For When You Want to Get Sentimental: Classic Japanese Songs Overflowing with a Melancholic Atmosphere
There are times when you suddenly find yourself feeling sentimental, aren’t there?
Cheering yourself up is one way to go, but it might also be nice to just let yourself be as you are in those moments.
In this article, we’ve picked out songs you can sink into on a sentimental day.
Letting yourself go with the flow and listening to classics like these can be surprisingly soothing.
These tracks aren’t just for autumn nights—you can enjoy them in all sorts of seasons and situations.
Hopefully you’ll find a song that fits your sentimental mood.
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- A nostalgic song—a timeless classic that somehow feels familiar and touches the heart.
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[For When You Want to Get Sentimental] Classic Japanese Songs Overflowing with a Melancholic Mood (1–10)
Time is a heat hazeKarurosu Toshiki & Omega Toraibu
Among the city pop that has been reevaluated in recent years, the works of Carlos Toshiki & Omega Tribe stand out for their especially brilliant sound.
On this track, the lyrics and composition are by Yumi Matsutoya.
Listening to this version, you can tell Omega Tribe has completely made the melody and harmony their own.
The intro has a glittering, bubbly vibe, but the more you listen, the more a sense of emptiness washes over you as well.
It’s as if the song itself proves that in every era there have always been people carrying sadness and emptiness.
Come Back To Mem-flo
This is an emotionally rich track from m-flo, known for their dance numbers and technically skilled rap, that deliberately reins in the flashiness.
Released in 2000, “Come Back To Me” is a cool-style ballad that seems to inherit the R&B vibe popularized by Namie Amuro and Hikaru Utada.
When you listen, pay attention not only to the beautiful high notes, but also to vocalist LISA’s whispered low tones.
With lyrics that don’t overdo the rhymes and vocals that don’t over-project, this gentle music feels better suited to the bathroom or bedroom than the dance floor.
Dress DownAkimoto Kaoru
Kaoru Akimoto’s “Dress Down,” by a lyricist and composer active since the 1980s, was included on her 1986 album Cologne.
The remastered version released in 2021 has an even more urban-pop feel.
Her supple vocals resonate over a sound that feels both nostalgic and fresh.
It’s a song filled with messages that gently reach out when you’re troubled by love or life.
Try listening to it while driving through the city at night, or as a companion on sleepless nights.
[Want to Bask in Sentimentality] Classic Japanese Songs Overflowing with a Melancholic Atmosphere (11–20)
cotton candyback number
Back Number is known for their heartrending ballads.
Among their songs, Watagashi is especially talked about for its poignancy.
The track portrays the feelings of a man who goes to a summer festival with the woman he likes but is too nervous to interact with her smoothly.
If you’ve had a similarly frustrating experience, you’ll likely relate to it even more.
By the way, in the music video for this song, the woman he pines for is played by Mizuki Yamamoto.
Be sure to check it out as well.
In the midst of the trivialHoshino Gen
When it comes to Gen Hoshino, many people might strongly associate him with “Koi,” but he actually released quite a few more pensive works before that.
In particular, on Episode, released in 2011, perhaps because he had just overcome a major surgery that brought him to the brink between life and death, he speaks plainly and directly about how precious and meaningful ordinary life is.
Listening to this song makes me feel that so-called trivial things are actually truly wonderful, and it encourages me to take a fresh look at the in-between moments of everyday life.
NatsuneYuuri
Here’s a song I’d love you to listen to during that change of seasons when the heart feels a little lonely: “Natsune.” Singer-songwriter Yuuri released it in 2021.
It portrays the exchanges between two people who spent a summer together.
Its bittersweet yet warm melody conjures nostalgic scenes and soothes the soul.
In his emotional vocals, you can sense the passing of the season.
Why not entrust your heart to this track that celebrates the joy of meeting someone you love?
Boy Friendsutoreitenaa
When it comes to songs that gently keep you company on lonely nights, “Boy Friend” comes to mind.
Released in 2018 by Straightener, a band that has led the Japanese rock scene since the 2000s, it features a striking band sound with tremolo- and reverb-drenched guitar tones.
Its lyrics express the joy and gratitude of meeting a loved one, perfectly matching the subtly wistful sound.
With a softly unfolding melody at a medium tempo, it’s a track that resonates with the heart.
Why not give it a listen while gazing at the nighttime cityscape?