Ranking of Popular Folk Songs

maple leavesSakushi: Takano Tatsuyuki / Sakkyoku: Okano Teiichi1rank/position

~Autumn Leaves (Momiji)~ NHK Tokyo Children's Choir Part I

“Momiji,” a famous song many of you may know that was selected as one of Japan’s 100 best songs in 2007.

It’s said that the lyricist, Tatsuyuki Takano, gazed at the autumn leaves from Kumanodaira Station on the Shin’etsu Main Line at Usui Pass and was so captivated by their beauty that he wrote these lyrics.

This beautiful classic, still loved across generations, is a perfect song for November, when autumn turns to winter.

Enjoy singing it together in rounds with family and friends.

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sasashina

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snowMonbushō shōka2rank/position

[Children's Song] Yuki ya konko – kids' song, nursery rhyme, Minna no Uta, Japanese song. ♪ Yuki ya konko, arare ya konko ♪ Melody Line

This is a Ministry of Education school song celebrating the gentle, beautiful arrival of spring.

It was included in the 1910 “Elementary School Reader Songs.” The lyrics express the joy of spring visiting the mountains, villages, and fields, and embody the Japanese people’s delicate sensitivity to the seasons.

The song also showcases masterful use of particles—for instance, using ni to describe the state of flowers blooming and de for the action of birds singing—highlighting the beauty of the Japanese language.

It’s a classic piece perfect for anyone who wants to spend a heartwarming moment while feeling the changing of nature.

pine coneSakushi: Hirota Takao / Sakkyoku: Kobayashi Tsuyae3rank/position

pine cone

This is an autumn children’s song that depicts a cute scene of a pine cone tumbling down a tall mountain and a little monkey picking it up and eating it.

It was completed in 1936 when Tadao Hirota, then a first-grader, wrote the poem and Tsudae Kobayashi, a music teacher, set it to music.

With just a single simple, easy-to-remember verse, it’s loved as a seasonal song in nursery schools and kindergartens.

Adding choreography to enjoy it as a hand-play song is also recommended! Singing while moving your body will bring back fond memories of playing in autumn nature from your childhood.

snail4rank/position

Snail (with hand motions)

With its humorous lyrics and upbeat melody, “Katatsumuri” (Snail) is a perfect song for one-year-olds who are getting into music.

Since it’s up-tempo, many kids will enthusiastically join in and imitate the actions.

It’s also fun to use your hands to show the snail’s horns coming out in time with the lyrics.

When the rain lets up during the rainy season, why not go out and look for snails? Because they know them from the song, children may feel a special fondness.

It’s a tune that will make you want to hum along without thinking.

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tsukada moe

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New Year (Japanese New Year)Sakushi: Azuma Kume / Sakkyoku: Taki Rentaro5rank/position

New Year’s (♪ How many sleeps until New Year’s?) by Himawari with lyrics [One Hundred Selected Japanese Songs] shoka | Osho-gatsu | New Year

This song is famous for its lyrics brimming with excitement, asking, “How many more sleeps until New Year’s Day?” The lyrics were written by children’s story author Kume Azuma, and the music was composed by Japan’s proud master composer, Rentarō Taki.

It also touches on traditional Japanese New Year’s games, so why not sing it with children who aren’t familiar with them and learn what the games are like together? With lyrics full of anticipation for the New Year and a gentle, friendly melody, it’s a song you’ll want to hear as the year draws to a close.

Sing it with plenty of energy and welcome a joyful New Year!

Bright Red Autumnsakushi: satsuma tadashi / sakkyoku: kobayashi hideo6rank/position

Bright Red Autumn - It's so red, so very red. The ivy leaves are bright red. ~♪ (with gestures)

This song, vividly depicting the colors of autumn, expresses the season’s beauty through the eyes of children.

Scenes of nature turning red—ivy, maple leaves, and snake gourds—appear one after another, conveying the pure joy of children who discover them.

First introduced in October 1963 on NHK’s “Tanoshii Uta,” it has since remained beloved through “Minna no Uta.” The lyrics, which fully embody Tadashi Satsuma’s poetic worldview, allow children to feel the beauty and vitality of autumn’s nature.

It’s a perfect piece for autumn events at nurseries and kindergartens, or for family strolls.

Why not sing it together and joyfully welcome the arrival of autumn?

Spring somewhereSakushi: Momota Sōji / Sakkyoku: Kusakawa Shin7rank/position

Somewhere It's Spring (Children's Song / School Song)

At the end of February, when a trace of winter chill still lingers, don’t you sometimes sense the presence of spring in a fleeting moment? This is the song you’ll find yourself humming at such a change of seasons.

With lyrics by poet Soji Momota and music by composer Shin Kusakawa, this children’s song was published in a magazine around March 1923.

Even if it’s not visible to the eye, the delicate imagery captures spring’s quiet stirring—the melting of ice in distant mountains and the sprouting of buds beneath our feet.

Just picturing the scenes warms the heart, doesn’t it? In 2007, it was selected for the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ “100 Best Japanese Songs,” and it has been sung across generations.

As winter’s severity softens and the sunlight begins to carry a touch of warmth, why not sing it with your child while you search together for the small signs of spring?