[40s] Popular Japanese Music / J-POP Rankings [By Generation]

appearsHamasaki Ayumi99rank/position

Ayumi Hamasaki / appears

If you came of age in the late 1990s to early 2000s, there’s a good chance you looked up to Ayumi Hamasaki as a role model.

In Japan’s music scene, she ranks first among female solo artists in total CD sales, and with her charismatic presence—including her fashion—she sparked the “Ayu” boom.

Many of her songs feature soaring high tones one after another, which might make some people feel hesitant about singing them.

For those people, we recommend “appears,” released in 1999.

Compared to her other tracks, its melody has fewer wide interval jumps, so even those with lower voices will find it easier to sing at karaoke if they adjust the key.

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era; age; time; periodNakajima Miyuki100rank/position

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This is one of Miyuki Nakajima’s signature songs, which won the Grand Prix at the 6th World Popular Song Festival held at the Nippon Budokan in 1975.

Its flowing melody and universal lyrics, depicting the transience of life, strike a deep chord.

Even as it passes through parting and loss, the piece conveys a sense of hope for renewal to come, making it like a vessel into which each listener can pour their own memories.

It was included on her 1976 debut album “Watashi no Koe ga Kikoemasu ka” (Can You Hear My Voice?), re-recorded as a self-cover in 1993, and chosen as the theme song for the 2020 film “Kiokuya: Anata o Wasurenai” (The Memory Eraser: I Won’t Forget You).

Long cherished as a graduation staple, this song takes on new resonance at every milestone in life.

It’s a piece I especially recommend when spring arrives and you want to remember who you were back then.