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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- [Nostalgic Hits] Smash Hits with the Showa Generation! Classic and Popular Songs Sung by Female Vocalists
- [For Seniors] Popular Kayōkyoku: A Collection of Classic Songs Perfect for Karaoke and Background Music Selection
- Nostalgic Japanese hit songs from the 1960s. A collection of popular Showa-era classic melodies.
- Popular Showa-era pop. Timeless hit songs.
Collection of Showa-era kayō classic hits: a comprehensive introduction to timeless songs loved across generations (111–120)
UFOpinku redii
UFO, Pink Lady’s biggest hit and a million seller, was their sixth single, released in 1977.
Back then, girls eagerly learned the choreography and sang and danced along.
If you recreate it with a perfect copy, it’s sure to bring the house down.
To Marie on Fifth AvenuePetoro & Kapurishasu
A song by the hit-making duo Yu Aku and Shunichi Tokura, it was also a major hit for Pedro & Capricious.
The group may still be active even now, but I can’t help thinking the second vocalist, Mari Takahashi (now the solo artist Mariko Takahashi), played a huge role—her singing is truly outstanding.
City of Ukiyo-eUchida Akari
In August 1973, Ukyoe no Machi became a major talking point for its unusual title and costumes at a time when idols were debuting one after another and folk songs were still very popular.
Back then, idols were called “jaritare” (bratty talents) by older men and women, and Akari Uchida’s song, with her distinctive vocal style that evoked the nighttime world, came across as a mature piece that adults could appreciate.
Not even worth confessingKitahara Mirei
When I listened to this song, released in October 1970, I was still just a child—barely in middle school—and I remember it being a shocking song, interpreted in my own childish way.
What is now called the “phantom fourth verse” seems to exist, and I recall the word “iron bars” sticking in my ears back then, so I believe it was sung at the time.
From the standpoint that it wouldn’t see the light of day in today’s world, I consider it a hidden masterpiece.
Northern SpringSen Masao
This is one of Masao Sen’s signature songs, filled with feelings for his hometown.
It portrays a protagonist living in the city who, with the arrival of spring, finds himself longing for his northern homeland.
Springtime scenes—blue skies, southern breezes, and cherry blossoms—are depicted with watercolor-like vividness, conveying a poignant yearning to return to a distant home.
Released in April 1977, the song became a massive hit, selling over three million copies, and was performed multiple times on NHK’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
It’s a song to listen to when you step away from the city’s clamor and, in a quiet moment, find yourself missing the warmth of your hometown.
paper craneHiroko Chiba
Among the hidden gems released in August 1972, this is the first song that came to my mind.
It may have been a modest hit, but it never really became well-known.
It sounds a bit like enka, yet not quite; at times it feels like pop, but that’s not exactly right either—it has a mysterious melody.
It’s structured in three parts, with the mood of the melody changing as it goes, and it’s fairly complex, so it was hard to hum along to.
Don’t say anything.Sono Mari
Mari Sono, who was active at the forefront of Showa-era kayōkyoku with songs like “When the Acacia Rain Stops” and “Aitakute Aitakute,” also recorded this piece, which has been overshadowed by her more famous hits.
Released in 1964 (Showa 39), it became a hit and followed the so-called Japanese pop style, a trajectory that later led to Yukari Itō’s “Koyubi no Omoide” becoming a massive success.