[For Seniors] Classic spring songs to sing in April: A heartwarming moment with nostalgic children’s songs and kayōkyoku (Japanese popular songs)

Lingering Snowiruka

Dolphin [Iruka] / Nagori-yuki [Lingering Snow] (Single Version) Official Audio with translation

This is a song whose charm lies in a melody that evokes the arrival of spring and lyrics that touch the heart.

Set on a train platform, it vividly portrays a man and a woman parting ways amid the fleeting snow of early spring.

Beautifully depicting the moment of farewell and a love left unfinished by youth, the piece is filled with the bittersweetness of adolescence and the process of growing up.

Iruka’s rich, resonant vocals carry a warm, heartfelt quality that reaches deep within.

First included on the March 1975 album “Iruka no Sekai,” it was released as a single in November of the same year and reached No.

4 on the Oricon chart.

It’s a beloved, well-known song that many remember; humming along as you recall old memories is sure to make for a delightful moment.

It may also inspire lively conversations among older listeners as they reminisce about those days.

Song of SpringSakushi: Kishi Kunizō / Sakkyoku: Uchida Gen

Song of Spring

It’s a bright, uplifting song that seems to express the hearts of people within beautiful springtime scenery.

With a light sound that emphasizes the tone of the flute and a buoyant vocal line layered on top, it conveys the exhilaration of the spring season.

The lyrics mention flowers and vegetables lined up in the market, evoking feelings of happiness for the fruits of the warmer months.

From the airy sound, the vocals, and the lyrical content, you can sense the anticipation for spring and an irrepressible sense of joy.

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koinobori (carp streamers)Sakushi: Kondō Miyako

♪ Koinobori – Carp Streamers | Carp Streamers Higher Than the Rooftops; The Big Black Carp Is Father [Japanese Song / Shoka]

This piece depicts the majestic figures of fish swimming grandly through the sky—an essential sight for Tango no Sekku (Children’s Day).

With lyrics by Miyako Kondo, it was included in a songbook published in December 1931.

It’s a classic also selected for the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ “100 Best Songs of Japan,” and its lyrics, featuring a father black carp and children red carp swimming together, evoke the warmth of family bonds.

The key is to sing with a gentle three-beat rhythm, swaying your body from side to side.

If you layer voices in a round so they enter one after another, it creates a sense of unity, as if many fish are swimming across the vast sky.

While sharing nostalgic memories of seasonal festivals, try creating a heartwarming harmony together with older adults.

Spring StreamMonbushō shōka

With Lyrics: “Spring Stream” Ministry of Education Song

When spring comes, the snow melts and living creatures begin to gather at the once-frozen river, don’t they? “Spring Brook” depicts just such a scene.

Since its release in 1912, it has been loved by many.

Try singing it while picturing a gentle spring brook.

By the way, the lyrics have been revised twice so far.

Because of that, the lyrics people remember can differ by generation, and some versions are shorter.

It could be fun to chat about which version each of you knows.

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Green breezesakushi: shimizu katsura / sakkyoku: kusakawa shin

Japanese children's song: Midori no Soyokaze (The Green Breeze)

It’s a piece that seems to capture the happiness felt as the warm season arrives and the landscape is dyed green.

It depicts gentle breezes blowing through beautiful verdant scenery and the lives of people and animals within it, vividly conjuring the scene before your eyes.

The expansive, gentle sound—reminiscent of a choral piece—also feels as if it portrays a grand landscape.

The inclusion of buoyant phrases within the straightforward, soaring vocals that express the scenery is striking, conveying an irrepressible sense of excitement for spring.

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a red handkerchiefIshihara Yūjirō

Red Handkerchief: Yujiro Ishihara

This is a narrative song that gently portrays the spring scenery of Japan’s northern country.

Against a backdrop of blooming acacia flowers, Yujiro Ishihara’s voice, depicting a bittersweet parting in love, leaves a deep, lingering resonance that touches the heart.

Released by Teichiku Records in October 1962, the work created a major buzz at the time.

In January 1964, it was also used as the theme song for a film of the same name starring Yujiro Ishihara, captivating many audiences alongside the movie.

Why not hum along and relive fond memories together? You’re sure to spend a lovely time as you recall days gone by.

Please enjoy a relaxing moment immersed in music under the gentle spring sunshine.

Song of Springshouka

Mixed Chorus Piece “Spring Song” — Moto Uchida (arranged by Takeshi Yoshinao)

This is a heartwarming song that began airing in March 1937 (Showa 12) on NHK’s Osaka Central Broadcasting Station as a National Song.

Composed by Hajime Uchida with lyrics by Kunizo Kishi, its melody has a familiar warmth that resonated with people’s daily lives at the time.

Across its four verses, the lyrics depict charming scenes: the sweet gaze of a flower seller, the bustle of a market lined with fresh vegetables, the chirping of fledgling birds, and a spring landscape swaying in a gentle breeze.

A record was released by Polydor in July of the same year, followed by a release from Teichiku the next year.

The song has been covered by many artists, including Chieko Baisho and the sisters Saori Yuki and Sachiko Yasuda, and it continues to be beloved as a piece that lets listeners share the joy of spring’s arrival.

It’s a tune you’ll want to hum with family and friends as the season signals the beginning of spring.