Ranking of Popular Folk Songs

That nostalgic melody, passed down through generations—the heart of our hometowns.

We’ve researched a wide range of folk songs from past to present, from East to West! In this article, we’ve selected popular tracks based on reliable feedback from music fans who’ve contributed to our site so far.

Among them, we’ll introduce the most acclaimed ones in a ranked format.

Please take a look.

We also researched children’s songs like nursery rhymes and lullabies, as well as work songs and songs for ceremonies and events.

In recent years, new ways of listening to folk music—championed by acts like Minyo Crusaders and Riyō Sanmyaku—have been attracting a fresh audience.

Playlist

Ranking of Popular Folk Songs
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	maple leavesSakushi: Takano Tatsuyuki / Sakkyoku: Okano Teiichi		The classic song “Momiji” portrays the atmosphere of autumn.
2	snowMonbushō shōka		A sensitively expressive song that sings of the arrival of spring
3	pine coneSakushi: Hirota Takao / Sakkyoku: Kobayashi Tsuyae		A cute autumn nursery rhyme about pine cones
4	snail		Enjoying the rainy season with children through a snail song
5	New Year (Japanese New Year)Sakushi: Azuma Kume / Sakkyoku: Taki Rentaro		A children's song eagerly awaiting the New Year
6	Spring somewhereSakushi: Momota Sōji / Sakkyoku: Kusakawa Shin		The beauty of the season as it shifts from winter to spring
7	Bright Red Autumnsakushi: satsuma tadashi / sakkyoku: kobayashi hideo		The charm of children's songs that depict the colors of autumn
8	The flower smiled.Sakushi: Hotomi Kōgo / Sakkyoku: Yuyama Akira		A children's song depicting a spring scene where flowers smile
9	bonfireSakushi: Tatsumi Seika / Sakkyoku: Watanabe Shigeru		A masterpiece that depicts a bonfire scene and the warmth of winter
10	Yakiimo goo-choki-pasakushi: sakata hiroo / sakkyoku: yamamoto naozumi		Enjoying winter with a roasted sweet potato hand play song
11	red dragonflySakushi: Miki Rofū / Sakkyoku: Yamada Kōsaku		Speaking of songs for Japanese evenings, it has to be “Akatonbo” (Red Dragonfly)…
12	LullabySakushi: Kitahara Hakushū / Sakkyoku: Kusakawa Shin		Perfect for soothing babies to sleep with lullabies sung by Rimi Natsukawa
13	The Song of the Twelve Zodiac Animals		A Zodiac Song for a Children's TV Program
14	mushroomSakushi: Mado Michio / Sakkyoku: Kurakake Shōji		The quiet growth of mushrooms and the vitality of nature
15	Spring has come.sakushi: takano tatsuyuki / sakkyoku: okano teiichi		Spring Has Come. A famous children's song from the Meiji era.
16	gluttonous gorilla		A hand-play song where a gorilla eats one food after another
17	TulipSakushi: Kondo Miyako / Sakkyoku: Inoue Takeshi		A nursery rhyme praising the beauty and diversity of tulips
18	Yakiimo goo-choki-pa		Winter roasted sweet potato fingerplay song, popular with children
19	Konkon fox		A fingerplay song that mimics a fox’s cry
20	A Hazy Moonlit NightSakushi: Takano Tatsuyuki / Sakkyoku: Okano Teiichi		A children's song that sings of a spring night scene with a hazy moon
21	Tinsagu FlowersKojya Misako		Tinsagu, an Okinawan folk song, teaches parental guidance
22	Bright Red Autumn		Feel the season with the autumn classic “Makkana Aki” (Deep Crimson Autumn)
23	Teacher and friendsSakushi: Yoshioka Osamu / Sakkyoku: Koshibe Nobuyoshi		Support children's new lives through interactions between teachers and friends
24	winter sceneryMonbushō shōka		A song depicting a day at the beginning of winter
25	Mountain Musicians		Autumn tones played by the mountain musicians
26	Song of a little birdSakushi: Yoda Jun’ichi / Sakkyoku: Akutagawa Yasushi		Sing together as a parent and child with nursery rhymes depicting May birds
27	Buzz buzz buzzSakushi: Murano Shirou / Sakkyoku: Bohemia min’yō		A piece depicting a spring scene of bees gathering nectar from flowers
