Collection of winter nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs. Includes fun winter hand-play songs too.
Do you like winter?Although winter is very cold, there are many unique ways to enjoy it: you can see a beautiful silver world created by pure white snow, and you can feel a special kind of warmth you can only experience in winter, like hot pot dishes or sitting in a kamakura snow hut.There are also lots of fun events like Christmas and New Year’s!Children are probably looking forward to making snowmen, having snowball fights, and enjoying Christmas presents and cakes, aren’t they?In this article, we’ll introduce nursery rhymes, folk songs, traditional children’s songs, and hand-play songs themed around various aspects of “winter.”There are many songs that will turn a winter that’s “just cold” into wonderful memories, so please give them a listen!
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Collection of winter children's songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes. Fun winter finger-play songs too (71–80)
January 1st
This song was published in 1893 as part of the Ministry of Education’s “Lyrics and Scores for Elementary School Holidays and Grand Festivals.” The lyrics were written by Sonpu Senke, and the music was composed by Shingyo Ue.
It used to be commonly sung in schools.
For people of a slightly younger generation, it may be better known as the theme song of the “New Year’s Kakushi Gei Tournament.” Because the lyrics use an old-fashioned style, today’s children might find it unfamiliar.
Even so, I hope it will continue to be sung for years to come.
KodANUKI PonpoSakkyoku: Ooyama Takateru
Konaduki Ponpo is memorable for its catchy chorus.
This children’s song aired on NHK Minna no Uta in 1983, with lyrics by Etsuo Suzuki, music by Takateru Oyama, and vocals by Atom Shimojo.
In the first half, a young tanuki is troubled by chilblains when a human girl kindly lends it her gloves; in the second half, the tanuki tries to return them.
It’s delightful how the ending—and the story overall—leaves room for imagination.
New Year (Japanese New Year)Sakushi: Azuma Kume / Sakkyoku: Taki Rentaro
A children’s song that every Japanese person knows and a quintessential tune for the New Year.
It was composed by Rentarō Taki, a musician of the Meiji era.
The first verse features boys’ pastimes like kites and spinning tops, while the second highlights girls’ games such as mari balls and hagoita, expressing how children look forward to the New Year.
Its use of the uniquely Japanese “yonanuki major scale,” which omits fa and ti, also adds a distinctly Japanese sense of nostalgia.
Troika
This is a Russian folk song from a land much colder than Japan.
In Japan, the band Katusha translated it.
It is a sorrowful song about someone whose lover was taken away, so the lyrics are very plaintive and the tone is dark.
In Japan, it’s also famous as the song used in the game Tetris.
Winter Constellation
Here is a song with lyrics set to the popular song “Annie Laurie,” composed by William Hayes in 1871.
The lyrics were written by Keizo Horiuchi and published in 1947 as one of the pieces in the national textbook Chuto Ongaku (Middle School Music).
The original song features sweet lyrics professing love for Annie Laurie and is completely different in content from these lyrics for “Fuyu no Seiza” (Winter Constellations), yet the melody is so beautiful that it feels as if it were made for these words.
It was also selected in 2007 as one of Japan’s 100 Best Songs.
I recommend listening to it alongside the original and comparing the two—it’s both fun and enlightening.
Lou the SnowmanSakkyoku: Kurihara Masaki
It’s one of the monthly songs from NHK’s “Okaasan to Issho,” sung by Daisuke Yokoyama and Takumi Mitani.
When winter comes and it snows, you’ll often see snowmen made by children here and there.
This is a cute song about a pair of snowman siblings.
All ye faithful, make hasteGeorg Friedrich Händel
“Moro-bito Koro-zorite,” created using the Christmas carol “Joy to the World”—beloved around the globe, especially in the West—as its motif, is also cherished in Japan as a Christmas hymn and is a song of nationwide renown.
Alongside a beautiful melody that celebrates the festive arrival of Christmas, it expresses gratitude for the Lord’s coming.
It’s perfect for mixed chorus with piano accompaniment or for handbell performances, and is a Christmas song enjoyed by a wide range of ages, from children to adults.
