Popular and recommended poignant Japanese songs on YouTube Shorts: a collection of timeless tracks that touch the heart

Song of PointillismMrs. GREEN APPLE · Inoue Sonoko

Tenbyouno Uta

A beloved ballad featuring the overwhelmingly popular band Mrs.

GREEN APPLE and vocalist Sonoko Inoue, who is also active as an actress.

It portrays a bittersweet yet beautiful story of two people who fall in love within a limited time.

The rich expressiveness of Motoki Omori’s voice and the crystalline clarity of Sonoko Inoue’s vocals weave a harmony that conveys feelings beyond words.

Included on the single “Ao to Natsu” released in August 2018, the song colored the story as an insert track in the film “Aonatsu: Kimi ni Koi Shita 30-nichi.” Knowing that the intention was to express dialog-free scenes through singing makes the lyrics resonate even more deeply.

It’s a song that gently accompanies that slightly lonely feeling, like the end of summer.

maybeYOASOBI

YOASOBI “Tabun” Official Music Video

YOASOBI is known for producing songs based on novels.

While they often give the impression of upbeat tracks, this song, released in July 2020, takes a calmer, mid-tempo approach that invites a more reflective listen.

The piece portrays the quiet yet somewhat ambiguous emotions of two people on the morning of their separation.

Even as they try to accept that it’s no one’s fault, fleeting moments bring back memories of the past—those unresolved, wavering feelings align perfectly with Ikura’s clear, transparent vocals.

Chosen as the theme song for a short film, it resonated widely, with the music video surpassing 100 million views by July 2023.

If you’ve experienced the end of a romance and want to sink into a sentimental mood at night, this song might gently stay by your side.

Shadows of SummerMrs. GREEN APPLE

Mrs. GREEN APPLE “Summer Shadow” Official Music Video

This work feels like it bottles up that indescribable loneliness carried in by the end of summer.

In scenes where a gentle breeze and lengthening shadows signal the changing season, it portrays a pale first love hidden behind the excuse of blaming a racing heartbeat on “summer.” It carries a message that seems to scoop up the bittersweet feelings that accompany the irreversible passage of time as we slowly grow up.

The song was released by Mrs.

GREEN APPLE in August 2025, marking their first summer anthem in about seven years since “Ao to Natsu.” It also served as the theme for Kirin’s Gogo no Kocha commercial featuring Ren Meguro of Snow Man, whose nostalgic worldview moved listeners.

It’s the perfect track for recalling a past romance on a summer evening.

tear(s)Marushii

Marcy – Tears (Official Music Video)

A love ballad that portrays the ache of heartbreak in stark contrast to the dazzling summer sun.

It’s a work released in August 2025 by the rock band Marcy, known for down-to-earth lyrics that resonate.

Memories of love told in the past tense and words detailing feelings that will never reach their destination shake the listener’s heart.

Skillful metaphors—like the pain of memories lingering as sensations in the body and a future that was never opened—reflect the protagonist’s earnest emotions and are sure to bring tears.

The song is slated to be included on their third original album, set for release in November 2025, which will also feature Aozora, the theme song for the film “Youth Gestalt Collapse.” It’s a track you’ll want to listen to quietly on nights when you want to immerse yourself in unforgettable memories of love.

Happy Endingback number

back number – Happy End (full)

This song was chosen as the theme for the film “My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday.” It’s a work by back number, a three-piece rock band from Gunma, released in November 2016 as their 16th single.

The band sound, adorned with sweeping strings, is so beautiful it could move you to tears on its own.

The song portrays the painful bravado and lingering attachment of a woman who chooses to part ways even though she’s still in love.

She pretends to be fine while harboring feelings that wither without ever ripening—a portrayal that’s sure to tighten your chest.

If you have someone you can’t forget, this song may just sit with that helpless feeling and keep you company.

waxing; filling up; becoming full; growing (e.g., the moon growing fuller)Fuji Kaze

Fujii Kaze – Michi Teyu Ku (Overflowing) / Official Video

This is a number by Fujii Kaze that was chosen as the theme song for the film “My Girlfriend Is an April” starring Takeru Satoh and Masami Nagasawa.

Released in March 2024, it’s his first love song.

The gentle piano melody and tender vocals delicately portray the helpless ache of love and parting.

The profound message—that by letting something go, your heart becomes lighter and eventually fulfilled—takes you by surprise.

If you listen to it when you’re reeling from a breakup with someone dear, it may quietly stay by your side in your pain.

It’s a moving song that lets you feel the warmth that lies beneath the sadness.

SubtitleOfisharu Higedan Dism

Official HIGE DANDism – Subtitle [Official Video]

It’s a classic written as the theme song for the drama “silent,” starring Haruna Kawaguchi and Ren Meguro.

The nationally beloved piano pop band Official HIGE DANDism released it in October 2022.

The song expresses the fragility and frustration of words that, like snowflakes, can’t hold their shape and melt away.

The protagonist’s desperate cry—feelings that can’t be conveyed by words alone—rises on a dramatic melody and really hits home.

Alongside the drama’s huge success, it went viral on social media and reached No.

1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.

It’s a beautiful ballad that gently stays by your side when you can’t tell the person you love how you feel.