Classic songs about women. Recommended popular tracks.
Although J-pop and rock are commonplace in Japan’s music scene today, there was a time when enka and kayōkyoku were at the center.
Here is a list of masterpieces from that era in Japan, all themed around “women.” Some sing of tragic love, others of adultery—different situations, yet the abundance of love songs reminds us that, in every era, love is essential for women.
- Masterpieces that sing about women. Recommended popular songs.
- Masterpieces about girls: recommended popular songs
- A number I’d recommend to the yutori generation—one I’d like women to sing
- Women’s Enka: A collection of classic enka songs expressing women’s emotions
- Popular Japanese songs among women in their 50s: recommended classics and staple tracks
- Songs women like. Famous and popular Japanese songs.
- Nostalgic Showa-era heartbreak songs. Soothe your heart with timeless classics that can move women in their 60s to tears.
- Recommended breakup songs for women in their 50s: classic and popular Japanese tracks
- [For Women] A roundup of enka songs that can score high in karaoke
- [For Women] Masterpiece Enka Songs with a High Degree of Difficulty
- Recommended heartbreak songs for women in their 40s: classic and popular Japanese hits
- [Must read] Songs with great lyrics. Moving songs you’ll want to listen to while reading the lyrics
- [Tearjerker] Songs that make your heart tremble with tears & moving tracks with lyrics that touch the soul
Masterpieces Celebrating Women: Recommended Popular Songs (31–40)
Time of Flowers, Time of LoveMaekawa Kiyoshi
This song expresses a man’s feelings after spending time with the one he loves.
When we’re in love, the moments we share with that person are the happiest, and even after being filled with such happiness, the immediate longing to see them again may seem greedy.
Yet, at the same time, it feels honest and reveals the true nature of love.
Snow CountryYoshi Ikuzo
This song portrays a woman’s heart, devoted single-mindedly to the man she loves, to the point of aching sorrow.
Even though their bodies are now apart in different places, her sadness, born from being unable to separate her heart from his no matter what, comes through with heartrending clarity.
You can’t help but imagine just how captivating this man must be to inspire such unwavering devotion.
It’s a wonderful piece whose beautiful melody and female chorus transcend the boundaries of the enka genre.
Memories SakeKobayashi Sachiko
In every era, there are many women who yearn for love.
Yet when you consider that once you fall in love it can ultimately ruin you, it’s only natural to become cautious.
This song evokes exactly those feelings.
It’s an enka that poignantly conveys how love is truly a double-edged sword.
I’m appearing under my former name.Kobayashi Akira
This song portrays nighttime encounters between men and women unfolding in a corner of the entertainment district.
Men tend to drop into bars on a whim, while women are the ones who wait.
If a woman truly loves someone, she might chase after him, but fundamentally her role is passive.
The feelings born of that stance, along with the particular hardships of being a hostess, come through with poignant clarity.
The title frankly expresses the unwavering feelings for the man.
A solitary journey to MichinokuYamamoto Jōji
This work is characterized by lyrics that resonate deeply and a heartrending melody.
The lyrics, depicting a bittersweet farewell between a man and a woman, capture listeners’ hearts and never let go.
Since its release in 1980, it has been reissued as a single CD three times—in 1994, 2002, and 2006—becoming a massive hit with total sales exceeding one million copies.
In the 2000s, it was also featured in an NTT East Japan commercial, making it beloved by a wide range of generations.
As a song that comforts those who have experienced heartbreak or parting, it’s also recommended as a closing number for karaoke.
Jōji Yamamoto’s rich, rugged vocals further accentuate the poignancy of love.
Masterpieces Celebrating Women: Recommended Popular Songs (41–50)
A Woman’s MorningMikawa Ken’ichi
The lyrics are extremely intense, completely at odds with the song’s tone.
If a woman were to fall for a man like the one in this song, would that be the end of her, so to speak? And yet it suggests that there might not be a single woman who would dislike him.
If a man leaves a woman with memories this beautiful, it makes you feel as though that alone would make being born a woman worthwhile.
That’s the kind of song this is.
Heart SakeFuji Ayako
This piece seems to ask whether, at heart, men naturally want to be a little needy around the ones they love, and women naturally find such men endearing.
No matter how times change, perhaps the dynamic between men and women won’t really change all that much.
The song portrays an ideal woman, and it naturally comes across that such a woman also knows how to drink well.