![[Ode to Joy] A handpicked selection of happy songs and bright tunes that make your heart dance just by listening!](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/bt8wNQJaKAk/maxresdefault.webp)
There are many moments in everyday life when we feel joy—like being united with someone you love, achieving a goal, or making up with someone you were fighting with.
In this article, we’ll introduce popular Japanese songs that sing about joy or make you feel joyful when you listen to them.
Each track is filled with warmth and happiness, so give them a listen when things aren’t going well or when you’re feeling down.
It’s also great to listen together with someone important to you or someone you like to strengthen your bond.
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Ode to Joy: A handpicked selection of feel-good, uplifting songs and bright tunes that make your heart dance just by listening! (1–10)
I LOVE…Ofisharu Higedan Dism
Released in 2020 as a song by Official HIGE DANDism, this love song was chosen as the theme for the drama “Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Doko Made mo” (Love Lasts Forever).
The lyrics convey a warm feeling: though initially bewildered by someone who suddenly appeared in your world, before you know it that person has become indispensable.
While it’s not an upbeat, high-energy celebration song, listening to it naturally makes you happy, thinking, “I’m glad these two met.” If you’re looking for a relaxed, gentle joy song, this one is for you.
Love SongGReeeeN
Pure youth! The sparkling, dazzling lyrics and vocals somehow make me feel nostalgic.
I bet many people will be reminded of an old lover or someone they once liked when they listen to this song.
It also seems perfect for everyone to sing together at karaoke.
Eine KleineYonezu Kenshi
The parting from someone important and the loneliness of everyday life—something surely everyone experiences.
This song by Kenshi Yonezu gently embraces those complex emotions with warmth.
The clear melody of the acoustic guitar and his translucent vocals sink deep into the heart.
While carefully portraying the blend of sorrow and joy, it sings of the strength to keep looking forward and living on.
Included on the album “YANKEE,” this track was used in March 2014 as the CM song for Tokyo Metro’s advertising campaign “Color your days.” It’s a song to listen to when you feel down thinking about the sadness that might await beyond joy, or when you want to reflect on someone dear to you.
A hundred flowers in full bloomIkuta Rira
A dazzling song by Rira Ikuta that depicts a scene of vibrantly blooming flowers.
Released in December 2024, it was selected as the opening theme for the TV anime The Apothecary Diaries, airing from January 2025.
With a grand melody and powerful vocals, it conveys a longing for a hopeful future that unfolds beyond hardships.
Incorporating Japanese elements that evoke the inner palace setting of the anime, it harmonizes beautifully with the story’s world.
It’s perfect for those who cherish bonds and hope, and for anyone who wants to wholeheartedly savor time with someone special.
lilacMrs. GREEN APPLE
A pop tune packed with the sparkle of youth that sings of a fresh, hope-filled feeling.
Motoki Omori’s transparent, clear vocals gently embrace the small joys hidden in everyday life.
Released in April 2024 as the opening theme for the anime “Oblivion Battery,” this work won the Grand Prize at the 66th Japan Record Awards and adopts the guitar-rock style that is the origin of Mrs.
GREEN APPLE.
While facing daily anxieties and loneliness, it sings of the strength to accept them and move forward.
It’s the perfect song for moments when you feel like you’re losing yourself or when you want to bask in memories with someone special.
HarukaYOASOBI
This is a collaborative work by YOASOBI and broadcast writer Osamu Suzuki.
The original story is the novel “Tsuki Ōji” (Moon Prince).
It’s a farewell song perfect for graduation season, yet it conveys the joy of “I’m glad I met you.” Among those about to graduate, some will have to part from dear friends they spent so much time with and may feel lonely.
But if you listen to this song, I think you’ll be able to feel anew the joy of those encounters and the wonderfulness of the time you’ve shared.
WINDING ROADAyaka × Kobukuro
This is a song by Ayaka and Kobukuro, widely loved as the theme for the Nissan Cube commercial, that sings of life’s hardships and hopes.
It gently conveys the courage to push forward along life’s winding road and the hope for a small light waiting ahead.
With deep messages about the importance of loving something with an honest heart, and the new possibilities that appear when you let go of attachments and open your heart, this work became a major hit upon its release in February 2007, reaching No.
2 on the Oricon Weekly Chart.
When facing difficulties or taking a new step forward, it will quietly give you a push and guide you toward joy.