Oni Out, Fortune In: A roundup of J-pop you’ll want to listen to during Setsubun
Setsubun, a seasonal tradition long cherished as a hallmark of February.
From bean-throwing to eating ehomaki, it’s an event that lets you fully savor the feeling of the season.
In this article, we’ve put together a selection of Japanese songs themed around Setsubun to make this fun event even livelier! We’ve picked a variety of tracks, from cute tunes you can sing with little kids to J-pop numbers that feature motifs like oni (ogres) and fuku (good fortune).
You’re sure to find a song that will add even more color to your seasonal festivities!
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- [February Songs] Introducing children's songs, folk songs, nursery rhymes, and hand-play songs about Setsubun and winter!
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- A roundup of winter hit songs released in the Reiwa era
- Childcare: Today's recommended fun songs
- [Japan] A collection of J-pop with a traditional Japanese (wa) vibe and Japanese-style taste
- A bright, Japanese-style song. A roundup of J-POP with a traditional Japanese flair.
- Carefully selected J-pop to liven up sports days and athletic festivals! Also great as entrance songs.
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- [Let's Enjoy Japanese Festival Songs!] Songs about festivals. Famous songs related to festivals.
“Demons Out, Fortune In”: Japanese songs to listen to on Setsubun. Recommended J‑Pop roundup (21–30)
Demons out! Funk in!Dansu☆Man
Dance☆Man, a self-proclaimed alien artist who says he’s from the Mirror Ball Star, has a distinctive track called “Oni wa Soto! Funk wa Uchi!” (“Demons Out! Funk In!”) that focuses on the demons living in one’s own heart.
You know those times when you’re in a hurry but end up in the slowest checkout line, or you want to go straight but can’t because the car in front is waiting to turn right? Nobody’s at fault, yet you still get irritated.
Maybe that irritation is the demon lurking inside you.
This Setsubun, let’s drive out those inner demons, too!
Fortune in, demons out.Hosono Haruomi
Haroumi Hosono is a great musician who has left a major mark on Japanese music history and continues to be active today.
While he made his name as a member of legendary groups like YMO, Happy End, and Caramel Mama, he has also shown his talents by writing songs for other artists and working as a producer, creating numerous well-known classics.
But did you know he actually released a song that’s perfect for the Setsubun season? Fuku wa Uchi Oni wa Soto appears as the B-side to his milestone solo debut single Koi wa Momoiro, and it’s also included on his acclaimed first album from 1973, HOSONO HOUSE.
Its somewhat world music–like rhythm and a vocal line that sits between spoken word and singing give it a uniquely intriguing flavor, and the playful wordplay found in the lyrics—seemingly themed around Setsubun—is truly delightful.
As an aside, HOSONO HOUSE was paid homage to by British pop star Harry Styles with his 2022 album Harry’s House, so if you discovered Hosono through Styles’s record, be sure to check it out!
oni; demon; ogre; spirit (depending on context)SAKANAMON
This is a song by SAKANAMON, a rock band that captivates fans with literary lyrics and a distinctive sound that defies convention.
The piece, Oni (Demon), portrays people in the real world who resemble demons.
According to the song, it seems that the demons of the human world were born when demons that once existed in various places possessed them.
Even if that were true, unfortunately we can’t just scatter beans to drive them out, so it looks like we need to learn how to get along with these demons.
Oni ExterminationMoritaka Chisato
As her career has progressed, Chisato Moritaka has mastered a variety of instruments, showcasing her unique individuality as a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist and thriving across a wide range of fields.
Her style and many classic songs are passionately supported by young artists as well.
The opening track of her acclaimed 1990 album Koko wa Toko no Nishika, which topped the Oricon charts, is Onitaiji—one of the most popular songs on the album.
The concept alone—since Momotaro isn’t around, she herself takes the animal companions and heads to Onigashima—is a stroke of genius you wouldn’t come up with using ordinary sensibilities.
The instantly memorable, perfectly catchy chorus makes it a surefire, fun pick to liven up Setsubun as background music!
Come here, Mr. Oni.KEN THE 390
An unexpected collaboration between Setsubun, a traditional Japanese custom, and rap! This is a track by hip-hop musician KEN THE 390 that sings about Setsubun with an upbeat, groovy rap.
Rather than driving the demons away, it almost sounds like he’s playing tag with them.
Throwing beans while listening to this song would be super rhythmic and fun! If you’re not satisfied with songs that just include words like “Setsubun” or “oni,” or if you’re bored with typical Setsubun-themed tracks, definitely give this one a listen!
The demon has come.Hanbaato Hanbaato
Although demons are the ones who get pelted with beans during Setsubun, regardless of good or evil, oni are an indispensable presence in various aspects of Japanese culture, such as folktales and children’s songs.
Their look is so iconic that any Japanese person can instantly picture it; the image is deeply embedded in us.
Ogres viewed from a unique angle are depicted in “Oni ga Kita” by the popular male-female duo Humbert Humbert.
Included on their eighth album, “Mukashi Boku wa Mijime Datta,” released in 2014, the song is grounded in American roots music, and its gentle melody carries words that seem to draw out the darkness within human beings.
What, then, is the ‘oni’ being sung about here? I hope you’ll listen while pondering that question.
Oni remixed by Yusuke SatoYoshizawa Kayoko
There aren’t all that many J-pop songs themed around Setsubun, but the track “Oni” introduced here is a rare type: a remix produced specifically for the holiday.
The original version is a song by singer-songwriter Kayoko Yoshizawa, included on her 2021 album Akaboshi Aoboshi.
It’s a refined pop tune that charmingly sings of a yearning maiden’s heart by likening it to a demon.
Remixed by Yusuke Sato—also a member of Camera=Pens—it’s been reborn as retro synth-pop, and as with the original, the animated music video is by Ring.
How about giving it a listen during Setsubun with your significant other?