[For Gifts and Video BGM] A Song for Celebrating the 60th Birthday (Kanreki)
A collection of songs perfect for celebrating a 60th birthday (Kanreki)!
Kanreki is a major life milestone—and perhaps the true start of life.
Sixty years spent devoted to family and work.
From here on, we hope you’ll spend plenty of time on the dreams you once chased and the hobbies you love.
In this article, we introduce timeless songs that are perfect for the start of a second life—for your parents, your beloved partner, or a friend turning sixty.
If you’re thinking, “I want to give a song as a Kanreki gift,” be sure to check these out!
- Songs to gift for longevity celebrations: heartwarming classics and popular tunes about life
- Cheering songs recommended for people in their 60s: classic and popular Japanese hits
- Uplifting Japanese songs recommended for men in their 60s
- A moving birthday song to give on someone’s special day. A birthday song so heartfelt it could bring you to tears.
- Songs for birthdays you’ll want to listen to and give—birthday songs with lyrics that touch the heart
- Love songs that resonate with women in their 60s: gem-like romance tunes that revive memories of youth.
- Spring songs for people in their 60s: A collection of classic tracks about cherry blossoms and farewells
- [Family Song] A gratitude song that lets you feel the importance of family.
- Good songs recommended for people in their 60s: classic and popular Japanese tracks
- Popular Birthday Song Rankings [2026]
- Songs to give as gifts for a 70th birthday celebration: heartwarming classics and popular hits
- [2026] Autumn Songs for People in Their 60s: Classic Tracks Perfect for the Deepening Fall
- [Celebration] A compilation of Japanese songs that elderly people will enjoy
Congratulations on your 60th birthday. A life-affirming ode that resonates with the heart (1–10)
Thank youikimonogakari
This song was tied in as the opening theme for the morning drama series “Gegege no Nyobo.” I think many people, even grandpas and grandmas, probably know it.
I believe this song is the best for honestly conveying your feelings of “thank you” up to now!
Door of LifeTakeuchi Mariya
This was Mariya Takeuchi’s 35th single, released in 2007, and it was used in a Kyowa Hakko commercial.
Some people may feel a little down when they reach their 60th birthday and think, “I’ve gotten old…,” but this song makes you feel that there must be meaning in growing older.
as if nothing happenedArai Yumi
This is a track from Yumi Matsutoya’s fourth album, when she was performing under the name Yumi Arai, titled “The 14th Moon.” The most famous song on the album is “Chuo Freeway,” and it was released in 1976.
Although it isn’t a flashy song, it’s a hidden gem and was used as an in-film song in the movie “A Bride for Rip Van Winkle.” The lyrics—about cherishing and keeping what you’ve lost in your heart—leave a strong impression and suit those who have reached a certain age.
There’s a depiction of losing a beloved dog, so for those who have also said goodbye to a cherished pet, it may bring back fond memories and inspire them to continue living without ever forgetting their dog.
Celebrating 60: Life Hymns that Resonate with the Heart (11–20)
Kanreki Celebration SongSen Masao
Released in 2007, this song is perfect for a 60th-birthday celebration.
Sixty years may sound like an incredibly long time, but for someone who has sprinted through life with all their might, it may have gone by in a flash.
I hope you’ll sing this song with a smile at your celebratory gathering, as a tribute to the you who has worked so hard.
Something CertainOda Kazumasa
Here is a song released by Kazumasa Oda in 2005.
Beyond being used as a corporate commercial song for a life insurance company, it was also featured at Senichi Hoshino’s retirement ceremony and as the entrance music for Taro Aso during a candidates’ debate when he ran for prime minister.
Its lyrics and melody are cherished as fitting for pivotal moments in life.
If you give this song to someone reflecting on their life at sixty, it will likely resonate as a deeply moving message.
It’s a masterpiece in which Oda’s clear, transparent voice gently sinks into the heart.
Like the flow of a riverMisora Hibari
This song, which became Hibari Misora’s final single, was released in 1989.
It is said that Yasushi Akimoto, who wrote the lyrics, was inspired by looking out over New York’s East River, where he was living at the time.
Though the piece evokes a grand sense of looking back over one’s life, it was chosen as a single at Misora’s strong request.
Isn’t it a fitting masterpiece for someone turning sixty to reflect on their life so far and contemplate the years ahead?
Happy Birthday no matter how old you areyoshida takurou
This is a song where you can feel Takuro Yoshida’s powerful kindness.
As he reaches his sixtieth birthday and steps into the next stage of life, it makes you want to celebrate this day together.
Because it’s him singing, you feel it all the more.
It’s a song that makes you want to place new hope in the words “Happy Birthday.” It makes you want to say, “Your vibrant life is still going strong!”
