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[Setsuna-kei] Incredibly tear-jerking! Classic heartbreaking J-pop songs

“Setsuna”-style J-POP.

Those wistful lyrics and melodies really make your chest tighten, don’t they?

Starting with Thelma Aoyama’s “Soba ni Iru ne,” this style was characterized by R&B-like love songs that were especially popular from the late 2000s to the mid-2010s.

If you’re from the “chaku-uta” generation (when people downloaded song snippets as ringtones), this might feel nostalgic.

As social media became widely adopted, the style evolved—lyric videos have become a staple, and it feels like there are now more angles from which people can find relatable points.

Here, I’ll carefully select and introduce some nostalgic hits that were popular back then, as well as modern “setsuna” songs!

There are plenty of tracks that speak the feelings you can’t put into words, songs that stay by your side, and songs you can’t help but get completely absorbed in.

I hope you’ll use this as a list to discover new, heart-piercingly bittersweet masterpieces.

[Setsuna-kei] So Heartbreaking You’ll Cry! Classic Bittersweet J‑Pop Songs (31–40)

Unchanging ThingsOku Hanako

A piano ballad that lets you sink into a wistful mood, as if longing for the summer that has passed.

The singer is Hanako Oku, a singer-songwriter often praised as someone whose “voice alone can move you to tears.” This work centers on the irreplaceable nature of everyday life and feelings that never fade, even as time goes by.

Its message—yearning to reach someone you may never meet again, transcending time and distance—truly strikes the heart.

Included on the single “Garnet,” released in July 2006, it served as an insert song in the feature-length animated film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, heightening the emotion of its climactic scenes.

It’s a number you’ll want to listen to on a slightly chilly evening at dusk, as you look back on your summer memories.

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Blue SnowBEGIN

A wistful, blues-tinged Christmas song that blends into the city nightscape.

Released in December 1990 as BEGIN’s second single, it became an early classic, peaking at No.

25 on the Oricon charts.

The track is also included on their second album, GLIDER.

From the lyrics, you can glimpse the solitary figure of the protagonist, standing alone on a glittering street corner with unspoken feelings that never reach their destination.

The melody, which sings of a love that vanishes as fleetingly as snow, brings a quiet poignancy to the listener’s heart.

Perhaps many will relate to those aching emotions that well up unseen precisely because the season is so festive.

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In conclusion

We’ve carefully selected and introduced a collection of “setsuna”-style J-pop songs.

Did you find a bittersweet track that resonated with your heart? While these poignant songs can feel sad, they also give voice to unspoken feelings, stay close to your heart, and create a strangely calming atmosphere.

I’d be delighted if you discovered a timeless “setsuna” song that’s special to you.