Yumi Matsutoya’s Tearjerkers: Best Cry-Inducing and Popular Songs Ranking [2026]

Since her debut as Yumi Arai in 1972, Yumi Matsutoya has continued to captivate many people.

This time, we’ve put together a ranking of her songs that make you cry—tearjerkers, sob-inducing tracks, and popular favorites.

Her vibrato-free singing voice reaches the heart all the more directly.

Yumi Matsutoya – Hello, my friend

As one of the most important artists in Japanese music history, Yuming—Yumi Matsutoya—is a name that invariably comes up.

Each generation has songs by Yuming that hold special meaning, but many women in their 40s today will likely think of her hits from the 1990s.

From the standpoint of being easy to sing at karaoke, I recommend Hello, my friend.

Released in 1994 as the theme song for the Fuji TV drama Kimi to Ita Natsu (A Summer with You), it was a massive hit that sold over a million copies.

While it’s packed with that quintessential Yuming flavor, the melody unfolds very straightforwardly and is easy to sing.

There are no particularly challenging high notes or sustained long notes, so with a bit of practice, you can probably expect a high score at karaoke.

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