A roundup of classic Showa-era kayō songs: a comprehensive introduction to timeless tracks loved across generations.
Songs released in the Showa era—what we call Showa kayokyoku—are truly full of timeless masterpieces!
If you’re an adult born in the Showa period, you probably know just how wildly popular Showa kayokyoku was with the entire nation back then.
Meanwhile, even for younger people born in the Heisei era and later, there are still plenty of Showa kayokyoku songs you hear all the time today, and I’m sure many of you can sing quite a few of them without looking at the lyrics.
In this article, we’ll introduce a whole lineup of Showa kayokyoku classics that have continued to be loved across generations.
Take this opportunity to listen again with fresh ears and immerse yourself fully in the world of kayokyoku.
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A roundup of classic Showa-era Kayōkyoku hits: A comprehensive introduction to timeless songs loved across generations (71–80)
Dawn breaks.Sakamoto Sumiko
Many of you may remember this song from long ago, as it tends to stick in your ears.
She also thrived as an actress, famously filing down her front teeth in her 40s to play an elderly woman in the film The Ballad of Narayama—a masterpiece whose harrowing performance won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
While she didn’t achieve massive hit status as a singer, this classic reached as high as No.
14 on the Oricon charts in 1971.
I look up as I walkSakamoto Kyu
It’s one of Kyu Sakamoto’s signature songs, covered not only in Japan but also by various renowned artists overseas.
It is also the only song by an Asian singer to have reached No.
1 on the Billboard weekly chart.
Even now, it remains a representative Japanese song loved around the world.
You are in full color.Ohtaki Eiichi
Even though he sadly passed away in 2013, this is one of the many masterpieces by Eiichi Ohtaki that continue to shine with his voice and distinctive world.
First released on the hit album “A LONG VACATION,” it was later included on a best-of album after his death in 2014 and put on CD.
I feel grateful for the evolution of our music culture that lets us still hear that softly spreading voice in CD-quality sound.
Premonition of Loveanzenchitai
With lyrics by Yosui Inoue and music by Koji Tamaki, this is Anzen Chitai’s seventh single.
It was also featured in an airline’s TV commercial and became a hit, reaching as high as No.
3 on the Oricon charts.
Koji Tamaki’s vocal prowess and voice seize your heart no matter how many times you listen.
A snap in yellow-green (moegi)anzenchitai
Released to the world in February 1982 as Anzenchitai’s major-label debut single, this song features Koji Tamaki’s warm yet crystalline vocals that resonate like a slightly damp spring breeze.
In the season of thaw, the protagonist’s hopeful feelings—sensing the brilliance of life—come through alongside the beautiful melody.
The track holds special memories for the band, who created it while living and working in a studio they fashioned out of an abandoned house in Hokkaido.
It’s a perfect song for moments when you want to feel the arrival of spring or savor special time with someone dear.