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

Izu ShowerKitagawa Yūji

Izu Shower

A wistful song beautifully rendered with deep emotion by veteran enka singer Yuji Kitagawa.

Released in 2018, this piece is a lyrical enka number where the rain-veiled scenery of Izu intersects with a helpless yearning for love.

As the gentle intro begins, it feels as if a cold autumn drizzle, a shigure, is pouring into your heart.

Perhaps it is a journey retracing memories of a love that has passed.

Kitagawa’s rich, warm voice blends exquisitely with the imagery of the Amagi mountains and the lonely coastline, tightening the listener’s chest.

Many will likely see themselves in the protagonist who, burdened by heartbreak, wanders alone through Izu.

Descending the Tenryū Riverichimaru

Descending the Tenryū River

This is a signature song by Ichimaru, a renowned geisha singer who also served as the 17th head of the Nakamura school of Edo kouta, released in the early Showa era.

Its theme is the majestic descent of the Tenryu River, which runs from her hometown of Nagano through Shizuoka to the Pacific Ocean.

The lively tones woven by shamisen and shakuhachi match perfectly with Ichimaru’s glossy, soaring vocals.

You can almost see the scene of the raft forging ahead through the spray right before your eyes.

The cheerful calls, tinged with a certain nostalgia, seem to convey the energy of people from that time.

Song of Tojin O-Kichi (Akegarasu Edition)Fujimoto Nisankichi

Song of Tojin Okichi, Akegarasu Edition (Fujimoto Fumikichi)

This is “The Song of Tojin Okichi (Ake-garasu Version),” sung by Fujimoto Fumiko, celebrated as the “Nightingale Geisha.” Born as the theme song for a 1930 film, it is set in Shimoda Port at the end of the Edo period and portrays the heartrending fate of a young woman.

The emotive vocals, the wistful timbre of the shamisen, and the modern piano accompaniment blend exquisitely.

You can almost see the scenes—the rain-veiled harbor and camellia blossoms falling in fleeting beauty—and feel your chest tighten with the heroine’s sorrow.

A masterpiece deeply rooted in Shizuoka’s history, it is still lovingly passed down and sung at local festivals today.

Sataro of IzuTakada Kōkichi

Sataro of Izu

One of Hiroyoshi Takada’s signature songs that gloriously marked his postwar comeback, “Sataro of Izu.” Set on the spring-hazed roads of Izu, this classic matabi-kayō (itinerant traveler ballad) portrays a wanderer returning to his hometown.

After crossing the Amagi mountains, which emerge faintly like ink wash painting, the protagonist finally reaches familiar soil.

Yet he wavers—should he meet old acquaintances, or slip away as he is? That inner conflict intertwines exquisitely with Takada’s stylish, resonant vocals and the wistful tones of the shamisen, seeping deeply into the listener’s heart.

By the time the song ends, you’re enveloped in a bittersweet, abundant feeling, as though you had watched a full period drama on film.

The Dancing Girl of IzuYamaguchi Momoe

Momoe Yamaguchi - The Izu Dancer (with lyrics)

Yasunari Kawabata’s representative work The Izu Dancer is a novel set on the Izu Peninsula.

It has been adapted into films many times, and this song was the theme for the 1974 film, sung by Momoe Yamaguchi, who starred in it.

It was included as the B-side of Fuyu no Iro (Winter’s Color).

Elegy of the Hot Spring TownŌmi Toshirō

Amateur singing with self-accompaniment: Yuno-machi Elegy by Toshiro Omi

It is a song themed around Ito Onsen in Ito City and is one of Toshiro Omi’s signature works.

Released in 1948, it became a hit, selling 400,000 copies.

The music was composed by Masao Koga, and the lyrics were written by Toshio Nomura.

There is also a film titled “Yunomachi Elegy” that is based on this song.

Fukuroi City Song ~This Is My Hometown~Karasawa Mayuko

[Municipal Song] Fukuroi City Song — This Is My Hometown

This is the city song of Fukuroi, located in western Shizuoka Prefecture.

It was established the year after the city merged with Asaba Town of Iwata District in 2005 to form the new Fukuroi.

The lyrics were written by singer-songwriter Hiroko Taniyama, and the music was composed by Michiru Oshima, known for her work on numerous film scores.