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 about women: Top 10 recommended popular songs (1–10)
C’est la vie ~ A Woman Busy with Love ~Toki Asako
This is a dance number by Asako Toki, captivating with its glittering synth-funk sound.
The track features a style reminiscent of 70s–80s dance classics and can be seen as emblematic of the album’s overall theme: a soundtrack for women living in the city.
It portrays someone who, despite carrying regrets and anxieties born from past romances, keeps dancing in search of love because life is fleeting—an image that lifts the listener’s spirits.
The song is included on the acclaimed 2015 July release Bittersweet.
It originally began as a short piece used in the drama We Have 101 Reasons Why We Can’t Be Proposed To, Season 2, but the original author, Jane Su, liked it so much that she and Asako Toki added lyrics and completed it as a full song.
It’s a perfect pick for a mood-boosting weekend afternoon or as a sparkling companion for a nighttime drive.
VenusYURIYAN RETRIEVER
A multi-entertainer gaining international attention, YURIYAN RETRIEVER releases her second single.
Dropped in September 2025, this track delivers a powerful message against judging people by appearances.
Continuing her self-produced approach from her debut single “YURIYAN TIME,” it boldly declares that true worth lies within.
It’s a song that reminds you you’re an irreplaceable goddess—perfect for moments when you’ve lost confidence or feel worn down by others’ opinions.
Aphrodite of the WindInagaki Junichi
A bittersweet yet beautiful song by Junichi Inagaki that likens a lover from days long past to a goddess.
The 16-year-old beloved, now a phantom forever out of reach, is overlaid with the image of a goddess of beauty.
Beyond the lyrics that vividly conjure the dazzling scenery of the Adriatic Sea, what truly defines the song’s allure is Inagaki’s crystal-clear, soaring high tenor.
The track was included on the album “Shylights,” released in February 1983, and this acclaimed record won the Best Album Award at that year’s Japan Record Awards.
AphroditeTakahashi Mariko
A signature early song by Mariko Takahashi.
Released in August 1980 and bearing the name of the goddess of love and beauty, this work sings of a blazing passion on a grand scale.
Motifs in the lyrics such as flames and the cross evoke a sacred, irresistible sense of fated love.
The sound builds dramatically from a quiet opening to the chorus—truly breathtaking.
It also reached living rooms as a Glico commercial song, and is included on the album Monologue and later the best-of compilation Takahashi 40 Years.
It’s the perfect number when you want to savor a majestic, stirring world and Mariko Takahashi’s exceptional expressiveness.
prima donnaJenīhai
This song explores the strength of a spotlighted protagonist and the loneliness and inner conflict hidden behind it.
It portrays emotions that waver between the resolve to embrace solitude in order to be someone others envy, and the fragile heart that cannot forgive itself, set to a progressive pop sound.
The track is included on the acclaimed 2019 November release Jenny High Story.
It’s a song that offers deep companionship to those who feel pressure and loneliness as they pursue their dreams.
Woman of the Kiso RoadHarada Yuuri
This song is about a woman who experienced what could be called the greatest love of her life.
For certain reasons, she is now separated from the man she loved, yet she cannot let go of her single-hearted devotion to him and looks back on those days with fondness.
Even if love ends sadly in parting, perhaps you can still say it was a wonderful love precisely because you can go on loving that person.
Listening to this song evokes those feelings.
Nyōnin KōyaTagawa Toshi-mi
A signature song by Toshimi Tagawa that beautifully captures both the strength and fragility of women.
Set against the backdrop of Muro-ji Temple, it portrays a woman who, despite the pain of heartbreak, strives to move forward.
Released in October 2002, the lyrics by Hiroyuki Itsuki and the composition by Kohei Sai blend seamlessly, resonating deeply with listeners.
Though it’s enka, the chorus carries a rock-like intensity that suggests a new form of the genre.
It’s a must-listen for those trying to overcome the wounds of lost love or standing at a crossroads in life.