Recommended for people in their 70s! A curated selection of Japanese songs to listen to and sing during the cold winter

Snow TrainMaekawa Kiyoshi

The Snow Train / Kiyoshi Maekawa - Gaijin’s Japanese Lyrics and Chinese Translation

Snow falls quietly, a train whistle echoes in the distance.

There’s a song that perfectly captures the mood of a winter journey—released by Kiyoshi Maekawa in 1982.

With lyrics by Shigesato Itoi and music and arrangement by Ryuichi Sakamoto, this work boasts an illustrious lineup and features a forward-thinking sound that transcends the bounds of enka.

There’s even a behind-the-scenes story: they spent three days crafting the drum part to evoke the resonance of a taiko drum—testament to their meticulous attention to detail.

How about listening to it while gazing at a snowy landscape and recalling memories of journeys past?

A Journey Through Wind and SnowKitajima Saburō

Saburo Kitajima “Kansetsu Nagare Tabi” (Official Audio)

Released in 1980 by Saburō Kitajima, a giant of the enka world, this song was created by the golden duo of lyricist Tetsurō Hoshino and composer Tōru Funamura.

It portrays the life of a traveling performer journeying through the snowbound north with a Tsugaru shamisen in hand.

From childhood, he has roamed from place to place with only his shamisen, and his struggle to live on even amid blizzards is deeply moving.

The lyrics mention northern locales such as Tsugaru, Hakodate, and Otaru, conveying both the harshness of winter and the loneliness of the road.

As the chill of December sinks in, why not hum along while picturing the nostalgic scenery of the far north?

Tsugaru Jongara-bushiHosokawa Takashi

Tsugaru Jongara-bushi

A representative folk song from Aomori Prefecture, performed by Takashi Hosokawa at the opening of his December 1978 folk album “Bokyō” (Nostalgia).

With powerful shouts and melodic turns, it vividly sings of Tsugaru’s scenery—Mount Iwaki, apple orchards—and the lives of its people, conveying a deep love for the homeland.

Mitsunori Sasaki’s shamisen creates a sense of speed, and the way it interweaves with Hosokawa’s expansive vocals is breathtaking.

In January 1978, it was also performed on Fuji TV’s “Yoru no Hit Studio,” bringing the brilliance of folk music to audiences nationwide.

Why not hum along with family or friends while picturing Tsugaru’s winter landscape?

SubaruTanimura Shinji

[Shinji Tanimura “Subaru”] Recital 2023 “THE SINGER” to be held on Friday, April 14, at Aichi Prefectural Arts Theater, Large Hall!

How about a moving ballad that evokes the vastness of the universe? Released in 1980, it is one of Shinji Tanimura’s signature songs, featured multiple times in high school music textbooks since 1985 and performed five times on NHK’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen.

Its poetic lyrics, likening life to a journey, possess a literary depth and convey a strong determination to keep moving forward while overcoming hardships.

Many older listeners may see their own lives reflected in the figure who continues walking with hope in their heart.

Why not join your voices together and sing it, savoring the poetry as you go?

Outside, it’s a night of white snow.yoshida takurou

A White Snowy Night Outside / Takuro Yoshida (with lyrics)

Created by the duo of Takuro Yoshida, a leading figure in folk music, and Takashi Matsumoto, this work was included on the 1978 album Rolling 30.

It portrays the final conversation between a man and a woman parting ways, with the steadily falling snow reflecting their emotions.

The scene of them talking while lining up their cigarettes, and their heartrending resolve to part with consolation rather than hurt each other, resonates deeply alongside the stillness of a winter night.

This song has long been loved as a karaoke standard.

On a night when snow dances outside the window, why not listen to it while reminiscing about old times?

Winter LightningArisu

Alice – Winter Lightning

This is Alice’s sixth single, released in November 1977, which reached No.

2 on the Oricon charts.

The song depicts an intense, fleeting impulse of love, like a bolt of lightning shining bright in the winter sky.

The powerful vocals of Shinji Tanimura and Takao Horiuchi convey a surge of fierce emotion intertwined with a aching sense of longing.

It evokes a love that burns in the cold, clear winter air, along with the foreboding of an impending farewell.

The track features Alice’s distinctive fusion of folk and rock, with a dramatic melody and guitar riffs that resonate deeply.

Celebrated as a classic of the Showa era, it continues to be sung by many today—why not give it a listen while reminiscing about old times?

coniferNoguchi Goro

Goro Noguchi – Conifer

This is a song released by Goro Noguchi in 1976 that overlays the bittersweetness of winter love with snowy scenery.

The lyrics were written by Kotaro Aso and the music composed by Kyohei Tsutsumi, and it reached No.

2 on the Oricon Weekly Chart.

Like a dignified conifer standing tall, it portrays a man who continues to care for his former lover even after their breakup, where sadness and kindness intersect.

The contrast between strength that does not wither in the cold wind and sighs as cold as snow is striking.

With this work, Goro Noguchi won the Vocal Performance Award at the Japan Record Awards, and he also performed it on the NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen.

Why not listen to it while recalling an old romance or picturing a winter scene? It can also be a great prompt to share memories with fellow residents at the facility.