Lovely Christmas

[J-Pop] Showa-era Christmas songs: nostalgic yet fresh Christmas classics

music writerKOH-1
Started working as a music writer as a side job while employed at a record shop, and for over 18 years I’ve contributed to music magazines, disc guide books, mooks, and web media. As a writer my main field is Western music, but as a listener for over 35 years, I always try to keep my curiosity alive with the motto “I like what I like.” I have experience playing in bands, where I was a bassist who handled songwriting and composition. Instruments I’ve played include bass, guitar, and piano. I began studying English in my mid-40s and continue to do so today.
POPS writer/editorKEI
Since discovering music during my school days, I’ve mainly listened to Japanese and Korean pop. I have experience writing articles for sites like Utaten. 2000s J-pop and 2010s K-pop were especially the soundtrack of my youth. With the mindset that “good is good,” I enjoy music across genres. Thanks to past work environments and their influence, I was exposed to lots of classic rock and kayōkyoku (Japanese popular songs), which may have broadened the scope of what I love. At RAG MUSIC, I currently focus on K-pop and J-pop. I strive to edit with a feel for the scene and an eye for hit potential.

As Christmas draws near, we hear Christmas songs everywhere—from city streets to the radio.

What kind of Christmas songs do you like?

In this article, we’re featuring Japanese Christmas songs released in the Showa era!

Focusing on hit songs, we’ve selected a variety ranging from timeless classics that have been passed down for years to tracks with a refined charm.

For those who experienced them in real time, it’s a chance to look back with fond memories.

And for anyone curious about Showa-era Christmas songs, there may be new discoveries in store.

Make them the perfect companion to a wonderful Christmas!

[Japanese Pop] Showa-Era Christmas Songs: Nostalgic yet Fresh Holiday Classics (31–40)

Full of ChristmasKudō Shizuka

Full of Christmas

Full of ChristmasKudō Shizuka

Shizuka Kudo is a singer who is active not only in music but also across a wide range of fields, including acting, television, jewelry design, and painting.

“X’mas ga Ippai,” the song that closes her best-of album gradation, features a dreamy intro that, true to its title, instantly evokes Christmas.

Its lyrics, filled with love for someone special, make it a perfect touch for a holy night.

With a melody that blends pop brightness with a touch of melancholy, it’s an unforgettable, timeless winter song.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Christmas Time in Blue – Whistling on the Holy NightSano Motoharu

Motoharu Sano / Christmas Time in Blue - Whistling on the Holy Night -

Christmas Time in Blue - Whistling on the Holy NightSano Motoharu

This Christmas song, released in 1985, reached a peak of No.

7 on the sales charts at the time and sold about 130,000 copies.

It has a laid-back vibe and somehow feels a bit foreign.

It’s a song full of universality that fits perfectly with spending Christmas with a lover.

As the lyrics say, it has a heartwarming quality that embraces everyone—those in love and those in tears—and carries Sano’s wish for happiness across the world.

It’s the kind of song that would put you at ease if you heard it playing in the streets and let you feel the festive spirit.

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Midnight Flight — A Lonely Christmas EveHamada Shogo

Midnight Flight – A Lonely Christmas Eve Shogo Hamada

Midnight Flight — A Lonely Christmas EveHamada Shogo

Singer-songwriter Shogo Hamada has continued to captivate fans for many years, despite consistently avoiding media exposure since his debut.

Midnight Flight -Lonely Christmas Eve-, included on the compilation album CLUB SURF & SNOWBOUND, which is made up of summer and winter songs, is a track whose sentimental melody lingers in the ear.

The lyrics, written from both male and female perspectives, evoke the heartache of missing each other on Christmas night.

It’s a Christmas song steeped in melancholy, with a sorrowful atmosphere that tightens the heart.

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Hoshino Takashi

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A Lonely Christmas SongOzaki Ami

Ami Ozaki - A Lonely Christmas Song

A Lonely Christmas SongOzaki Ami

When discussing Japanese Christmas songs, one cannot overlook “Hitoribocchi no Christmas Song,” released in 1983 and created by Ami Ozaki.

Handling the lyrics, composition, and arrangement herself, Ozaki crafted a piece whose deeply resonant melody and distinctive world-building captivated listeners and colored the Japanese music scene of the 1980s.

Her delicate expressiveness and moving melodies offer a comforting experience—whether you spend Christmas alone or with others—and will appeal to first-time listeners across generations.

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Green poinsettiaKawai Sonoko

Green Poinsettia, Sonoko Kawai.

Green poinsettiaKawai Sonoko

A Christmas song by Sonoko Kawai, the original beautiful idol.

In Onyanko Club, she had an older-sister presence, and after graduating from the group she continued to release hit songs one after another.

“Midori no Poinsettia” is a rare track in that it wasn’t written by Yasushi Akimoto, who produced the Onyanko-related projects.

Its heartbreakingly poignant lyrics—overlaying the sorrow of a broken heart onto a green poinsettia—fit Sonoko Kawai perfectly.

For those who spent their youth with Onyanko, this song might hit right on target.

It’s included on her debut album “Sonoko,” so please give it a listen if you have the chance!

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Taki no namida pin ku

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