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	Motherkariyushi 58		A song by Kariyushi58 that sings of gratitude to a mother
2	Islanders’ TreasureBEGIN		A classic Okinawan folk song from 2002 by BEGIN
3	A place to return toHY		A song by HY from Okinawa filled with love for their hometown
4	Island SongTHE BOOM		An iconic anti-war song with a Ryukyuan scale
5	Voice of the Seaurashima tarō (kiritani kenta)		Kenta Kiritani’s 2015 smash hit song
6	Child GodNatsukawa Rimi		An Okinawan lullaby depicting a mother’s warm love
7	Ryukyu Love SongMONGOL800		MONGOL800’s Wish for Peace
8	NEVER ENDAmuro Namie		A famous song praying for peace that was sung at the Okinawa Summit
9	Orion Beer, Okinawa’s prideBEGIN		BEGIN’s song that sings about Orion Beer
10	Tears Flowing EndlesslyMoriyama Ryoko		A famous song from Okinawa. Lyrics by Ryoko Moriyama, music by BEGIN.
11	Flower ~A Flower for Everyone’s Heart~Kina Shoukichi		A familiar hit by Shoukichi Kina from Okinawa
12	Tree of WadatsumiHajime Chitose		Chitose Hajime’s debut single is a big hit
13	Sanshin FlowerBEGIN		A heart-touching classic that sings of memories of Okinawa
14	Dynamic RyukyuNarisoko Yūko		Dynamic Ryukyu by Yuko Narusoko
15	Ryukyu MoonKuninaka Ryōko		Theme song of an Okinawan drama, Ryoko Kuninaka’s singing voice
16	Ryuka of PeaceSazan Ōrusutāzu		Keisuke Kuwata’s love for Okinawa and wish for peace
17	Tinsagu FlowersUema Ayano		A message that engraves a parent's teachings in one's heart
18	play yardMaekawa Morikata		The appeal and popularity of Okinawan folk song Ashibinaa
19	Sugarcane fieldMoriyama Ryoko		A beautiful song that mourns the Battle of Okinawa and prays for peace
20	Okinawa Prefectural AnthemOkinawa-ken		The History and Significance of the Okinawa Prefectural Anthem
21	OKINAWA SUMMER STYLEAnly		Anly, from Okinawa, a cute summer love song
22	Stay with meIsland		A nationwide hit from Okinawa by the Shiroma Brothers Band
23	KizunaORANGE RANGE		Lyrics and visuals that are characteristically Okinawan from an Okinawan band
24	Shall we go to Okinawa?sātā andagī		A promotional song that conveys the charm of Okinawa’s remote islands
25	Hainumika-jiYagi Fumitomo		Fumitomo Yagi’s Okinawan Music
26	Kariyushi Windkariyushi 58		Kariyushi song: themed around Okinawa’s words of protection
27	BirdsongCocco		Cocco requiem, a song filled with a gentle heart
28	Dance, TidusManami		Refreshing with the theme of the Okinawan sun
29	electrically illuminated chrysanthemumskariyushi 58		A melodic hardcore song about electrically lit chrysanthemums
30	National Route 508BEGIN		A song by BEGIN that showcases Okinawan culture
31	It’s okayji ma ma		A soothing piece featuring the gentle vocals and piano of Okinawa-born jimama that heals the heart.
32	Golden FlowerNēnēzu		Introduction to signature songs of Okinawan music groups
33	Deigoji ma ma		Feelings for my parents entrusted to the deigo flowers
34	RYU STYLEDA PUMP		DA PUMP Okinawan folk instrument rap song
35	Delicious OasisIrei Asano		A cheer song that sings of the dreams and hopes of Okinawa’s youth
36	With a sanshin in one handDiamantes		A message song for Okinawa’s younger generation, setting off into the world with the sanshin.
