[Tanabata Song] Exquisite Japanese love songs to listen to under the starry sky
When it comes to Tanabata on July 7, the famous story is that it’s the one day of the year when Orihime and Hikoboshi are allowed to meet.
Maybe because of that episode, don’t you find yourself wanting to listen to fleeting, bittersweet love songs when Tanabata comes around? In this article, we’ll introduce love songs with a Tanabata theme that we recommend, as well as tracks that will move those in long-distance relationships and romantic songs that are perfect for the night sky.
If you’re looking for BGM for a Tanabata event or want to expand your karaoke repertoire, be sure to check it out!
- Songs of the constellations: classic and popular tracks you’ll want to listen to while gazing at the night sky
- A timeless masterpiece that lets you feel the cosmos. A space-themed song filled with dreams and love, evoking starry skies and galaxies.
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- A love song for grown-ups. A romantic tune to listen to at night.
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- Popular songs on MixChannel. Heart-throbbing tunes [Dance cover / Lyrics video]
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- Hidden gems of Japanese love songs. Recommended popular tracks.
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[Tanabata Songs] Exquisite Japanese Love Songs to Listen to Under the Starry Sky (11–20)
Hill Where Stars FallMISIA
A gem of a ballad by MISIA, sung with a yearning for the stars that twinkle in the night sky.
Its beautiful lyrics layer memories of the past and hopes for the future onto the stars, and her commanding five-octave voice amplifies the emotion, moving listeners to their core.
Included on her debut album Mother Father Brother Sister, released in 1998, the piece features a strikingly grand arrangement woven from strings and piano.
It’s a song we especially recommend to those in long-distance relationships or anyone quietly holding feelings for someone dear.
shooting starNakajima Mika
A gem-like ballad by Mika Nakashima that sings of feelings for a love that has passed, while gazing at shimmering shooting stars in the night sky.
Many fans praise its beautiful lyrics—sung with a clear, translucent voice—as “so heartrending that words can’t describe it.” Released in November 2009 as her 30th single, the song was also featured in a TV commercial for the housing information service Housemate.
The lyrics, carried by a gentle, warm melody, are sure to resonate deeply with those in long-distance relationships.
If you listen while looking up at the Tanabata night sky, your heart will tighten without you even realizing it.
Tonight, July 7MACO
Singer-songwriter MACO’s ballad “Tonight, July 7th” is a poignant song themed around Tanabata.
On Tanabata night, it’s said that Orihime and Hikoboshi are allowed to meet.
In the song, that legend is contrasted with a woman who can’t see her lover even on this special night.
The lyrics also depict the realities of a long-distance relationship in detail, making it easy to relate to.
Be sure to listen on Tanabata night and let your thoughts drift to your beloved—or to Orihime and Hikoboshi.
And pay close attention to how the song ends.
WatariboshiIslet feat.Sando Aoi & Yūnagi Yoru
A beautiful ballad that sings of feelings for a loved one beneath a starry sky.
Released in July 2020, this work portrays deep affection for a distant lover through natural motifs like wind, flowers, and stars.
The crystalline vocals of Sando Aoi layered with the rich voice of Yuunagi Yoru create a result that conveys both poignancy and warmth.
Its polished quality fully justifies its track record of reaching No.
1 in the iTunes Anime category across multiple countries.
It’s a song that will quietly accompany those in long-distance relationships, or anyone spending a night apart from someone dear.
Stardust SunsetYU-KI
This is a gem-like ballad by YUKI that overlays the sparkle of stars scattered across the twilight sky with the dazzling moments of youth.
Released to the world in August 2007 as the theme song for TBS’s Sunday drama “Papa to Musume no Nanokakan” (Seven Days of a Daddy and His Daughter), it marked YUKI’s first tie-in with a TV drama.
The lyrics, sung over a gentle and heartwarming melody, are sure to resonate with anyone who keeps feelings for someone dear tucked away in their heart.
Listen to it while gazing up at the Tanabata night sky, and you’ll find yourself wanting to make a wish upon the stars.
cometYunna
This is one of Younha’s signature ballads, sung with a clear, translucent voice that captures the bittersweetness of youth and a yearning for dreams.
The beautiful lyrics—woven in the Japanese she taught herself despite being from Korea—carry a pure, heartfelt wish to a shooting star glittering in the night sky.
Released in June 2005, it was loved by many as an ending theme for the popular anime BLEACH and reached a peak position of 15 on the Oricon charts.
It’s the perfect song for those who quietly hold thoughts of someone special while gazing up at the stars, or for anyone in a long-distance relationship who wants to express their feelings through song.
[Tanabata Songs] Exquisite Japanese love songs to listen to under the starry sky (21–30)
Once moreTani Yuuki
Tani Yuuki, who thrives with his gentle singing voice, has a song that’s perfect for Tanabata: “Mou Ichido” (“Once Again”).
He wrote it during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was hard to see the people you wanted to meet, and it expresses the anxiety and loneliness of being unable to be with someone you love.
The poignant lyrics can also be heard as overlapping with the Tanabata story of Orihime and Hikoboshi.
In the final part of the song, he sings about the resolve to overcome such hardships and keep living, so I think listening to it will make you feel more positive.