Japanese songs that boost your motivation to study: uplifting tracks to enhance focus and drive

sleeping pillpinoko

pinoko – sleeping pills (prod. sugarloaf)

Rapper Pinoko, who has been exposed to instruments like piano, Japanese taiko drums, and shinobue since childhood, began performing street gigs at 15.

“Suiminyaku,” a track on her first mini-album Hotel, lays funky guitar chops over a piano-based ensemble for a groovy feel.

The lyrics evoke sleepless nights and might just wake you up before you study.

It’s an emotional number marked by a unique sense of weightlessness and her cute, striking rap.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Lucky sevenAKB48

[MV full] Lucky Seven / AKB48 [Official]

This is a song included on the Regular Edition Type-B of the single “Heavy Rotation,” released in 2010.

It carries an encouraging message: even if things are tough now, giving up will only leave you with regrets—believe in yourself and move forward.

With its bright melody, it’s a song that gives you the courage to decide to try again.

rainbowAqua Timez

Aqua Timez “Niji” Music Video (Theme song for the drama Gokusen Season 3)

From the very first note, Aqua Timez’s “Niji” is a powerful, rousing song that lifts you up.

Released in 2008 as Aqua Timez’s sixth single, it’s also widely known as the theme song for the third season of the hit high school drama “Gokusen,” starring Yukie Nakama.

When you’re studying every day, you may lose sight of why you’re doing it, or worry whether your current struggles will pay off.

In those moments, listen to this song—it will stir your heart and fill you with a strength that lifts you from deep within.

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utatane

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An Anthem to Encourage the Talented and TroubledBUMP OF CHICKEN

BUMP OF CHICKEN - Song to Cheer On a Talented, Troubled Person

This is a song included on the album “orbital period,” released in 2007.

Although the artist thought about the song the day before a simple demo recording, they couldn’t pull it together, and ended up playing the guitar and singing it on the spot that day.

The song reflects on people who are more talented than oneself and the fragility of dreams that seem far out of reach, yet it ultimately reminds us that holding on to dreams is important.

To Us Who Were Once GeniusesCreepy Nuts

[MV] Creepy Nuts – To Us Who Were Once Geniuses

This song reflects on the boundless possibilities of childhood, while exploring the individuality and talents lost on the way to adulthood, and the courage to take on challenges again.

It’s the title track of the album “To Us Who Were Once Geniuses,” released in August 2020, and was also used in a commercial for Teikyo Heisei University.

It features the catchy melodies and rhythms characteristic of Creepy Nuts, packed with wordplay and rhyming techniques unique to hip-hop.

It’s a perfect anthem for students working hard at their studies or anyone standing on the brink of a new challenge.

Give it a listen, and let it inspire you to believe in yourself and find the courage to keep trying, time and time again.