28	Tōfun Doi		Introduction to the Okinawan folk song 'Kachāshī Tōsundoi'
29	Height comparisonSakushi: Umino Atsushi / Sakkyoku: Nakayama Shinpei		A hopeful children's song that celebrates children's growth on Children's Day.
30	Pechka (a type of Russian masonry stove)Sakkyoku: Yamada Kōsaku		Pechka, a heartwarming fireplace song for the cold winter
31	Dango, dango, they stuck together.		A hand-play song where dumplings stick to your body
32	butterfly		Soothe a baby with the Butterfly hand-play song
33	Dragonfly, dragonfly.		Autumn pastime of enjoying dragonfly songs
34	Come, firefly		Conveying the beauty of summer in Japan through the light of fireflies
35	School of MedakaSakushi: Chaki Shigeru / Sakkyoku: Nakata Yoshinao		Medaka no Gakkō is a spring seasonal song
36	Donguri Korokorosakushi: Aoki Tsuneyoshi / sakkyoku: Yanagida Tadashi		The Acorn’s Adventure and the Happenings at the Pond
37	Tea PickingMonbushō shōka		“Chatsumi” is a familiar children's song characterized by poetic lyrics.
38	Milk MunariHii de Katsu		Milk Munnarī is a creative Eisa in the Yaeyama dialect
39	Fruit Train		A fun song about carrying autumn flavors by train
40	Meat buns and sweet bean paste buns		A hand-play song about nikuman and anman (meat buns and sweet red bean paste buns)
41	Ho! Ho! Ho!Sakushi: Itō Akira / Sakkyoku: Koshibe Nobuyoshi		A children’s song for toddlers with fun call-and-response and body movements
42	coconutSakushi: Shimazaki Tōson / Sakkyoku: Ōnaka Toraji		A Coconut set to music from a poem by Toson Shimazaki
43	Watermelon-producing region		A child smiles to a summer watermelon song
44	spool (of thread); winding thread; Itomaki (traditional toy spinning top), depending on context		Hand play with spools that nurtures creativity
45	Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star		Introduction to the hand play for “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”
46	Kudaka Manju-shu		An Okinawan folk song that shifts from searching for a lover to begging for alcohol
47	To the Sun in the Palm of Your Hand		A beloved classic for children that depicts the vigor of life
48	Jingle Bellssakkyoku: jēmuzu rōdo piaponto		The History of the Classic Christmas Song “Jingle Bells”
49	echo gameSakushi: Ouchi Yasuyuki / Sakkyoku: Wakatsuki Akito		A fun song that sings about the game of echo
50	Ice Cream SongSakushi: Satou Yoshimi / Sakkyoku: Hattori Kouichi		A Japanese song famous for the nursery rhyme about ice cream
51	To the Sun in the Palm of Your HandSakushi: Yanase Takashi / Sakkyoku: Izumi Taku		A children's song that sings about the importance of life
52	Kantarō the North Wind KidSakushi: Ide Takao / Sakkyoku: Fukuda Wakako		Enka-style children's winter song “Kantarō” is popular
53	Snow KobōzuSakushi: Murayama Toshiko / Sakkyoku: Fushō		A song about little snow monks falling from the sky and turning into water. It can be sung with different poses.
54	dragonfly glassesSakushi: Nukaga Seishi / Sakkyoku: Hirai Kōzaburō		The story of a dragonfly’s cute glasses
55	Slurping somen noodles		Enjoying summer with a somen hand-play song
56	Happy HinamatsuriSakushi: Yamano Saburō (Satō Hachirō) / Sakkyoku: Kawamura Naonori (Kawamura Kōyō)		Article introducing a children’s song for Hinamatsuri (Doll’s Festival)
57	The Hungry Tummy Songsakushi: sakata hiroo / sakkyoku: onaka megumi		A nursery rhyme depicting the state of hungry children
58	Winter nightMonbushō shōka		A warm time spent with family on a snowy night
59	Cha-Cha-Cha of the SnowmanSakushi / Sakkyoku: Tajiga Akira		Winter fingerplay song 'Yukidaruma no Cha-Cha-Cha'
60	autumn sky		Let’s send our voices up into the clear autumn sky.
61	Potato Digging Song		An autumn children’s song celebrating the joy of digging up sweet potatoes
62	Stroll March		'Osanpo March' is a song that makes autumn walks fun.
63	Donguri Korokoro		Introduction of a children's song about an acorn playing with a loach it met at a pond
