Songs to Sing on Rainy Days! Introducing Beloved Children’s Songs About Rain That Transcend Generations
When it rains, you can’t go play outside, and kids tend to feel a bit gloomy, don’t they?
At times like that, listen to or sing children’s songs with a “rain” theme to make rainy days a little brighter!
In this article, we’ve gathered a variety of children’s songs themed around “rain,” including songs that describe how the rain falls, songs that evoke the image of rain, and songs that capture the excitement after the rain stops.
Even children who feel they don’t like rain might start to like it a little after listening to the songs we introduce.
On gloomy rainy days, let’s sing and keep our spirits up!
Songs to Sing on a Rainy Day! Introducing Beloved Rain-Themed Children’s Songs Across Generations (1–10)
Rainy Rin-chanNEW!Akihiro Sugita · Ryoko Tsunoda
On rainy days when you can’t go outside, it’s easy to feel a little down.
Here’s a gentle, heartwarming song that’s perfect for times like that.
Beloved as the NHK Educational TV “Song of the Month” on Okaasan to Issho in June 2000, this piece—sung by Akihiro Sugita and Ryoko Tsunoda—captures the mysterious charm of rainy days.
With a fantastical story where tears bring rain and smiles bring rainbows, its recorder-like, rustic timbre and mellow melody feel stylish.
It quietly comforts rainy-day blues, making it a lovely choice for relaxed moments with parent and child.
Rain of the Four SeasonsNEW!chosha fushou
The classic song “Shiki no Ame” (Rain Through the Four Seasons) has long been cherished as a Japanese school song.
It became widely known after being included in the June 1914 publication Songs for Elementary Schools: For the Sixth Grade.
Although individual authorship was withheld and the piece was adapted as educational material, the resonance of its words—delicately portraying scenes of rain in each season—is truly captivating.
From the hazy spring showers to the bleak chill of winter rain, you can picture how the same rain takes on entirely different expressions with each season.
Set to a gentle triple meter, it’s a song that lets you feel the beauty of Japan’s natural world.
On a rainy day when children can’t play outside and are feeling bored, it would be lovely to gaze out the window together and sing this tune.
Rainy Day HeartbeatNEW!Sakushi: Urano Hiroshi / Sakkyoku: Makino Kanami
Rainy days can make you feel gloomy because you can’t play outside, but this piece brightens that mood.
Chosen as NHK Educational TV’s “Okaasan to Issho” Song of the Month for June 2017, the track features lyrics by Hiroaki Urano and music by Kanami Makino.
It premiered in June 2017 and was later included as the title track on a compilation album released in June 2021.
Its theme is charming—likening the sounds of rain to various instruments and drawing attention to the scenes reflected in puddles.
Rather than treating rain as unpleasant weather, the piece portrays it as a series of new discoveries.
It’s a delightful pop song perfect for spending time indoors, inviting you and your child to listen with excitement.
Summer has comeNEW!Sakushi: Sasaki Nobutsuna / Sakkyoku: Koyama Sakunosuke
It’s a beloved classic that has captured the beautiful early-summer scenery since the Meiji era, isn’t it? With lyrics by Sazanami Sasaki and music by Sakunosuke Koyama, this piece was published to the world in a song collection in May 1896.
It skillfully depicts flowers and birds that symbolize early summer, as well as scenes of rain, allowing you to fully feel Japan’s delicate seasonal transitions.
It continues to be cherished locally even today, for example as the departure melody at Joetsumyoko Station in Niigata Prefecture.
Because it vividly evokes the seasonal scenes of rainfall, it’s the kind of song you’ll want to listen to quietly by the window on a gently rainy day.
I highly recommend this work to anyone who wants to experience Japan’s original landscapes or enjoy the changing seasons together with their children.
raindropsNEW!Sakushi: Kobayashi Junichi / Sakkyoku: Nakada Yoshinao
This children’s song, created by the golden duo of Junichi Kobayashi and Yoshinao Nakata, gently observes the patter of raindrops.
It became widely known after being included in the sheet music collection “A Newly Selected Collection of Children’s Songs,” published in April 1961.
The piece also has a track record of popularity in rhythm-play segments on the former NHK radio program “Time for Toddlers.” Even on days when rain can feel gloomy, parents and children can spend a strangely uplifting time by humming along together while watching the falling raindrops.
Enjoying rain as a natural sound is also perfect for nurturing the rich sensibilities of young children.
A tadpole is a frog’s child.NEW!Genkyoku: Amerika min’yō
On a rainy day, why not imagine the growth of creatures by the water? This observational song humorously depicts the mysterious transformation from tadpole to frog through wordplay and a lively rhythm.
One of its roots is said to be a Hawaiian-style popular song recorded in September 1940 by Katsuhiko Haida and others, and it became widely established as a uniquely Japanese children’s song while incorporating melodies from American folk tradition.
It has long been loved as a seasonal song in preschool materials and collections of children’s songs.
Because it invites you to picture humorous creatures, it’s perfect for enjoying indoors on gloomy, rainy days when you can’t go outside—parents and children can sing along together to the rhythm.
Beyond the rainbowSakushi Sakkyoku: Sakata Osamu
The classic song “Niji no Mukō ni” (Beyond the Rainbow), passed down on NHK Educational TV’s program “Okaasan to Issho,” is a children’s song with lyrics and music by Osamu Sakata, who was active on the show as Osamu Onii-san.
“Niji no Mukō ni” aired as the Song of the Month in April 1996, and the YouTube video of the version sung by Shoko Haida has surpassed 2 million views and remains popular today.
It’s a beloved masterpiece that beautifully captures the excitement and thrill when the rain stops, the sun peeks out, and a rainbow appears.
