the end and soak up the New Year’s spirit!
Of course, we’ve also picked out the classic New Year’s staples!
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[New Year’s Songs] Classic and Popular New Year Tunes to Enjoy (21–30)
Rising SunEXILE
On New Year’s, we all want to watch the first sunrise and kick off the year with a fresh mindset, right? A song that perfectly fits that feeling is “Rising Sun,” released by EXILE in 2011 as their 37th single.
What’s more, the album containing this track, “EXILE JAPAN,” was released on January 1, 2012, making it truly the perfect song to mark a new beginning.
Even the title “Rising Sun” evokes the divine splendor of a sunrise! Soak up the power of this song and channel it into energy for the year ahead!
Tokyo Winter Session feat. Yuu Setoguchi, Natsuki Enomoto, Souta Mochizuki, Akari Hayasaka, Haruki Serizawa, Mio GoudaHONEY WORKS
A heart-fluttering love song about spending winter with someone you like.
It’s a collaboration between the creator unit HoneyWorks and a star-studded lineup of guest voice actors, released in 2017.
As part of the mixed-media project titled “Confession Executive Committee: Love Series,” it was used as the ending theme for the anime “Our Love Has Always Been 10 Centimeters Apart.” Its dialogue-style lyrics will have you grinning without realizing it—especially relatable for junior and senior high school students.
Definitely give it a listen as a couple.
New Year’s gift (money given to children)UNICORN
Unicorn, the rock band led by Tamio Okuda, is a wonderful group with a great sense of humor.
Their New Year’s song “Otoshidama” is a super fun track that will make you happy right from the start of the year.
It also has a kind of lucky vibe, and I think it will brighten everyone’s New Year.
Come, springhappiiendo
A very moody and dark New Year’s song, Happy End’s “Haru yo Koi.” This song, which commands spring to come, is the first track on their 1970 album “Happy End.” It opens with a scene that feels very New Year’s-like, but gradually reality sets in, painting a picture of a lonely, solitary New Year.
Still, you can sense a determination that says, “From here on, I’ll push through”—it’s a rare kind of New Year’s song that captures a season of endurance.
Lively winterBerryz Kōbō & Yaguchi Mari
As the title suggests, this is an extremely lively track that puts you in a joyful mood.
With lyrics sprinkled with New Year–related keywords like hatsumode (the first shrine visit of the year), omikuji (fortune slips), and mochi, it conjures up an image of a cheerful, bustling start to the new year with everyone having fun together.
Rock ‘n’ Roll New Year’s Gift MoneyOhtaki Eiichi
As the title suggests, this is a rare song themed around New Year’s gift money (otoshidama).
It’s a work by singer-songwriter Eiichi Ohtaki—also known as a member of Happy End, an iconic presence in the ’70s band scene—featured on his 1977 album Niagara Calendar.
The tune has that classic rock ’n’ roll spirit, which is great, isn’t it? The lyrics are full of words with a pleasing ring to them, making it delightful to listen to.
With this song, it feels like the year is sure to be a fun one.
I love New Year’s the most in the world.tendou nabiki
It’s a humor-filled song packed with New Year’s delights.
Released in January 1991 as a character song from the anime Ranma 1/2, it’s also included on the album “Ranma 1/2 Uta Goyomi (Heisei 3 Edition).” The lyrics brim with the joy of receiving New Year’s money, showcasing Nabiki Tendo’s fixation on cash—making it an irresistible track for fans.
Honestly, many people can probably relate to that feeling.