[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] Masterpieces and Popular New Year Tracks to Hear in the New Year (31–40)
A HAPPY NEW YEARBase Ball Bear
A song by the rock band Base Ball Bear, included on their October 2021 album DIARY KEY.
Drawing on motifs of New Year’s visits to Meiji Shrine and the rising sun, it expresses heartfelt wishes for people’s happiness.
Its refreshing, buoyant band sound and Sekine’s gentle vocals are striking.
I think it’s the perfect number for spending time with someone special over the New Year holidays.
Let’s fill our hearts with hope for the coming year!
New Year (Japanese New Year)Denki Gurūvu
Speaking of New Year’s, it’s a festive day when you stuff yourself with delicious food from noon, get New Year’s money, and laze around… right? Denki Groove’s “Oshogatsu” captures that celebratory feeling to the fullest in musical form.
With its unique twists and turns, once you hear it, it becomes addictive—you’ll want to play it on repeat during a New Year’s when there isn’t much to do.
The sense of intoxication that carries you all the way through the outro is irresistible.
Immerse yourself in a New Year’s vibe like nothing you’ve experienced before!
kite (traditional Japanese kite, lit. “servant/henchman kite”)fuki no tō
Let me introduce “Yakko-dako,” a song by Fuki no Tou, a folk duo from Hokkaido who debuted in 1974 and were active for 18 years until 1994.
The song centers on the theme of kites flown high during the New Year.
You can picture a kite gliding freely through the sky, unconcerned with the passage of time.
Since their breakup, there hasn’t been any talk of a reunion, and perhaps the members of Fuki no Tou are each freely walking their own paths now.
It’s a charming song that I recommend for the New Year season.
Kuroda-bushi
The Kurodabushi is a folk song handed down in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and because its lyrics encourage drinking, it is often sung at banquets.
It is said to have been composed based on a rather pitiable anecdote: when the warlord Kuroda Nagamasa visited fellow warlord Fukushima Masanori during the Edo period, he got carried away while drunk and handed over something he had never intended to give.
Even when he later asked for it back, it was not returned.
New Year’s gatherings, where you drink and get excited with people you don’t usually see, make it easy to get carried away.
Please be careful not to lose something important like in this song.
Happy New Yeardongurizu
Kicking off in 2020, the childhood-friend music duo Dongurizu’s song “Kinga Shinnen” is a track that gives a jolt of energy to the typically laid-back New Year period! The lyrics cover common New Year’s customs as well as things you ought to get done during the holiday.
It’ll make you think, “I didn’t realize there was so much to do during a New Year that flies by so quickly.” The fast-paced arrangement—featuring a rap section—is another highlight.
Give it a listen as an upbeat New Year’s tune you can enjoy!
[New Year’s Songs] Masterpieces and Popular New Year Tunes to Hear in the New Year (41–50)
Winter’s hype-uppy bakkon!iginari touhoku san
This winter party song delivered from Tohoku features rap themed around wintry staples like snow and mochi—definitely the highlight.
Its high-energy, upbeat lyrics are packed with positive messages that make you forget the cold! Included on the first album “Tohoku Inbound,” released in March 2020, the track also charms with local references like the SENDAI Pageant of Starlight and Sanriku oysters.
It’s a lively tune that makes you want to head outside and have fun even in the cold winter—perfect for getting everyone hyped together right after the New Year.
Etenraku
Etenraku, considered one of the classics of Japanese traditional music known as gagaku, is perhaps the most famous piece.
You often hear it when visiting a shrine for New Year’s prayers, and just listening to it conjures up the feeling of the New Year, doesn’t it? The piece is said to have originally been used in important ceremonies in China and was brought to Japan around the Nara period.
Its distinctive, flute-like timbre spreads expansively, evoking a sense of the divine.
This coming New Year, while you’re out for your first shrine visit, try focusing on the music as well, and savor the New Year atmosphere more than ever.