Ranking of Heart-Wrenching Songs by Male J-Pop Singers [2026]

Surfing JohnnyKuwata Keisuke81rank/position

Keisuke Kuwata – Surfin' Johnny (Short ver.)

A bittersweet summer song by Kuwata from Southern All Stars, whom everyone loves.

The analog vinyl reportedly comes with a special swimsuit as a bonus—such a playful touch, so very Kuwata.

The gentle lyrics, which put summer and the sea front and center, make you want to listen again and again: “Even after heartbreak, when summer approaches, you still end up wanting to fall in love.” It’s as if we’ve been put under the “Kuwata magic”! You can almost hear him whispering, “Just as the same wave never comes to a surfer, the same love never comes to anyone either,” right in your ear.

It’s a song with a hint of melancholy, even though you’re not heartbroken at all.

After the FestivalKuwata Keisuke82rank/position

Keisuke Kuwata – After the Festival (Short ver.)

Keisuke Kuwata, the superstar of Japan’s music scene who leads Southern All Stars.

This song is a single he released as a solo artist in 1994.

It also became his first solo work to be used as the theme song for a TV drama.

The presence of words in the lyrics that evoke autumn indicates that the setting is after the summer—after the festivals have ended.

Let me hear the poetry of the wind.Kuwata Keisuke83rank/position

Keisuke Kuwata – Let Me Hear the Poem of the Wind (Short ver.)

When you think of summer, many people immediately think of Southern All Stars! This song, however, is a solo number by the band’s vocalist, Keisuke Kuwata.

Featuring a refreshing, summery melody, it was used as the theme song for the film “Life: Tengoku de Kimi ni Aetara,” starring Takao Osawa.

While Southern All Stars and Kuwata are often associated with fiery, high-energy summer anthems, this track is a bittersweet summer song that overlaps the end of summer with the end of life.

Why does the end of summer make us feel so melancholic? Summer is a season when we make countless happy memories, and life, too, ends surrounded by many memories.

Set to a melody full of summer vibes, the song lets you feel both of those tender sadnesses.

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SAKI

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Sakura (Solo)Moriyama Naotaro84rank/position

Naotaro Moriyama – Sakura (Solo)

As of 2018, this song is still sung at graduation ceremonies.

Many people came to know Naotaro Moriyama through this piece.

Although there is a choral version as a single’s coupling track, the version sung at graduation ceremonies is the solo version.

The End of SummerMoriyama Naotaro85rank/position

Naotaro Moriyama – Natsuno Owari

A classic summer song sung by Naotaro Moriyama, famous for “Sakura.” Just as the title suggests, it’s best listened to at the end of summer! Summer is full of festivals and events—a perfect season to make lots of memories with family, friends, and loved ones.

That bittersweet feeling after those joyful moments come to an end is something everyone has experienced, isn’t it? This is a song that gently embraces those tender, wistful emotions.

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If being alive is painfulMoriyama Naotaro86rank/position

Naotaro Moriyama – If Being Alive Is Painful

This is a single released in 2008.

It came about when Naotaro, while helping a friend move, happened to find a sheet of paper with a poem written on it at the home of his friend, the poet Ochanomizu Kado.

It’s a song that earnestly faces life, and it carries particular conviction because it’s by Naotaro Moriyama, who continues to sing about delicate human emotions as well as bright, life-affirming themes.

Although some of its expressions sparked mixed reactions, they don’t come from a place of apathy; rather, they seem to convey a wish for listeners to take a brief, comforting pause.

Precisely because times can be tough, a song that fully stays with your despair or heavy feelings can be a source of solace.

It’s a song that feels like it accepts you just as you are.

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cherry blossomKawaguchi Kyogo87rank/position

Kyogo Kawaguchi – Sakura

Kawaguchi himself said that the release of this song was postponed to December 2003 because it overlapped with “Sakura (Dokusho).” It’s also well known that this isn’t a graduation song; it was written for a commercial song competition using Doraemon, and the song was composed with Doraemon and Nobita in mind.

The town where you liveShimizu Shota88rank/position

Shota Shimizu “The Town Where You Live” MV

This is a ballad that paints the feelings of someone who, in unguarded moments, finds themselves searching for traces of a lover who should no longer be there.

It’s a song by singer-songwriter Shota Shimizu, released in October 2010 as his eighth single.

The track is also included on the album COLORS.

You can almost picture the protagonist overlaying the face of the one they can no longer meet onto a lookalike spotted on a station platform or onto familiar cityscapes.

Imagining the city where that person lives and simply wishing to see them—those one-sided feelings are, in a way, the very essence of a lingering “unrequited love” that follows a finished romance.

The melody, like an autumn dusk—lonely yet warm—soaks into the heart.

If there’s someone you can’t forget, listening to this will surely resonate deeply.

MelodyTamaki Kōji89rank/position

Melody by Koji Tamaki

On a comedic variety show, they were chosen by professionals as the best singer.

This is the song that really made me feel that.

The song says that living together as a couple is the greatest happiness, and nothing else is needed.

Whenever this song plays, there’s always at least one person nearby who ends up in tears.

HELLOFukuyama Masaharu90rank/position

Masaharu Fukuyama / HELLO [PV]

Speaking of Masaharu Fukuyama, he’s not only a singer but also an actor who’s incredibly active.

His popularity isn’t limited to Japan.

On top of that, he has numerous hit songs.

“HELLO” is one of them—a wonderful track that sings of romantic feelings.