[Today's Recommended Enka] Carefully selected enka songs that perfectly match today's mood!

Flowers and SamuraiMiyama Hiroshi

Hiroshi Miyama “Flower and Samurai” MUSIC VIDEO

Hiroshi Miyama, known for his warm “vitamin voice” and beloved in households as the kendama enka singer, delivers a rock-enka number in this work released in January 2026, singing while playing the drums.

I hear he carried around an electronic drum kit during production to practice extensively.

His performance, powerfully expressing the spirit of the Japanese man, is truly breathtaking.

It’s a highly recommended song for anyone who needs a push forward.

Gion Shirakawa Evening Cherry BlossomsKitaoka Hiroshi

Hiroshi Kitaoka “Gion Shirakawa Evening Cherry Blossoms” MV [Official]

Released by Tokuma Japan Communications in November 2025, this work sings of a mature love story set against the nighttime cherry blossoms of Gion Shirakawa in Kyoto.

The lyrics are richly expressive, sprinkled with Kyoto dialect.

With beautiful scenic depictions of willow-lined streets and the Tatsumi Bridge, it lets you sink into the feeling of traveling through Kyoto in spring.

It’s a work I highly recommend to Kyoto lovers and to those seeking enka rich in imagery.

Laughing MountainYukino Rio

Laughing Mountain

This is an enka song that paints Japan’s traditional scenery in the Reiwa era.

Performed by Yukino Roa, the piece is woven with literary language and seasonal imagery.

As it makes a full circle from spring—when the mountains bud and seem to smile—to winter, where the ancestors rest, it warmly expresses gratitude to the hometown that forgave the mistakes of youth.

The gentle melody and tender vocals are a perfect match.

Give it a listen when you want to reconnect with feelings for your hometown and the natural world.

Elegy of the PierKanō Tatsuya

Tatsuya Kano “Elegy of the Wharf” MUSIC VIDEO

Tatsuya Kano, an enka singer from Miyazaki Prefecture, is a proven talent: he won the Grand Prix at the Crown Kayou Festival in 2002 and went on to achieve back-to-back victories the following year at a karaoke competition hosted by Hiroshi Itsuki.

His single “Elegy at the Wharf (Elegy) / Youth IPPON,” released in October 2025, drew attention as his first “male-perspective song” in seven years.

Set in a port town, it poignantly portrays a man’s aching heart as he searches for a lost lover.

Evocative scenes—Hakodate’s icy rain, Yokohama shrouded in night fog—linger in the mind.

When you feel like revisiting an old romance, be sure to give it a listen.

Under the sky of TsutenkakuMatsubara Nobue

Nobue Matsubara “Under the Sky of Tsutenkaku” MV [Official]

Nobue Matsubara, a skilled vocalist who won numerous newcomer awards with her debut song “Onna no Defune,” has captivated listeners for many years with her lyrical, emotive voice.

Her song “Under the Sky of Tsutenkaku” is set in Osaka, richly portraying the human dramas that unfold beneath the Tsutenkaku Tower.

Thanks to its somehow nostalgic yet bittersweet melody, a warm afterglow lingers once the song ends.

It was also a planned project in which she performed the Best Song of the Song Contest Grand Prix 2025, presented by the Japan Lyricists Association and the Japan Composers Association.