A classic of poignant, heartwarming songs. Recommended popular tracks.
When your heart is weary or wounded, you may find yourself wanting to listen to moving songs and sink into a pensive mood.
Here, I’ve compiled a list of poignant and touching Japanese songs that are perfect for just such moments.
- [Tearjerker] Songs that make your heart tremble with tears & moving tracks with lyrics that touch the soul
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- A nostalgic song—a timeless classic that somehow feels familiar and touches the heart.
Masterpieces of bittersweet, moving songs. Recommended popular tracks (41–50)
Stay with meIsland
This Island was formed by the brothers Masao Shiroma and Toshio Shiroma, who had been active as the vocalist and guitarist in the Okinawan hard rock and heavy metal band called Former Murasaki.
They created Island and formed an AOR band, but Masao Shiroma was involved in scandals in 2002, 2004, and 2005, and Toshio passed away from leukemia in 2011.
TRUE LOVEFujii Fumiya
These days there are young people who don’t know the former Checkers, but TRUE LOVE is sung at karaoke and is a song everyone knows, and it was also the single released after their breakup.
I used to think this was a heartbreak song, so it feels strange that it’s somehow played at weddings.
painVaundy
This song is imbued with deep insight into the absurdity of life.
It sincerely confronts the meaning of birth and the burdens humans carry, using weighty lyrics to raise probing questions.
Its mellow sound and arrangements that consciously evoke a subtle sense of dissonance make this message-driven track all the more striking.
Released on YouTube in June 2019, this work is Vaundy’s first original song as an artist.
It was also included on a CD released exclusively at a self-organized live show the same year, and was performed at a no-audience solo concert at Shibuya CLUB QUATTRO in August 2020.
It’s a recommended listen when you want to think deeply about how to live and your relationship with society, or when you wish to reexamine the meaning of life.
It gently stays close to the listener’s heart and will evoke profound empathy.
to cry innocently; to weep with a childlike airAKASAKI
This is a heartwarming song that delicately portrays the desire to protect someone precious.
The lyrics weave a world where love and longing for the other person intersect, resulting in a track that quietly seeps into the heart.
Crafted with AKASAKI’s naturally gentle vocals, the song has drawn significant attention, including being selected as Kiss FM KOBE’s recommended Japanese track for January 2025.
It marks the seventh single for AKASAKI, an 18-year-old singer-songwriter currently in high school.
This piece is one you’ll want to listen to when thinking of someone important who is far away, or someone who is no longer by your side.
Why not immerse yourself in its warm sonic world—like a tender whisper in your ear—while letting your feelings for a loved one grow deeper?
brilliant; radiant; dazzlingMiura Daichi
Woven with a melody envisioned as a letter to someone who has passed away, this heartwarming piece resonates deeply with listeners.
Daichi Miura’s delicate vocals and beautiful voice gently enfold feelings for a loved one in this tender ballad.
Released in June 2022, the song served as the theme for the NHK morning drama Chimudondon and won the Best Drama Song at the 113th The Television Drama Academy Awards.
Filled with profound love and gratitude for a grandmother, it radiates a gentle, comforting warmth.
When your heart is stirred by thoughts of someone dear or gratitude for family, listening to this song will bring healing.
DON’T FORGET MY NAMEShimizu Shota
A deeply resonant ballad by Shota Shimizu.
Released in May 2025, it serves as the lead track on the album “Pulsatilla cernua.” The song conveys an earnest desire for listeners not to forget their bonds with loved ones, even while walking a solitary path.
The music video’s beautiful visuals set in the city of Osaka are also striking.
It’s a song that offers comfort to those facing a turning point in life or thinking of someone dear who lives far away.
To my belovedET-KING
When it comes to ET-KING’s straightforward, pure and heartrendingly moving songs, this one—To My Beloved—fits the bill.
I truly hope you’ll give it to someone special.
Since lyrics are everything in rap, the lyrics in this track are simply outstanding.