37	Grandma Obaa’s Signature Bomb Hot PotBEGIN		Expressing the strength of Okinawan women through Okinawan cuisine
38	Okinawa JusticeIN-HI		Sunny days are few and precious in Okinawa.
39	Across timeHY		The importance of life and hope through the Battle of Okinawa
40	Uguiutakariyushi 58		A pep song by Kariyushi58
41	Something that shouldn’t be thereHY		I'm moved by an elderly woman picking up tourists' trash
42	sunflowerCivilian Skunk		Sunflower, a band from Okinawa
43	drunkardSadoyama Yutaka		Okinawan-dialect folk singer Toyo Sadoyama
44	Mermaid’s TearsMaehana Yūsuke		Revival of the Meiwa Tsunami and the Mermaid Legend
45	LADYfēshi		Seisaku Kinjo's 'Lady' is a hit in Okinawa
46	Let’s walk facing forwardJonī Ginowan		Johnny Ginowan arranges it into an Okinawan version
47	Amerika-dori (America Street)Nēnēzu		An Okinawan number that sings about America Street in the Koza district
48	Pink WindROACH		A loud rock band expresses rosy feelings
49	HeidiZUKAN		A high school band from Okinawa is spreading energy from their hometown across Japan.
50	TeegeeNēnēzu		The Okinawan spirit of “nankurunaisa”
51	Nirai KanaiMAX		Fusion of MAX Okinawan music and Eurobeat
52	I’ll bring charisma.Shichinin no Karisuma		Contemporary arrangements of Okinawan music
53	WOO－TOO－TOO－WALTZ		Singing about the spirit of cherishing ancestors in Okinawa
54	Dynamic Ryukyuderakkusu x derakkusu		Okinawan Tradition and Modernity Fused: A Tropical Anthem
55	Hello UncleKina Shōkichi & Chanpurūzu		Introduction to a collaboration song by Shoukichi Kina and Champloose
56	Yuito of the WindHii de Katsu		Eisa song by Hidekatsu with an Asian timbre
57	No Woman, No CryDaitōjin		Arrange Bob Marley's songs into an Okinawan version
58	Tinsagu FlowersNatsukawa Rimi		Rimi Natsukawa covers the Okinawan lesson song
59	grandmaShimaji Isamu		Singing about a grandmother in the Miyako dialect
60	The Konohana of KunibunBEGIN		A moving masterpiece that expresses love for one’s mother through the sanshin
61	Kankara Sanshin UmushirumunBEGIN		Expressing family harmony with a cheerful sanshin melody
62	Me for youBEGIN		A song of gratitude and farewell to someone dear
63	Beautiful in the past, beautiful nowBEGIN		I feel nostalgia and peace from BEGIN’s island song
64	Okinawa Sunshine DayBEGIN		A summer tune blending blue skies and ska reggae
65	Basho-fu (traditional Okinawan banana-fiber cloth)Ishimine Satoko		Okinawan folk songs by Satoko Ishimine
66	ultramarinekariyushi 58		A rock song infused with Okinawa’s past and hope for the future
67	Be Nankuru-kunBEGIN		A soul-stirring song by a band from Okinawa
68	Flower CityIkuma Akira		A fusion work of Okinawan traditional music and rock
69	Dynamic RyukyuIkuma Akira		Ikuma Akira's Okinawa-only single
70	Hana nu Chura ShimaTokeiji Tsutomu		An Okinawan cultural anthem where the sanshin and pop music merge
71	poem, song, folk songNatsukawa Rimi		A soothing new song by Rimi Natsukawa that comforts the heart
72	LazuliMONGOL800, WANIMA		A collaboration song by two bands that depicts the nature and culture of Okinawa
Ryukyuan classical music
73	Kagiya-de Fūbushi		A classic celebratory piece of Ryukyuan classical music
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	Hello UncleKina Shōkichi & Chanpurūzu		Shokichi Kina’s debut song, A Wish for Peace
78	Akata Fu-bushi		Singing of feelings for a wife who hides her marriage and serves the king
79	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.
80	Akata Shuriden		Sung in the Okinawan children's song, “Miruku Uganju” (Welcoming Maitreya)
81	Nankuru Songrinken bando		Rinken Band’s Okinawan music fusion activities
82	Daughter JintoyoWagōku Yoriko		Kazuko Ganeko released a hit song in 1978
Okinawan folk songs
83	AkamabushiŌshiro Shiban		A song celebrating the return of the king’s prized horse
84	Ittaa anmaa maa kaiga		Arrange an Okinawan traditional lullaby in a hardcore style
85	Tinsagu FlowersKojya Misako		Okinawan moral lesson songs are used as departure melodies
86	Hello UncleKina Shoukichi		Shoukichi Kina’s debut song from his high school days
87	Milk MunariHii de Katsu		A representative song of Okinawan traditional dance, Eisa
88	Tōfun Doirinken bando		A folk song from Okinawa that is danced during the old Bon Festival
89	Asadoya YuntaNēnēzu		A folk song depicting an exchange between a Taketomi Island beauty and a government official
90	Festival of Celebrationotome tsubaki		“Iwai-bushi” is a song imbued with wishes for those suffering in this world.
91	Akata ShuridenNatsukawa Rimi		Departure melody at Shuri Station based on a traditional Okinawan hand-play song
92	sensory clauseNakasone Hajime		The Sensuru-bushi is a traditional performing art in which Okinawan folk songs are sung with dialect mixed in.
93	Ichubi measures		A woman, thinking of a man, visits under the pretext of strawberries.
94	Nakazun Nagare		Characteristics of Eisa’s signature song, Nakajun Nagari