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 Japanese hit songs from the 1960s. A collection of popular Showa-era classic melodies.
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Compilation of classic Showa-era kayōkyoku hits: a comprehensive introduction to timeless songs loved across generations (31–40)
stationTakeuchi Mariya
This is Mariya Takeuchi’s self-cover of a song she wrote for Akina Nakamori.
Believing that bittersweet songs suit Nakamori, Takeuchi composed it using a rare minor key for her.
Interestingly, their interpretations of the lyrics are said to be completely opposite, so it might be worth comparing the two versions.
It’s a wonderful, heartrending song no matter who sings it.
Pastel LoveKanai Yūko
Released in June 1978.
Yuko Kanai came from the show “Star Tanjō,” which produced many stars.
She made it through several preliminary rounds, but no scouts raised their placards in the finals.
At that time, one of the judges, Shunichi Tokura, wondered, “Why? You of all people?” and personally helped push for her debut through the show.
She was refined and had decent vocal ability, but in the end, she didn’t become a hit.
It’s an episode that really makes you feel the acumen of professional eyes—ironically, in the opposite way.
Still, the song has a clear, transparent quality, and I think it’s a masterpiece.
Sky Restauranthaifaisetto
It was released in November 1975, and I remember thinking Hi-Fi Set was a folk-style group, yet they sang some rather poignant, adult songs.
This track was overshadowed by their big hit “Feeling,” so it didn’t stand out much, but although it’s sung softly, it’s a masterpiece that conveys a woman’s pride within a love triangle.
SAND BEIGE ~To the Desert~Nakamori Akina
This is Akina Nakamori’s 12th single, released in 1985.
It debuted at No.
1 and became the 7th best-selling song of the year.
Although she’s categorized as an idol, Akina Nakamori, who never made “cuteness” her main appeal, had truly cool vocals and fashion—and she still does today.
My loverGorin Mayumi
In 1980, Mayumi Itsuwa achieved her only No.
1 with both the single and the album, and this deeply moving masterpiece became a long-running hit.
Even just within Japan, it has been covered by a remarkable lineup of singers such as Noriko Awaya, Hibari Misora, and Akira Fuse.
Her vocal ability is simply outstanding.
A roundup of classic Showa-era kayōkyoku hits: a comprehensive introduction to timeless songs loved across generations (41–50)
YOUNG MAN (Y.M.C.A.)Saijō Hideki
It’s a smash hit released in 1979 that held the No.
1 spot on the Oricon chart for five consecutive weeks.
It’s a cover of the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.,” which was a hit in the U.S.
at the time.
If everyone dances together to the chorus, it’s sure to create a strong sense of unity.
Meeting at ShuishiyingOkanoteiichi
The celebrated song that extols a sincere reconciliation between soldiers is a work by Teiichi Okano, included in 1910 (Meiji 43) in the fifth-year edition of the Elementary School Songbook.
While praising morale and valor, it portrays deep human compassion with the idea that “yesterday’s enemy is today’s friend,” and its message of respect and friendship toward a former foe still resonates today.
Recorded by the Barn Jacks on the album “Songs of Sorrow from the Battlefield” and featured as well in “Koichi Miura Collection: Masterpieces of Military Songs,” this piece vividly depicts raw scenes—bullet-scarred battle sites and collapsed homes—while powerfully singing of reconciliation and the wish for peace.
It is a song we especially recommend to those who wish to pass on the history of war and the preciousness of peace to the next generation, and to those who want to experience the spirit of Japan’s school songs and military songs.