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[Station Jingles] A compilation of approach melodies and departure melodies from around Japan
Music you casually hear at the station you usually use.
If you listen closely, sometimes it’s recent J-pop, and other times it’s nostalgic children’s songs—you’ve noticed that, right?
In this article, we’ve put together station melodies from all over Japan.
You might even stumble upon a tune that makes you think, “Why this song?”
But if you look into it, you’ll find there’s a proper reason that particular piece was chosen.
Including that sense of story, please listen and enjoy!
Welcome to the deep, deep world of railway sound enthusiasts!
[Station Jingles] Nationwide Compilation of Approach and Departure Melodies (1–10)
Blue Light Yokohamaishida ayumi
This is the 26th single by female singer Ayumi Ishida, who is the older sister of Olympic figure skating representative Haruko Ishida and the younger sister of singer Yuri Ishida.
Known as one of Ayumi Ishida’s signature songs, it has sold over 1.5 million copies, making it a million seller.
As its title suggests, it is also famous as a local song of Yokohama, and it proudly took first place in a 2009 survey by the City of Yokohama on local songs.
Since 2008, it has been used as the approach melody at Keikyū Main Line’s Yokohama Station, welcoming many users as a musical face of the charming city of Yokohama.
Tracks of HopeSazan Ōrusutāzu
A song by the rock band Southern All Stars—affectionately known as “Southern”—who burst onto the J-pop scene with their debut single Katteni Sindbad and have since released numerous classics known to everyone.
The track appears on the soundtrack of the film Inamura Jane, and, strictly speaking, the artist credit for the song is “Inamura Orchestra.” Did you know that none of the Southern members besides vocalist Keisuke Kuwata actually participated? Since 2000, the song has been used as the departure melody at JR Chigasaki Station in Chigasaki City, Kanagawa—an inseparable locale for the band—giving passengers a real sense that they’ve arrived in Chigasaki.
doorGReeeeN
Despite their unprecedented style of balancing dual careers as artists and dentists, the four-member vocal group GReeeeN has secured unwavering popularity with numerous hit songs.
This is their eighth single in total.
The track marked their first single release since the smash hit “Kiseki,” and it was widely featured on news programs and in commercials.
Since 2015, it has been used as the departure melody on the conventional train platforms at Koriyama Station in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture—the members’ hometown—letting visitors know it is the place where GReeeeN was born and raised.
I’m Doraemon.Ōyama Nobuyo, Kōrogi ’73
The theme song of Doraemon, a beloved national anime that virtually every Japanese person knows regardless of generation.
It’s a track performed by Nobuyo Oyama—who voiced Doraemon for 26 years until the cast was overhauled in 2004—and the chorus group Korogi ’73.
For many people in their 30s and older, this is the song they think of when they hear “Doraemon.” Today, it’s used as the departure melody at JR Noborito Station, the nearest station to the Fujiko F.
Fujio Museum, where it fills many commuters with a sense of nostalgia.
Come, springdōyō
This children’s song is used as the departure chime at Itoigawa Station on the Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nihonkai Hisui Line.
The music even changes with the seasons, and this particular piece is broadcast from late January to early April.
It was chosen because the poet Somao Gofu, who wrote lyrics for children’s songs and school anthems, was born in Itoigawa City.
The chord arrangement is stylish, giving it a cool, distinctive feel compared to the usual children’s songs.
The arrival and departure melodies at JR Hokuriku Shinkansen’s Itoigawa Station use the same song, but with a different arrangement.
Be sure to compare them.
Fly, Gundam!Ikeda Ko
The opening theme of the TV anime Mobile Suit Gundam, which captivated adults by incorporating realistic depictions of war despite being part of the robot anime genre beloved by children.
It’s a song that’s quite famous even as an anime theme, so many people may have heard it even if they don’t know the anime itself.
In Suginami Ward, home to dozens of anime production companies, the station departure melody on the Seibu Shinjuku Line at Kamiigusa Station uses this song, particularly because Sunrise—the studio behind Mobile Suit Gundam—is just a two-minute walk from the station.
There’s also a bronze Gundam statue in front of the station, making it a place every anime fan will want to visit at least once.
I knew it—I love you.yashiki takajin
This is the 13th single by singer Takajin Yashiki, renowned as having a “comedian’s voice when he speaks and a singer’s voice when he sings,” and an artist who commanded an undeniable presence, especially in the Kansai region.
The song sparked the Sukiyanen boom and became a huge hit—it’s a well-known track recognized not only in Kansai but across Japan.
Since 2014, the year of Yashiki’s passing, it has been used as the departure melody at Osaka Station on the Osaka Loop Line as part of the Osaka Loop Line Renovation Project, showing how beloved it is by a wide audience.
Even as a station jingle, its lingering poignancy seeps into the heart—an unfading number.