Introducing famous songs about Shizuoka: Local anthems and popular tracks [2026]

The Woman from Ōmiya I Parted with in ShuzenjiBīto Takeshi

The Woman from Ōmiya I Parted With in Shuzenji

This is a song by Takeshi Kitano whose wistful vocals and melancholy melody really sink into the heart.

I’ve heard it was created as the ending theme for a late-night TV show in which Kitano himself appeared.

The story is set in Shuzenji, Izu, and depicts a painfully bittersweet scene in which the narrator brings someone all the way there only to say goodbye.

The image of wandering through the hot-spring district at night without proper lodging or a decent meal conveys both a lack of planning and a poignant atmosphere.

Kitano’s plainspoken singing voice perfectly matches the image of a clumsy, slightly comical man, and it tightens your chest before you know it.

A slightly capricious migratory birdHikawa Kiyoshi

Kiyoshi Hikawa / A Slightly Capricious Drifter [Official]

This is a heartwarming matatabi enka whose breezy, clear-as-the-sky vocals by Kiyoshi Hikawa feel delightful.

Released in 2014, it became a popular song that ranked high on the Oricon charts, and the call-and-response with the audience has become a staple at live shows.

Its travel-rich worldview, which tours Shizuoka’s famous spots like Amagi Pass in Izu, the Suruga Road, and Miho no Matsubara, invites listeners into beautiful scenery.

The protagonist likens himself to a slightly fickle migratory bird, his heart fluttering at the encounters he has on the road.

That cheerful, warm narrative pairs perfectly with Hikawa’s free, soaring vocals, doesn’t it?

Night in AtamiHakozaki Shinichiro

Shinichiro Hakozaki, “Night in Atami” (1)

This was Shinichiro Hakozaki’s debut single and a song that can be called a milestone of mood kayō.

As the sweet tone of the saxophone intro flows in, the night view of Atami—its steam and neon lights shimmering mysteriously—unfolds before your eyes.

A fleeting love encountered on a journey, only once and never again.

He sings those aching memories with rich emotion.

Hakozaki’s sweet, heartrending falsetto—often described as almost feminine—soaks into the chest and grips the listener’s heart.

The song caught fire through snack bars and cable broadcasts and came to be loved by many.

Perhaps no other piece captures the unique melancholy and romance of a Showa-era hot-spring town so perfectly.

Lament of the Hot Spring TownAraki Ichiro

Lament of the Hot Spring Town

This song, performed by Ichiro Araki—who showcases his multifaceted talents as a singer and actor—is set in Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

It depicts a heartbroken journey, with the protagonist visiting the hot-spring town filled with memories, unable to forget a former lover.

Araki’s sweet yet wistful vocals evoke flickering memories and a tender melancholy, like visions shimmering beyond the steam.

The sorrowful melody—where enka and kayōkyoku blend—overlaps with the protagonist’s helpless state of mind, tightening the chest.

It’s a masterpiece that conjures the emotionally rich nightscape of Atami, where the loneliness of traveling alone sinks deep into the heart.

Rain in IzuKadokawa Hiroshi

Hiroshi Kadokawa “Rain in Izu”

Hiroshi Kadokawa’s deep, nostalgic voice melds with the scenery of Izu in this classic rich with the feel of travel.

Released in 1984, the song is an “enka-pop” blend that fuses the emotion of enka with the lightness of pop.

Its gentle melody evokes the atmosphere of a hot spring town glistening in the rain.

The lyrics overlay unwavering devotion to a loved one with the image of unrelenting rain.

You can feel the protagonist’s single-minded yearning, as if searching beyond the steam for the beloved’s lingering silhouette.

The quiet sound of the rain seems almost like subdued sobbing, stirring a poignant ache in the listener’s heart.

Crossing Amagi PassIshikawa Sayuri

Crossing Amagi Pass

This is one of Sayuri Ishikawa’s signature songs, about Mount Amagi—one of Japan’s One Hundred Famous Mountains rising in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Released in 1986, it won the Gold Prize at that year’s Japan Record Awards.

Sayuri Ishikawa has also performed this song many times on the NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen.

Nihondaira Calling YouKoromubia Rōzu

Nihondaira Calling You / Columbia Rose

When it comes to local songs celebrating Nihondaira, the beautiful scenic spot in Shizuoka, this is the one! It was released in 1961 by the first Columbia Rose, who took the country by storm as a masked singer.

Set to a bright, lighthearted waltz, the song portrays a tour-bus worker who pours herself into her job with hope in her heart and develops a faint crush on the people she meets along the way.

The first Columbia Rose’s clear and charming voice perfectly matches the protagonist’s earnest feelings.

You can almost see the tea fields spreading below and the glitter of Suruga Bay, and the song wraps you in a rising excitement that swells with the promise of a journey.