Kana Nishino’s Most Moving Songs: Tearjerkers and Popular Tracks Ranking [2026]

Best FriendNishino Kana1rank/position

[75th NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen Performance Song] 'Best Friend' MV Full

A heartwarming ballad filled with gratitude and love for friendship.

Kana Nishino’s straightforward lyrics, which express her feelings for her friends, truly resonate.

Released in February 2010, the song was also used for NTT Docomo’s exam-support campaign.

Even if you feel things like, “Because you were there, every day was fun,” or “No matter how many times I say thank you, it’ll never be enough,” it can be a bit embarrassing to say them directly.

Listening to this song together with the people you care about in spring—when graduations and new school terms bring change—can help you reaffirm your feelings for each other and take the first step together into a new stage.

I miss you so much, I want to see you.Nishino Kana2rank/position

Kana Nishino 'I Miss You, I Miss You (short ver.)'

A signature song by Kana Nishino that vividly portrays the pain of heartbreak.

Its memorable lines expressing a aching sense of loss resonate as if they were your own experience.

Released in May 2010, the track was featured in commercials for a jewelry brand and AEON, and became a massive hit, surpassing one million full-track ringtone downloads just three months after its release.

Filled with lingering feelings for an ex and a heartfelt wish to see them once more, the lyrics are universally relatable for anyone who has gone through a breakup.

Sing it at karaoke, and it will surely strike a chord with those around you.

tear-coloredNishino Kana3rank/position

Kana Nishino 'Namidairo' Live Performance - Kana Nishino “Namidairo”

Kana Nishino’s 21st single, “Namidairo” (Tear-Colored), was released in 2013.

Many people likely listened to her love songs a lot back then.

This song is one that brings tears, as it recalls someone you once loved and blends a mix of emotions—contrasting fond memories with the sadness you feel now.

Does someone come to mind when you listen to it? It might be nice to occasionally revisit in your heart the precious memories of someone you can never forget.

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utatane

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Dear BrideNishino Kana4rank/position

Kana Nishino “Dear Bride” MV (Short Ver.)

When you want to offer a heartfelt “congratulations” to a friend who’s getting married, the perfect choice is the single Kana Nishino released in October 2016.

Chosen as the theme song for the TV show Mezamashi TV and winner of that year’s Japan Cable Radio Awards, this work is a classic wedding song that portrays the bond between women.

Its lyrics, which bless the bride as she steps into a new future while expressing a touch of loneliness and an unchanging friendship, never fail to stir the heart with every listen.

It’s said to have been created during a period when many of her friends were getting married, and that authentic emotion is part of its charm.

Play it during a letter-reading performance or when you and friends exit the reception floor, and the venue will surely be wrapped in warm tears.

It’s a song you’ll definitely want to gift to a dear best friend as she embarks on a new chapter.

weNishino Kana5rank/position

Kana Nishino “Watashitachi (Us)” Live on ‘with LOVE tour’

A famous song by Kana Nishino that depicts friendship between women.

Chosen as the theme song for the film “Girl,” it topped RecoChoku’s Weekly Chaku-Uta Rankings.

Set to a gentle melody, it sings of hope for the future of two people—my best friend and me.

The more you listen, the more the warm lyrics fill your heart, allowing you to rediscover those important, indescribable feelings through music.

Play this song at milestones or celebrations, and you’ll be able to share a moving moment together.

Even If We’re Far feat. WISENishino Kana6rank/position

Kana Nishino - “Even If We're Far Apart feat. WISE (short ver.)”

Released in 2009 as her fifth single, it’s said that Kana Nishino produced this song after interviewing a couple in Nagoya who had actually experienced a long-distance relationship.

It’s a deeply moving track that sings about a range of emotions unique to long distance—anxieties, joys, and more.

DearNishino Kana7rank/position

Kana Nishino 'Dear...(short ver.)'

Right after you start dating, I think it’s only natural to want to see each other again as soon as you say goodbye.

It’d be wonderful to stay together all the time, but reality doesn’t work that way.

This is a song I’d love couples to listen to when they can’t meet but are thinking of each other.

Dear…Nishino Kana8rank/position

Kana Nishino Dear

Although she went on hiatus in 2019, Kana Nishino—a singer whose lyrics continue to resonate with many women—released this as her eighth single.

The track was chosen as the official song for NTT Docomo’s “Hang in There, Exam Takers ’09–’10” campaign and was issued as a double A-side single together with “MAYBE.” Its lyrics, overflowing with love for someone special, are likely to strike a chord with many women by overlapping with their own romantic experiences.

It’s a soothing number recommended for women in their 40s who likely listened to it in real time, and just hearing it can be healing.

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Hoshino Takashi

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SAKURA. I love you ?Nishino Kana9rank/position

Kana Nishino - “SAKURA, I love you?” (short ver.)

Set against the backdrop of a beautiful spring scene with cherry blossoms dancing in the air, this pure and elegant song by Kana Nishino poignantly portrays a woman’s heart swaying between lingering feelings for a past love and the pull of a new romance.

Its delicate piano melody and crystalline vocals gently envelop the bittersweet memories of love that resurface with the arrival of spring.

Released in March 2012, the track was featured in Sony’s Walkman “Play You.” commercial and included on the album Love Place.

It’s a gem of a ballad perfect for a spring night, where the emotions wavering between memories revived under rows of cherry trees and complex feelings toward an ideal present lover resonate with the fleeting beauty of nighttime blossoms.

esperanzaNishino Kana10rank/position

Kana Nishino – esperanza

A bittersweet unrequited love song about a hopeless crush.

The person I like already has someone they love.

I’m just a close friend, the one they confide in.

The more I care about him, the sadder I feel wondering why he loves someone who isn’t me.

If only we had met sooner, maybe I could have been his girlfriend… That’s a thought that often comes up when you’re in a one-sided love.

They say love is all about timing, but it makes me wish I could turn back time and trade places with my rival.

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en

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