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

OtonokeCreepy Nuts

Creepy Nuts – Otonoke [Official MV] [Dandadan Opening]

Creepy Nuts is a duo that continues to lead Japan’s hip-hop scene with overwhelming rap skills and beat-making.

This track, which captures the mysterious allure of music, surges with a driving beat and shape-shifting flow that races through your mind and refuses to let go.

Written as the opening theme for the anime Dandadan, which began airing in October 2024, it’s also included on the album Legion.

Its worldview, which overlays the supernatural with music, is highly addictive—and the more you listen, the more your focus sharpens.

It’s the perfect song for powering through a task or resetting your mood.

ROSEHANA

HANA / ROSE -Music Video-

An uplifting, high-energy tune recommended for when you want the strength to bounce back from adversity.

It’s the debut single by HANA, formed through the audition program “No No Girls,” released digitally in April 2025.

Beneath their sweet appearance lies explosive passion, and their bold stance of turning even scars into beauty will set listeners’ hearts ablaze.

They also achieved the remarkable feat of debuting at No.

1 on Billboard JAPAN’s overall song chart, JAPAN HOT 100.

The heavy beat and sophisticated melody make it perfect as background music when you want to boost your focus!

The world is smiling at you.Little Glee Monster

The world is smiling at you.

With its bright, sparkling sound and lyrics about a chain reaction of smiles, this Little Glee Monster track blows away study fatigue.

It drew attention as Coca-Cola’s 2018 image song.

In the same year, it won the Composer’s Award at the Japan Record Awards and is included on the classic album FLAVA.

Its message—that if you start smiling, the world will change—gently encourages exam-takers who tend to feel down.

You’ll surely feel a positive surge of energy to say, “I’ll give it another try!”

determinationSUPER BEAVER

SUPER BEAVER “Determination” MV

When you want to boost your focus at a crucial moment, I recommend this work by SUPER BEAVER.

It carries a message that doesn’t deny who you are now, and instead reframes your incompleteness as “room to grow.” It gives you the courage to accept that “my real journey is still ahead.” Written specifically as the theme song for Morinaga’s in Jelly commercial in November 2023, it’s included on the album Ongaku, released in February 2024.

It’s perfect for those times when you want to quietly ignite your fighting spirit, like right before an exam.

lamplightVaundy

Vaundy LIVE “Tomoshibi” | 2022.09.09 One-Man Live at Budokan “Deep Breathing” (Japan/Tokyo)

When you feel anxiety and pressure in your daily studies, Vaundy’s music gently stays by your side.

Showcasing his talent from songwriting and composing to video production, this standout track appears on his first album, “strobo,” released in May 2020, and gained attention as the theme song for the drama “Tokyo Love Story.” Its structure—building heat gradually from a quiet opening—mirrors the image of exam-takers who, despite uncertainty, keep moving toward the future.

In 2023, it was also featured in NTT Docomo’s motivational film for exam students, becoming known as an anthem that supports those who are working hard.

Like a light of hope that shines on anxious nights, it’s a song we want exam-takers to hear—one that warms your heart and gives you courage.

After the rainWANIMA

Ameagari

If you want to snap into focus mode in a short time, this track—now a staple at WANIMA’s live shows—is perfect.

It’s included on their first mini-album, “Can Not Behaved!!,” released in October 2014, and it’s packed with the band’s early, raw energy.

The lyrics, which acknowledge anxiety and doubt while ultimately urging you to look ahead and move forward, will surely bolster your nerves before an exam.

Even when you’re down after a poor mock test result, listening to this song will help you reset—like your field of vision suddenly opening up.

Revolutionary JourneyAina ji Endo

Aina the End / On the Road of Revolution – On The Way [Official Music Video] (TV anime “Dandadan” Season 2 Opening Theme)

A highly addictive track that fuses a fast-paced, poppy sound with a mysterious melody.

The lyrics capture the strength to keep running to protect what matters, even while carrying a sentimental heart.

Released for streaming in July 2025 by the husky-voiced singer-songwriter Aina the End, the song also drew attention for being chosen as the opening theme for Season 2 of the popular anime “Dandadan.” Its distinctive worldview is on display in the music video, which portrays the duality of humans and yokai.

Highly recommended as background music when you need to switch into work or study mode, or push through that last stretch.