Songs of Summer from the Showa Era: A comprehensive introduction, from nostalgic Japanese hits to timeless favorites still popular today
Summer is packed with fun events like seaside drives, camping, and all-you-can-eat buffets.
And to make summer even more exciting, the right BGM is essential, isn’t it? If you’re struggling with your summer playlist, why not try some classic Japanese hits from the Showa era? In this article, we introduce a variety of “summer songs” mainly from the 1960s to the 1980s—ranging from Showa pop and Group Sounds to New Music, city pop, idol tunes, and rock bands.
For some, it’ll be a nostalgic trip; for younger listeners, a fresh discovery.
Enjoy!
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Songs of Summer from the Showa Era | A Comprehensive Introduction, from Nostalgic Japanese Hits to Ever-Popular Classics (21–30)
50/50Nagayama Miho
With its exhilarating steelpan tones that evoke a refreshing Caribbean breeze, it’s a signature number by Miho Nakayama.
The song artfully captures the bittersweet emotions of a summer romance where passion and heartache intersect—or perhaps where two hearts sway at a perfect fifty-fifty.
Just listening to it brings back the sparkling summers of those days.
Released in July 1987 as Miho Nakayama’s 10th single, it peaked at No.
2 on the Oricon Weekly Chart and became a hit with over 210,000 copies sold.
Composed by Tetsuya Komuro, it’s also included on the album “Collection.” For those who lived through the summers of the ’80s in real time, this is a track that’s sure to make your heart swell with memories.
It’s a classic that perfectly accompanies a liberating summer drive.
Deceived by a guy like HiroshiTakada Mizue
When it comes to sounds that evoke a faintly nostalgic summer scene, the classic sung by Mizuë Takada comes to mind, doesn’t it? Written by Keisuke Kuwata of Southern All Stars, this track features a GS-style arrangement with a delightfully twangy electric guitar that lifts your spirits just by listening.
The lyrics seem to portray the delicate feelings of a woman swayed between being drawn to a smooth-talking man and wondering, “Is this really okay?” Released in August 1983, the single reached No.
4 on TBS’s The Best Ten and won the Gold Prize at that year’s Japan Record Awards.
Put it on during a seaside drive or at a summer event, and the blend of nostalgia and freshness is sure to liven up the mood!
Time, stop.Yazawa Eikichi
If you’re a fan of Eikichi Yazawa, this is a summer song you can’t skip, right? “Toki yo Tomare” (“Time, Stand Still”) was his fifth single, released in 1978.
It was used in a Shiseido commercial at the time, and again in 2017 for a Suntory BOSS commercial, so many people have probably heard it.
Eikichi Yazawa is known for songs that exude a masculine vibe, and this track captures the bittersweet, slightly sentimental feelings of a man in summer.
It’s a song that will move not only men of Yazawa’s generation but surely younger listeners as well.
Love Letter on the Seashoresawada kenji
It’s a classic song that conjures up the scene of a late-summer beach and the aching emotion of parting from a loved one.
The restrained, ballad-like melody heightens the sense of heartbreak.
With lyrics that weave in exotic resort towns like Amalfi and Nice, it feels like a scene from a film.
The literary gesture of a whistle as a final declaration of love shakes the listener’s heart with bittersweet poignancy.
Conveying the protagonist’s helpless longing through Kenji Sawada’s delicate yet powerful vocals, this track was released in May 1981 as his 33rd single.
Chosen as the summer campaign song for Max Factor, it reached No.
8 on the Oricon charts.
The B-side, “Bye-Bye Jealousy,” was later included on the album S/T/R/I/P/P/E/R.
When you feel sentimental about a summer romance that has passed, this song is sure to stay close to your heart.
Women Who Fall in Love in SummerOhnuki Taeko
Taeko Onuki’s “Women in Love in Summer” evokes the image of a summer night in the city.
Released in 1983 as her 10th single, it was used as the theme song for the TBS drama of the same name.
It’s also a signature track from her acclaimed album SIGNIFIE.
Arranged by Ryuichi Sakamoto, the song features a romantic sound crafted with extensive use of synthesizers.
The lyrics, which conjure images of romance between adult men and women living in the city, are also quite striking.
Summer Dayofukōsu
This is a classic song that poignantly sings of a summer romance.
Released in July 1984 by Off Course, this ballad depicts a faint first love and the fleeting beauty of summer.
Kazumasa Oda’s clear, pure vocals resonate deeply with the heart.
Included in the Complete Singles Collection CD box set, it has remained beloved by fans.
With lyrics themed around summer memories and the fragility of love, it’s sure to strike a chord with many listeners.
When you feel like looking back on summers past, give it a listen—it will surely become a song that stays with you.
Stella with Blue Eyes, Summer 1962…Yanagi Joji
A classic ballad by George Yanagi & Rainy Wood that vividly awakens memories of summers gone by.
It nostalgically depicts a fleeting moment in the summer of 1962 with a blue-eyed woman who captured the heart—like a faded photograph.
The motifs that appear in the lyrics skillfully evoke the multicultural atmosphere that thrived around Honmoku, Yokohama at the time, as well as a yearning for the distant American South.
Yanagi’s husky yet expressive vocals make this bittersweet story all the more unforgettable—such is the charm packed into this song.
Released in July 1980 as the band’s eighth single, it was also included on the album “Woman and I… OLD FASHIONED LOVE SONGS” the same year.
In the fall of 1983, it reached living rooms across Japan as a commercial song for All Nippon Airways, and its beautiful melody surely remains vivid in many people’s memories even now.
It’s a wonderful piece to listen to at summer’s end, in the twilight, when you’re feeling a touch sentimental.