[Special Feature on the Yo-na-nuki Scale] Hit Songs and Classics That Evoke Nostalgia and a Sense of Wa (Japanese Aesthetics)
Songs that use the “yo-na-nuki” pentatonic scale, which evokes a distinctly Japanese mood and sense of harmony.
There are so many classic tunes like that all around us!
From massive hits everyone knows to timeless masterpieces passed down through generations.
The yo-na-nuki scale is a five-note scale that omits the 4th and 7th degrees.
It was advocated by Shūji Izawa, an educator from the Meiji era, and spread as a stepping stone to familiarize people with Western music.
It’s widely used in everything from children’s songs and enka to modern J-pop.
Many people probably find themselves soothed by that somewhat nostalgic, old-timey feeling it brings.
Here, we’ll carefully select and introduce famous songs that use the yo-na-nuki scale, including some newer tracks!
Let’s dive into the world of the yo-na-nuki scale!
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[Special Feature on Yonanuki Scale] Hit and Classic Songs (11–20) That Evoke Nostalgia and a Sense of Japanese Aesthetics
Ninjari Ban Bankyarī pamyu pamyu
I think many of Yasutaka Nakata’s compositions have a distinctly “Japanese” feel that you can recognize after just one listen.
The melodies that give that intuitive sense of “Japanese-ness” are precisely those using the yo scale (yonanuki).
Among Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s signature songs, “Ninjari Banban” especially conveys this.
It’s a masterpiece that skillfully layers the Japanese-style yo scale over dance music, and the secret behind Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s rise from Japan to global success may well lie in the yo (yonanuki) scale.
Fortune Cookie in LoveAKB48
AKB48’s huge hit single “Koi Suru Fortune Cookie.” It’s a song that got tons of people dancing and really fired everyone up.
While it’s popular as a very poppy, approachable track, it’s also known for using the yonanuki (fourth-and-seventh-omitted) pentatonic scale.
The chorus employs the so-called “Canon progression,” a gentle and pleasant chord sequence, making it a killer tune that, with a casual smile, hits all the sweet spots of a J-pop hit song.
SubaruTanimura Shinji
Subaru is a song released in 1980 as a solo work by Shinji Tanimura of the new music band Alice.
There are many songs that use the yonanuki (pentatonic) scale, each revealing different facets, but this piece in particular gives a distinctly nostalgic impression.
Released in the midst of the Showa era and becoming a massive hit, it stands as a representative number of that time—many people say it brings back memories of that era when they hear it.
It is a masterpiece that magnificently captures the sentiment of its age and proclaims it in a soaring voice.
summer festivalWhiteberry
The girls’ band Whiteberry’s cover of JITTERIN’JINN’s “Natsu Matsuri.” This song really feels like the perfect moment for the yonanuki scale to shine, doesn’t it? The yonanuki scale is a nostalgic, Japanese-sounding scale used in enka and folk music.
I think this track makes excellent use of the atmosphere that scale brings.
It’s a wonderful rock tune that captures the traditional excitement of a summer festival—set to taiko drum rhythms—through a Japanese-style melody built on the yonanuki scale.
I look up as I walkSakamoto Kyu
When we Japanese listen to songs that use the yonanuki scale, what we tend to feel is “a sense of nostalgia,” isn’t it? And no wonder—many traditional Japanese tunes, such as folk songs and school songs, are based on the yonanuki scale.
A quintessential example is Kyu Sakamoto’s ‘Ue o Muite Arukō’ (known internationally as ‘Sukiyaki’), which also fits this category.
The strong Showa-era vibe and nostalgic atmosphere you feel when hearing this song come precisely from its use of the yonanuki scale.
It may well be the most representative example of a song in this scale.
When I Was Your ManBruno Mars
Bruno Mars’s classic “When I Was Your Man”—I was surprised too—but this heartbreakingly resonant song actually uses the yo-nanuki (pentatonic) scale.
It’s a piano-and-vocal number that Bruno sings with great emotion, and the approachable melody that matches the song’s relaxed tempo is exactly the hallmark of the yo-nanuki scale.
The yo-nanuki scale is used quite a lot in music from overseas as well, and if you look into it, I think you’ll find plenty of surprising examples like this one!
[Special Feature on Yo-na-nuki Scales] Hit and classic songs (21–30) that evoke nostalgia and a Japanese vibe using the Yo-na-nuki scale
Don’t Look Back In AngerOasis
The yo-na-nuki scale is made up of five notes, created by removing the 4th and 7th degrees from the basic scale.
“Yo-na-nuki” is the Japanese term, while overseas it’s called the pentatonic scale.
Oasis’s Don’t Look Back in Anger is a legendary UK rock anthem, and it also uses this scale! However, it doesn’t end up sounding like Japanese enka thanks to elements like the eighth-note rock beat, the feel of the English lyrics, and the overall rock sound.
Indeed, behind many beloved, catchy melodies, you’ll often find the yo-na-nuki (pentatonic) scale.