A classic, bittersweet youth song. Recommended popular tracks.
It’s nice to take some time now and then to reminisce and get a little sentimental, isn’t it?
This time, I’ve gathered Japanese songs that sing about those passionate yet fickle days of youth.
I hope that by listening to these tracks, you’ll be able to say, “The past is the past!” and move on.
A classic of bittersweet youth songs. Recommended popular tracks (1–10)
Blue BenchSasuke
The harmonica intro has a lovely sense of melancholy.
The chorus that unfolds from the calm melody line is heartrending.
It’s a song I want you—now a little more grown-up—to listen to, recalling your youth and the person you loved, memories that resurface no matter how many years go by.
The world is falling in loveCHiCO with HoneyWorks
This song was used as the opening theme for the anime Blue Spring Ride (Ao Haru Ride).
Its music video, with its poignant worldbuilding and storyline, also became a hot topic.
The story is well-crafted, so you can experience the entire track as a single narrative.
With a catchy melody and beautiful vocals, it gently sinks into your heart.
Shadows of SummerMrs. GREEN APPLE
This work feels like it bottles up that indescribable loneliness carried in by the end of summer.
In scenes where a gentle breeze and lengthening shadows signal the changing season, it portrays a pale first love hidden behind the excuse of blaming a racing heartbeat on “summer.” It carries a message that seems to scoop up the bittersweet feelings that accompany the irreversible passage of time as we slowly grow up.
The song was released by Mrs.
GREEN APPLE in August 2025, marking their first summer anthem in about seven years since “Ao to Natsu.” It also served as the theme for Kirin’s Gogo no Kocha commercial featuring Ren Meguro of Snow Man, whose nostalgic worldview moved listeners.
It’s the perfect track for recalling a past romance on a summer evening.
All of the YouthFujifaburikku
This is a song that’s often mentioned as one you want to listen to at the end of summer.
There’s the literal end of the season, and there’s also the “summer” that each person experiences, and I get the impression this song is listened to at those turning points.
It’s a track that makes you feel it’s wonderful to have something you can’t help but remember—even after many years—or something you want to remember.
Run Through the MemoriesMy Hair is Bad
This heartwarming ballad was written as the theme song for the film Crayon Shin-chan: Our Dinosaur Diary.
As the closing track on the album ghosts, released in July 2024, it’s a masterpiece that makes you realize how the days and memories shared with loved ones shape who you are now.
The lyrics, which Shiiki says were written “for someone,” overflow with a gentleness that can transform even a painful past into the strength to move forward, and many listeners are sure to be deeply moved.
Though the rhythm is relaxed, the emotional swell in the chorus is breathtaking and powerfully shakes the listener’s heart.
Give it a listen when you want to reflect on time spent with family and friends, or when you need the courage to take a step forward.
blue budsoraru
It’s a heartrending coming-of-age song that stirs the heart.
Like an unopened, blue bud, the delicate and unstable feelings of youth are portrayed over a gentle melody.
The lyrics capture inexpressible emotions and the subtle distance between two people, resonating deeply with listeners.
Soraru’s clear, transparent vocals further elevate the song’s world.
Released in April 2023, it struck a chord with many listeners.
It’s perfect for those who want to reflect on the sweet-and-sour memories of their youth, as well as those in the midst of it right now.
It’s a track that lets you bask in the past while feeling hope for the future.
KanadeSukima Suichi
Sukima Switch’s second single, released in 2004.
Set on a train platform, this song portrays a farewell to someone precious, interweaving the joy of how meeting that person changed the way the world looks with the heartache of letting them go.
Many listeners have been moved to tears by the protagonist, who tries to deliver the belief that hearts remain connected even when apart through song.
Featured as an insert song in the film “Rough” and as the ending theme for “Netto Koshien,” it has accompanied countless scenes of graduation and parting.
It’s a gentle, compassionate piece that softly encourages you as you carry memories of someone dear and step forward onto a new path.