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

Love WindIkuta Rira

Lila Ikuta “Koikaze” Official Music Video

This song was chosen as the theme for the ABEMA romance reality show “Kyou, Suki ni Narimashita.

New Zealand Edition.” It’s a work by Lila Ikuta, who is also active as the vocalist of the music duo YOASOBI, and it was released in April 2025.

The piece is a love song that portrays a delicate emotional landscape: though timid about love, the narrator is touched by the other person’s earnest feelings and tries to take a step forward.

The fresh sound, like a herald of spring, layered with Lila Ikuta’s clear, transparent vocals, tightens your chest as you listen.

This marks the third time she has provided the theme song for the series.

It’s a masterpiece filled with warmth that gently gives you a push when you’re troubled by love or can’t quite take that next step.

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.

Only a single voicerokudenashi

Rokudenashi “Just One Voice” / Rokudenashi – One Voice [Official Music Video]

It’s a heartrending song that stands with those carrying the pain of heartbreak and the difficulty of living.

Released in December 2021, it delicately portrays the loneliness and inner struggles of young people today, accompanied by the gentle tones of the piano.

The emotions expressed by Rokudenashi reflect people who, though hurt by the smallest words of everyday life, still try their best to smile.

The song resonated across borders, reaching No.

1 on Hong Kong’s Spotify Viral Chart, among other achievements.

It’s a track I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who can’t quite put their feelings into words or is struggling alone.

Its tender sound and vocals will surely stay close to your heart.

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.

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.

Until the day I can no longer rememberback number

back number – Until the Day It Becomes Unrememberable (full)

This is a poignant song about parting with someone dear.

Iyori Shimizu’s delicate vocals gently enfold the feelings for the one who was lost.

It carefully depicts the depth of their bond and the emptiness that follows their absence, making it a piece that resonates deeply with listeners.

The song was also selected as the ending theme for a TV Tokyo music program, winning widespread empathy.

It’s the perfect track for when you want to remember someone important, or reaffirm your feelings for them.

Why not close your eyes and listen slowly?

Love is litNEW!rokudenashi

Rokudenashi “The Flame of Love” / Rokudenashi – The Flame of Love [Official Music Video]

This work by the music project Rokudenashi is a single released digitally in February 2023.

It’s a ballad born from a collaboration between vocalist Ninjin and Vocaloid producer MIMI, characterized by a simple, piano-centered arrangement.

The song portrays a world in which the presence of someone brings warmth to a heart burdened by loneliness and anxiety, and Ninjin’s delicate vocals resonate deeply with listeners.

It became a major topic on social media platforms like TikTok and was performed at a special live show in December.

It’s a gentle track that quietly stays by your side when you feel tired or find life difficult in your day-to-day.