Yumi Matsutoya Popular Songs Ranking [2026]

Rainy StationMatsutōya Yumi50rank/position

♪ Rainy Station / Yumi Arai (LIVE)

It is filled with images that Japanese people associate with “rain,” and it slips into the heart with surprising ease.

While she also has a gift for bittersweet, up-tempo songs, this is a track that makes you feel that Yuming’s true brilliance is revealed most fully in slow ballads.

In the rainy cityMatsutōya Yumi51rank/position

In the rainy city

A song included on the debut album Hikōkigumo.

Though Yumi Matsutoya (Yumi Arai at the time) has created countless masterpieces old and new, it seems she hit a wall only with this song.

Thinking it might be her last try, she went into the studio and found a dahlia placed in a milk bottle on the piano.

It turned out the flower had been prepared by her then boyfriend—and, coincidentally, it was the “favorite flower” she had just happened to mention a few days earlier while they were chatting on a walk.

Seeing it, she was able to sing smoothly that day and finish the recording.

This production anecdote is so lovely that I’d like to present the song as a hidden gem.

Chinese soupArai Yumi (Matsutoya Yumi)52rank/position

Chinese Soup / Yumi Arai (by Oke Janko)

It’s one of Arai Yumi’s (Yumi Matsutoya’s maiden name) popular songs, in which she looks back on a former lover by comparing him to a pea.

Depending on how you interpret it, the lyrics can seem to reveal a darker side of a woman, but it’s ultimately a song that cheers on women in love.

In a Corner of the MetropolisMatsutōya Yumi53rank/position

Singer-songwriter Yumi Matsutoya, who continues to create legends—such as becoming the first in Oricon history to achieve No.

1 albums across six consecutive decades—remains a towering figure.

Her 21st single, “In a Corner of the Metropolis,” used as the Shiseido “Fairness” commercial song and the theme song for the TV drama ‘Unexpectedly Single Girl,’ features a refreshing, urban ensemble that feels exhilarating.

The lyrics evoke an image of someone striving to look forward even after a heartbreaking farewell, likely giving courage to anyone trying to overcome a challenge.

It’s an emotional pop tune that conveys the image of a woman growing stronger through experience.

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Hoshino Takashi

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April Fools’ Day in NovemberMatsutōya Yumi54rank/position

An April Fool In November / Jyuichigatsu No April Fool

Featured on Yumi Matsutoya’s album “U-miz,” released in November 1993, this song is perfect for November, when the feeling of autumn deepens.

Its arrangement, marked by Latin rhythms, is striking, and it delicately portrays the complex emotions of a woman who has been told it’s over, interweaving autumnal imagery such as the chilly night breeze and fallen ginkgo leaves.

It begins with a scene where the breakup is announced almost like a joke, evoking the protagonist’s turmoil as she wavers between doubt and belief.

A recommended, mature heartbreak song to savor on long autumn nights.

Call me backMatsutōya Yumi55rank/position

Yumi Matsutoya – Call me back / Yumi Matsutoya with Yumi Arai

Yumi Matsutoya is a female singer-songwriter who has been active for many years.

While many veteran singer-songwriters continue their careers without changing their style, she has a remarkably youthful sensibility, creating hit songs that reach into contemporary musical tastes.

Among her works, the track I especially recommend to women in their 20s is Call me back.

It’s a song in the trendy synthwave genre that, despite its simple vocal lines, conceals an outstanding coolness.

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Ryo

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NIGHT WALKERMatsutōya Yumi56rank/position

Night Walker Matsutoya Yumi / YUMING / cover / Deko 🎵

“NIGHT WALKER” is a song included as the third track on Yumi Matsutoya’s album “REINCARNATION.” Previously, when Yumi Matsutoya appeared as a guest on Miyuki Nakajima’s All Night Nippon, this song was played as the farewell track.