64	Buzz buzz buzz		Features and ways to enjoy children's songs about bees
65	Surti East-sai		An Okinawan folk song that portrays a yearning toward the east
66	Shopping at the bakery		A fun hand-play song for playing bakery shop
67	Mitsuya Cider		Mana & Yuu introduce a cider-themed song for summer
68	Nakazun Nagare		Characteristics of Eisa’s signature song, Nakajun Nagari
69	Ushiwakamaru		A famous song that sings of the encounter between Benkei and Ushiwakamaru
70	Child of Autumn		A warm children’s song with lyrics by Hachirō Satō
71	Bountiful Harvest Dance		The representative song of the Okinawan folk dance Kachāshī, Hōnen Ondo
72	Snow (Yuki ya Konko)Sakkyokusha: Fushō		Warm winter scenes depicted in a snow-themed children's song
73	A Town Where It SnowsSakkyoku: Nakada Yoshinao		Loneliness and Hope Felt in a Snowfall Town
74	Red sky at duskSakushi: Nakamura Ukō / Sakkyoku: Kusakawa Shin		A children’s song sung with a child at an autumn sunset
75	King Kamehameha of the Southern Islandssakushi: itō akira / sakkyoku: morita kōichi		The gentle family song of the Hawaiian royal family
76	FlowerSakushi: Takeshima Hane / Sakkyoku: Taki Rentarō		The Appeal and Background of Rentaro Taki’s Spring Masterpiece “Hana”
77	We are children of the sea.Monbushō shōka		Ware wa Umi no Ko is a masterpiece of a hundred years
78	Frog Chorus		A fun round-singing experience with the Frog Song!
79	oden (Japanese simmered hot pot dish)		Let's have fun playing with the oden hand play song
80	The Bento Box Song		Nurturing interest in food through nursery rhymes
81	Tanuki of Fist Mountain		Mother-and-child love of the tanuki on Genkotsu Mountain
82	Piglet-raccoon dog-fox-cat		Autumn hand-play songs for children to enjoy
83	Zuizui Zukkorobashi		An old Japanese children’s play song featuring a mouse
84	School of Medaka		A nostalgic nursery song depicting the way medaka (Japanese rice fish) swim
85	Under the big chestnut tree		Nostalgic hand-clapping songs, loved across generations.
86	Wish Upon a Star		Introducing Pinocchio’s classic song “When You Wish Upon a Star”
87	Snow KobōzuSakkyoku: Fushō		A universal melody with uniquely Japanese lyrics about snow
88	Stroll MarchSakushi/Sakkyoku: Tsujibayashi Miho		Playing outside is fun on spring days.
89	Yokai Shiritorisakushi: okuhara yume/sakkyoku: tane tomoko		A cute song about playing yokai shiritori
90	Cute Hide and SeekSakushi: Satou Hachirou／Sakkyoku: Nakata Yoshinao		A nursery rhyme where animals play spread across the country.
91	Let’s draw a picture in the blue sky.Sakushi: Kazumi Kazuki / Sakkyoku: Hajime Kamishiba		A nursery rhyme that gazes at summer clouds, lets the imagination soar, and sets off into a tale of adventure.
92	The Snow PainterSakushi: Noritake Akihiko / Sakkyoku: Ando Takashi		A gentle song that paints the world white with snow
93	rainfallsakushi: kitahara hakushū / sakkyoku: nakayama shinpei		A nursery rhyme song that makes rainy days fun
94	Japanese bush warblerSakushi: Hayashi Ryūha / Sakkyoku: Inoue Takeshi		I feel the arrival of spring in the song of the bush warbler.
95	Summer MemoriesSakushi: Ema Akiko / Sakkyoku: Nakata Yoshinao		A beloved Japanese song depicting the nature of Oze
96	The Banana That Flew Awaysakushi: kataoka akira/sakkyoku: sakurai jun		Introduction to the nursery rhyme 'Banana' with Latin rhythm
97	motherSakushi: Tanaka Nana / Sakkyoku: Nakada Yoshinao		A nursery rhyme that expresses the parent-child bond and is loved across generations
98	Whale ClockSakushi: Seki Kazuo / Sakkyoku: Shibuya Takeshi		A classic children's song that teaches the importance of time
99	Warm and leisurely strollingSakushi: Sakata Hiroo / Sakkyoku: Komori Akihiro		A spring children’s song featuring a bright melody
100	hometownSakushi: Takano Tatsuyuki / Sakkyoku: Okano Teiichi		A timeless song that comforts the heart yearning for home