A poignant ballad song. A tear-jerking masterpiece of Japanese pop music.

Until the day I can no longer rememberback number

back number – Until the Day It Becomes Unrememberable (full)

This is a song by back number that portrays parting ways with a partner you walked through life with.

The loss you feel when the other person’s presence has shaped who you are—so deeply that it felt like they were half of you—is not easily filled, is it? This work sings of that profound sorrow, the loneliness of memories fading, and the complex feeling of wishing not to forget despite it all.

Released as a single in October 2011, it’s also included on the acclaimed album “Superstar,” and at the time it served as the ending theme for “JAPAN COUNTDOWN.” For those who have gone through divorce and are burdened with grief so heavy it feels impossible to recover from, this song will be there to say, “It’s okay not to force yourself to forget right now.” If you listen to this song and shed some tears, you might be able to look forward just a little.

Pale BlueYonezu Kenshi

Kenshi Yonezu – Pale Blue / Kenshi Yonezu

It’s a poignant love ballad written as the theme song for the drama “Rikokatsu.” The track is by singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu, also known under his Vocaloid producer name Hachi, and it was released in 2021 as his 11th single.

It’s a profoundly rich piece, with majestic strings that linger in your ears.

Yonezu’s emotive singing perfectly matches the sound.

The lyrics, filled with the wish for someone not to leave and to stay by your side forever, are another major draw.

This is exactly what it means to have your heart tighten.

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Araki Jakkan

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Stop this nightJUJU

JUJU “Stop This Night for Me”

This work delicately depicts that bittersweet moment when, on a night heavy with the sense of an impending breakup, the other person’s words of love only deepen the sorrow.

JUJU’s translucent vocals and the piano-centered arrangement gently draw out the unspoken tremors of the heart.

Released in November 2010, it gained attention as the theme song for the TV drama “Guilty: The Woman Who Made a Pact with the Devil.” It peaked at No.

10 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart and was selected for the Excellence Award at the 53rd Japan Record Awards.

Many listeners will relate to the heart that can’t accept the end and the wish for time to stop.

It’s a song that quietly stays by your side when you’re carrying the pain of heartbreak.

The Last ExcuseTokunaga Hideaki

Hideaki Tokunaga / The Last Excuse

Every one of Hideaki Tokunaga’s songs is poignant and moving.

Among them, I picked “Saigo no Iiwake” (The Last Excuse).

When he sings, the song itself takes on a certain sensuality.

If you listen alone in the middle of the night, there’s no doubt the sadness will deepen even more.

Pointillism Song (feat. Sonoko Inoue)Mrs. GREEN APPLE

Tenbyouno Uta

Mrs.

GREEN APPLE captivates listeners with their overwhelming expressive power.

This song, included on their single “Ao to Natsu” released in August 2018, was produced with singer-songwriter Sonoko Inoue.

As an insert track for the film “Aonatsu: Kimi ni Koi Shita 30-nichi,” it depicts the story of a man and a woman sensing an impending farewell at summer’s end.

The swelling emotions despite knowing time is limited, and the frustration of being unable to hold hands, are conveyed achingly through their two voices.

You can almost see memories piling up like scattered points before your eyes.

When you’re troubled by a love that can’t be, or on a sentimental night, listening to it will gently stay close to that helpless feeling.

My Room, My Dress Shirt, and MeHiramatsu Eri

The Room, the Dress Shirt, and Me (PV)

Eri Hiramatsu’s eighth single “Room, Dress Shirt, and Me,” released in 1992, was a big hit at the time and is still a song you hear today.

Many artists have covered it, which speaks to the song’s appeal.

While ballads are often about sadness, heartbreak, or life’s struggles, this song is a proposal from a woman’s perspective—one that moves you to tears in a touching way.

It’s a number that makes you want to listen again while carefully reading the lyrics.

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utatane

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I miss youRADWIMPS

RADWIMPS – Aitai

Released in March 2021, this song expresses the feelings held at the 10-year milestone since the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Placed at the end of the album “2+0+2+1+3+1+1 = 10 years 10 songs,” it conveys a pure longing to see someone—an emotion only RADWIMPS, who have continued singing for a decade, could capture.

It is a ballad whose quiet, emotive melody seeps into the heart, carrying thoughts for loved ones we can no longer meet.

Beyond being a prayer for those lost in the disaster, it also resonates with the sense of distance and loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, giving voice to the universal ache of “not being able to see someone.” It’s a song that gently stays by your side when you feel the loneliness of being apart from someone dear.