From J-pop to folk songs! Popular and classic Okinawan tunes

For those of you looking for songs from Okinawa, this article introduces a wide variety of music related to the islands.

We’ve picked out everything from J-pop themed around Okinawa and Okinawan pops to traditional folk songs that have been passed down for generations.

Okinawan music is so captivating, isn’t it? From instruments like the sanshin and other traditional Japanese instruments to its distinctive vocal style—and that unmistakably Okinawan vibe!

Getting a bit musical here, but Okinawan music often uses a five-note scale known as the Ryukyu scale or the yo-nuki scale, built on the notes do–mi–fa–so–ti–do.

That very resonance of the Ryukyu scale is the secret behind the uniquely Okinawan atmosphere you feel in these songs!

Listen to the tracks we’re about to introduce and soak in the spirit of Okinawa.

Playlist

Okinawan songs / Okinawa songs
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	Islanders’ TreasureBEGIN		BEGI… is indispensable when talking about Okinawan music.
2	Island SongTHE BOOM		It's a nationally beloved song that everyone knows. 19...
3	Motherkariyushi 58		A representative song by Kariyushi 58, a band from Okinawa Prefecture...
4	Voice of the Seaurashima tarō (kiritani kenta)		In 2015, Mr. Kenta Kiritani, also known as Urashima Taro, re...
5	Ryukyu Love SongMONGOL800		As a rock band from Okinawa Prefecture, the current roc...
6	NEVER ENDAmuro Namie		At the 2000 Okinawa Summit, then-Prime Minister Obuchi...
7	A place to return toHY		By HY, a band whose members are all from Okinawa Prefecture, Oki...
8	Child GodNatsukawa Rimi		This song is about a mother soothing her newborn baby...
9	Orion Beer, Okinawa’s prideBEGIN		A dish featuring Okinawa’s local beer, Orion Beer, ...
10	Flower ~A Flower for Everyone’s Heart~Kina Shoukichi		A classic that many artists have covered…
11	Tears Flowing EndlesslyMoriyama Ryoko		As an Okinawan song, this piece is also very famous and widely...
12	Sanshin FlowerBEGIN		Speaking of BEGIN, I was about to mention a song related to Okinawa…
13	Dynamic RyukyuNarisoko Yūko		Singer-songwriter from Okinawa Prefecture, Narusoko…
14	Tree of WadatsumiHajime Chitose		The debu... by Chitose Hajime released in 2002...
15	Ryukyu MoonKuninaka Ryōko		The NHK morning drama series set in Okinawa, '...
16	Ryuka of PeaceSazan Ōrusutāzu		Even among Southern All Stars’ songs, there are Okinawan el…
17	Tinsagu FlowersUema Ayano		The departure melody at Kenchomae Station on the Okinawa Urban Monorail...
18	Sugarcane fieldMoriyama Ryoko		A work for which Naohiko Terashima wrote both the lyrics and the music...
19	play yardMaekawa Morikata		Locals pronounce it as “Ashibinaa.”…
20	OKINAWA SUMMER STYLEAnly		Making full use of an acoustic guitar and a looper…
21	KizunaORANGE RANGE		The well-known Okinawa-born band ORANG…
22	Hainumika-jiYagi Fumitomo		Okinawan folk songs, pop, and Black music...
23	Stay with meIsland		After the breakup of the legendary rock band “Murasaki,” the Shiroma brothers…
24	Deigoji ma ma		It's a song by parents from Okinawa. The deigo (Indian coral tree) is representative of Okinawa...
25	Kariyushi Windkariyushi 58		The band name “Kariyushi” is an Okinawan word…
26	National Route 508BEGIN		When it comes to musicians from Okinawa, we mustn’t forget...
27	BirdsongCocco		It’s a famous song sung by Cocco. It was created as a requiem…
28	electrically illuminated chrysanthemumskariyushi 58		The “den-shō chrysanthemums” cultivated in Okinawa—their flowers...
29	Shall we go to Okinawa?sātā andagī		At the time, this was on the TV show “Quiz! Hexago...
30	Golden FlowerNēnēzu		In 1990, under the production of Sadao Chin…
31	It’s okayji ma ma		A soothing piece featuring the gentle vocals and piano of Okinawa-born jimama that heals the heart.
32	Dance, TidusManami		It’s a song by the Okinawan artist manami...
33	Delicious OasisIrei Asano		A refreshing song that sings of the dreams and hopes of Okinawan youth…
34	Okinawa JusticeIN-HI		Okinawa undeniably evokes a strong image of blue skies and blue seas...
35	Uguiutakariyushi 58		In Okinawan, it means “a song to give (as a gift)”…
36	RYU STYLEDA PUMP		Achieved a comeback in 2018 with 'U.S.A.'
37	Across timeHY		A song composed after hearing my grandma’s tragic experiences in the Battle of Okinawa…
38	With a sanshin in one handDiamantes		A message song for Okinawa’s younger generation, setting off into the world with the sanshin.
39	Something that shouldn’t be thereHY		An elderly woman picking up the trash left behind by tourists...
40	Grandma Obaa’s Signature Bomb Hot PotBEGIN		“Grandma’s pride: the Bomb Hotpot” — even just the title…
41	sunflowerCivilian Skunk		Sweeping through countless competitions and auditions...
42	Let’s walk facing forwardJonī Ginowan		As a singer of local specialty products, Joni suddenly came into the spotlight...
