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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“Demons Out, Fortune In”: Japanese songs to listen to on Setsubun. Recommended J‑Pop roundup (21–30)
I’m a celeb!Sugisaki Miku (Saitō Chiwa)
“I’m So Fab!” is a character song for Miku Sugisaki, a character from the gag manga Mitsudomoe.
While mocking conveyor-belt sushi and bragging about her dad’s friends, she haughtily sings, “I’m not like commoners,” and the song also depicts a bean-throwing scene.
Seeing Setsubun as “a fun party where you just keep throwing beans” seems pretty unusual—whether or not you’re wealthy.
It really makes you curious about what bean-throwing is actually like in affluent households, doesn’t it?
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!
“Demons Out, Good Fortune In”: Japanese songs to listen to on Setsubun. Recommended J‑Pop roundup (31–40)
Yoyogi ParkMayumura Chiaki
It’s a heartwarming song that makes you once again feel happy about the time you spend with friends and loved ones.
The singer is Chiaki Mayumura, a singer-songwriter who calls herself a singer-songwriter/track-making idol, and who also runs her own management company while performing.
The lyrics portray a child bewildered by an irregular situation—getting interviewed while eating an ehomaki in Yoyogi Park—and you can’t help but feel all warm and fuzzy.
Hearing this track might make many people spontaneously look back on their childhood and think, “I used to love making and eating ehomaki at home.”
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!
tat-tat-tan (onomatopoeia for rhythmic drumming/footsteps)Tarutotatan
Sung by tartetatin, a female duo known for their vocals that mix comfort and excitement, “Tatotatan” is a track from their 2015 album SHIRODUCER.
It’s a highly distinctive song in which most of the lyrics are repetitions of phrases familiar from Setsubun, and once you hear it, it’s addictively hard to get out of your head.
After listening to it a few times, you might find yourself unconsciously trying to drive away demons to the melody of “Tatotatan” when you do the bean-throwing ritual.
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.