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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[For When You Want to Get Sentimental] Classic Japanese Songs Overflowing with Melancholic Atmosphere (21–30)
1991Yonezu Kenshi
Kenshi Yonezu, a singer-songwriter leading the Japanese music scene.
This song, written as the theme for the live-action film “5 Centimeters per Second,” bears the title 1991—the year he was born—reflecting his deep attachment to the original work.
The lyrics, woven around themes of memory and loss that trace personal emotions, convey a will to keep moving forward while facing the past, making it highly relatable for many listeners.
It’s an emotional number that will resonate deeply with those at a turning point in life or anyone wishing to confront precious memories.
JANE DOEYonezu Kenshi, Utada Hikaru
This work brings together two of Japan’s leading singer-songwriters, Kenshi Yonezu and Hikaru Utada, as the ending theme for the feature-length anime Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc.
It is included on the double A-side single IRIS OUT / JANE DOE, released in September 2025.
The lyrics, poetically weaving pain and memory and a call to what has been lost, sweep through the heart like a breeze through Utada’s clear yet melancholic vocals.
The delicate world crafted by Yonezu and the expressive power of Utada overlap to create a transience and lingering resonance that gently accompanies you when someone dear comes to mind or when you want to quietly face your emotions—a song that truly strikes a chord.
[For When You Want to Get Sentimental] Classic Japanese Songs Overflowing with Melancholic Atmosphere (31–40)
waxing; filling up; becoming full; growing (e.g., the moon growing fuller)Fuji Kaze
That even the most brilliant moments must come to an end—and that by letting go of attachment, the heart can be filled.
Released in March 2024 as the theme song for the film “When April Comes, She Will,” this is Fujii Kaze’s first love song.
It gently sings of the futility of love that seeks something in return and the fulfillment that unconditional love brings.
His tender voice, carried by a soft piano melody, teaches us the importance of embracing change.
It’s a song I recommend to those who have experienced parting from someone dear, or who wish to reconsider what it means to love.
I want to be kinder.Saitō Kazuyoshi
This is a work by Kazuyoshi Saito, notable for its arrangement that opens with a guitar riff using delay.
Released in November 2011 and widely known as the theme song for the high-rated TV drama “Kaseifu no Mita,” it has reached a broad audience.
While feeling the emptiness of a self-centered way of living, the lyrics—wishing to make a loved one smile—portray a complex mix of melancholy and kindness.
Believing it’s not an era without love, the voice that clumsily yet earnestly cries out “I want to be stronger” pierces the heart.
When you feel frustrated with a reality that won’t go your way, this emotional rock tune is sure to offer warm companionship.
SubtitleOfisharu Higedan Dism
It’s a classic written as the theme song for the drama “silent,” starring Haruna Kawaguchi and Ren Meguro.
The nationally beloved piano pop band Official HIGE DANDism released it in October 2022.
The song expresses the fragility and frustration of words that, like snowflakes, can’t hold their shape and melt away.
The protagonist’s desperate cry—feelings that can’t be conveyed by words alone—rises on a dramatic melody and really hits home.
Alongside the drama’s huge success, it went viral on social media and reached No.
1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.
It’s a beautiful ballad that gently stays by your side when you can’t tell the person you love how you feel.
tearsHitsuji Bungaku
A sound infused with a quiet yet palpable intensity gently stirs something deep in your chest.
It’s a song by the alternative rock band Hitsujibungaku, released in February 2024.
Written as the theme song for the film “Kakushigoto” starring Anne, it was later included on the album “Don’t Laugh It Off.” The lyrics, which seem to carefully scoop up the warped yet profound love between parent and child, and Moeka Shiotsuka’s clear, translucent vocals are deeply moving.
The cello—introduced for the first time—adds a heartrending tone that feels like it’s expressing an unsteady, wavering heart.
It’s the perfect track for nights when you’re overwhelmed by inescapable emotions.
I want to be loved.Mioyamazaki
On nights when you’re overwhelmed by an inescapable loneliness and simply wish to be loved, the ballad by the rock band MIOYAMAZAKI is there to keep you company.
This song lays bare a desperate cry to have someone acknowledge the weaknesses hidden deep within your heart and your true, unadorned self, delivered through vocals that sound as if they’re carved from the soul.
Included as the final track on the masterful album “choice,” released in October 2017, it also drew attention for its music video featuring then-popular adult actress Kirara Asuka.
The visuals, portraying her inner conflict, deepen the song’s poignant worldview.
If anyone reading this feels their chest about to burst from unspoken anxieties, this track will surely wrap your heart in gentle warmth.