43	Amerika-dori (America Street)Nēnēzu		Not in Naha City where Kokusai Street is, but here...
44	drunkardSadoyama Yutaka		A folk singer from Koza City in Okinawa Prefecture, Oki...
45	The Konohana of KunibunBEGIN		Set to the gentle tones of the sanshin, heartfelt feelings for a loved one...
46	Be Nankuru-kunBEGIN		A soul-stirring song by a band from Okinawa
47	Me for youBEGIN		A song of gratitude and farewell to someone dear
48	Hello UncleKina Shōkichi & Chanpurūzu		Introduction to a collaboration song by Shoukichi Kina and Champloose
49	Yuito of the WindHii de Katsu		Eisa song by Hidekatsu with an Asian timbre
50	HeidiZUKAN		Formed by a group of close friends from Okinawa Prefectural Ginoza High School…
51	No Woman, No CryDaitōjin		Bob Marley's classic song “No Woman …”
52	Mermaid’s TearsMaehana Yūsuke		The great Meiwa tsunami that once struck the Yaeyama Islands. About…
53	I’ll bring charisma.Shichinin no Karisuma		Contemporary arrangements of Okinawan music
54	LADYfēshi		Known to those in the know, Masashi Kinjō wrote the lyrics and composed the music...
55	TeegeeNēnēzu		Famous as something that represents the temperament of the people of Okinawa...
56	Dynamic Ryukyuderakkusu x derakkusu		Okinawan Tradition and Modernity Fused: A Tropical Anthem
57	Pink WindROACH		ROA, a leading loud rock band from Okinawa...
58	WOO－TOO－TOO－WALTZ		Convey the Okinawan people's feelings of cherishing their ancestors…
59	Kankara Sanshin UmushirumunBEGIN		Expressing family harmony with a cheerful sanshin melody
60	Beautiful in the past, beautiful nowBEGIN		The soothing tones of the sanshin permeate the heart, BEGIN’s warming…
61	Okinawa Sunshine DayBEGIN		A summer tune blending blue skies and ska reggae
62	grandmaShimaji Isamu		A singer-songwriter from Miyakojima City, Okinawa Prefecture...
63	Basho-fu (traditional Okinawan banana-fiber cloth)Ishimine Satoko		It’s a representative folk song of Okinawa. It was made famous by “Hana”...
64	Tinsagu FlowersNatsukawa Rimi		Rimi Natsukawa covers the Okinawan lesson song
65	Nirai KanaiMAX		Of the four-member female dance unit MAX, Okinawa's...
66	Hana nu Chura ShimaTokeiji Tsutomu		An Okinawan cultural anthem where the sanshin and pop music merge
67	LazuliMONGOL800, WANIMA		This song, which vividly depicts the scenery of Okinawa, the Ryukyuan cu...
68	Flower CityIkuma Akira		A fusion work of Okinawan traditional music and rock
69	Dynamic RyukyuIkuma Akira		Ikuma Akira's Okinawa-only single
70	ultramarinekariyushi 58		A rock song infused with Okinawa’s past and hope for the future
71	poem, song, folk songNatsukawa Rimi		A soothing new song by Rimi Natsukawa that comforts the heart
Ryukyuan classical music
72	Kagiya-de Fūbushi		A classic celebratory piece of Ryukyuan classical music
73	Hello UncleKina Shōkichi & Chanpurūzu		Shokichi Kina’s debut song, A Wish for Peace
74	Naka Fu-bushi		The chūka of Ryukyuan folk songs is a hybrid of waka and ryūka.
75	Tōfun Doi		A fast-picking piece of Ryukyuan folk music for Kachāshī
76	Sanzan-bushi		Expressing mother-child separation in a Ryukyuan classical lament
77	Akata Fu-bushi		Singing of feelings for a wife who hides her marriage and serves the king
78	Onna-bushi		The origin lies in a poem by a female poet of the Ryukyu Kingdom criticizing a decree that banned entering and leaving the village.
79	Akata Shuriden		Sung in the Okinawan children's song, “Miruku Uganju” (Welcoming Maitreya)
80	Nankuru Songrinken bando		Rinken Band’s Okinawan music fusion activities
81	Daughter JintoyoWagōku Yoriko		Kazuko Ganeko released a hit song in 1978
Okinawan folk songs
82	AkamabushiŌshiro Shiban		A song celebrating the return of the king’s prized horse
83	Ittaa anmaa maa kaiga		Arrange an Okinawan traditional lullaby in a hardcore style
84	Tinsagu FlowersKojya Misako		Okinawan moral lesson songs are used as departure melodies
85	Hello UncleKina Shoukichi		Shoukichi Kina’s debut song from his high school days
86	Milk MunariHii de Katsu		A representative song of Okinawan traditional dance, Eisa
87	Tōfun Doirinken bando		A folk song from Okinawa that is danced during the old Bon Festival
88	Asadoya YuntaNēnēzu		A folk song depicting an exchange between a Taketomi Island beauty and a government official
89	Festival of Celebrationotome tsubaki		“Iwai-bushi” is a song imbued with wishes for those suffering in this world.
90	Akata ShuridenNatsukawa Rimi		Departure melody at Shuri Station based on a traditional Okinawan hand-play song
91	sensory clauseNakasone Hajime		The Sensuru-bushi is a traditional performing art in which Okinawan folk songs are sung with dialect mixed in.
92	Ichubi measures		A woman, thinking of a man, visits under the pretext of strawberries.
93	Nakazun Nagare		Characteristics of Eisa’s signature song, Nakajun Nagari