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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- [New Year’s Songs] Timeless classics and popular New Year tunes you’ll want to listen to at the start of the year
“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!
Grown upLinQ
This song by LinQ, a local idol group based in Fukuoka, features memorable lyrics that speak for children climbing the steps toward adulthood.
The title “Grown up” is an expression native speakers use to mean ‘adult.’ In the lyrics, the feelings of young people who look straight toward the future are sung: “The past is the past—we won’t look back; we’ll keep moving forward!” You can sense an unexpected connection between young people who take a step forward without being bound by the past and Setsubun, a festival that drives away evil and invites good fortune.
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.
Laura’s Scarred BodyGōruden Bonbā
It’s a song by Golden Bomber filled with the lament of someone in love: despite not meeting on Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or a birthday—days couples would normally spend together—they’ll go on a date for Setsubun.
The sorrow of a man being used by the person he likes feels somehow both poignant and painful, doesn’t it? There probably aren’t many couples who go on a special date “because it’s Setsubun.” Even the oni (demons) would never have imagined that Setsubun would be used as an episode symbolizing a sad romance.
National Sake-Drinking Festival Song of Japanbarakūda
The song “Nihon Zenkoku Sakenomi Ondo” turns any situation into a reason to drink.
Although it was released in 1979, it’s often used in commercials—sometimes as a parody—so many people have probably heard it.
As the song lists reasons to drink from January onward, it naturally celebrates February too, happily citing Setsubun as an excuse to drink.
Setsubun beans are meant to be thrown to drive away demons.
But perhaps, like in the song, many people simply crunch on them as a snack and call their Setsubun complete.
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?
Kapuin addictionYozora Meru
This is a song by virtual idol Yozora Mel, who is active on YouTube and popular for her sweet voice and gentle way of speaking.
In “Kapuwin Addiction,” she sings about a lively Halloween scene.
It even includes a Setsubun reference, with lines like, “Don’t tell me to have only as many as my age like Setsubun beans—give me more sweets!” The custom of eating the same number of beans as your age on Setsubun is said to come from the belief that you can take in as much good fortune as your years.
Who would have thought a Halloween song would make us double-check how many beans we’re supposed to eat?