A classic that evokes the year’s end. Looking back on the year through music [Just a little left of this year!]

RikaSIX LOUNGE

“Rika” SIX LOUNGE Music Video / Illustration by Miku Masuda

A song filled with deep emotions that seep into the heart along with the winter cold.

Released by SIX LOUNGE in August 2023, this track stirs many listeners with its heavy rock sound and striking lyrics.

The words depict two people leaning on each other amid harsh realities, expressing a complex relationship where love and contradiction intertwine.

It’s perfect for listening at year’s end and the New Year—an ideal track for life’s turning points.

In this season when hopes and anxieties about the coming year mingle, why not listen to this song to sort out your thoughts?

Dance at my place (New Year’s Eve)Hoshino Gen

Let's Dance at My Place (New Year's Eve)

If you want to amp up the year’s end with music, I recommend this song by Gen Hoshino.

It began with an Instagram post in 2020, went on to lift many people’s spirits, and was released as a CD single in June 2021.

Born from the desire to create a “mechanism” for enjoying time at home, the lyrics celebrate personal growth and the importance of taking new steps forward.

Packed with Hoshino’s signature playfulness and a positive message, it’s the perfect track for the end of the year.

Listen with family and friends, dance, and feel the hope for the new year.

Harmony of DecemberKinKi Kids

KinKi Kids「Harmony of December」Music Video

A winter ballad depicting the harmony of December, released in 2006 as the 24th single.

It delicately portrays feelings for a parting lover and the bittersweetness felt as the seasons change, making you want to quietly look back on the past year while walking through a winter city.

Centered on strings and piano, with choral work reminiscent of church music layered on top, the arrangement gently conveys the clear air of year’s end.

Chosen as the image song for dwango.jp and MUSIC.JP, it reached No.

1 on the Oricon weekly chart.

Precisely because year-end is so hectic, take some time to listen to this song and slow down.

Please give me snow.SUPER EIGHT

Please give me snow.

A winter number from SUPER EIGHT that turns the snow dancing in the December night sky into wishes that echo through the winter night.

Featured on the album “GIFT ~Green~,” which closed out the three-part Christmas project “GIFT” released in December 2009, this song resonates with a heartfelt desire to create the best memories in the final days of the year, paired with true-to-life scenes that mirror the changing seasons.

Its transparent choral work and warm band sound envelop the year’s-end excitement, nostalgia, and quiet.

It’s the perfect number for a winter night spent with someone special as you look back on the year.

Milano Sandwich Axiangyu

xiangyu – Milano Sandwich A (Official Video)

Opening with the word “shiwasu” (the Japanese term for December), this track showcases xiangyu’s keen eye for everyday life.

It begins with a relatable moment of self-reflection—realizing you’ve reached year’s end without having done much—and then the day kicks off as you gulp down a sandwich and coffee at the usual shop by the station.

That small step is depicted like a ritual that breaks through the year-end stagnation.

Produced by Hidefumi Kenmochi, the Afro-pop groove matches the morning tempo and builds a forward-looking momentum, which is part of its charm.

Released as a single in May 2021, the song later made waves with a twist: it was actually adopted as in-store BGM for a real shop.

It’s a track that gently embraces the small pleasures of everyday life—perfect for anyone who feels they didn’t accomplish much by year’s end or wants to reset in a familiar place.

Tracks of DreamsH△G

Tracks of Dreams

This song, which layers the tracks of travelers over the ruts of a ravaged world, is included on H△G’s Blu-ray Disc Album “Mabataki mo Sezu ni,” released in March 2020.

It was also used as the ending theme for the TV Tokyo anime series Zoids Wild ZERO, depicting a story of pressing forward into the future while holding memories of the past close to one’s heart.

Imbued with the will to live firmly in the present despite loss and pain, this work is perfect for the year’s end—a time to look back on the past year while facing forward.

It’s a song I recommend to everyone who, reflecting on the days filled with many events, is ready to take a first step into the new year.

Milk ice creamsayonara, mata kondo ne

Goodbye, see you next time, “Milk Ice” [MV/Full ver.]

On a winter street corner where breath turns white, a sudden parting and the hint of reunion intersect.

Featured on the mini-album “Evening Hairstyle,” released in September 2014, this track is a milestone as the first to have a female vocalist take the lead.

The first-person narration weaves everyday scenes with a curious texture in which chill and sweetness coexist.

Riding on Sayonara, Mata Kondo ne’s signature sharp chord work and propulsive rhythm, unsaid feelings and delicate distances are rendered in a clear, transparent voice—perfect for quietly looking back on the year while walking through the city at year’s end.

It was also performed at a countdown event, where the seasonal feel of the lyrics reportedly synced with the atmosphere of the venue.

All the more during the hectic year-end, this is a song worth pausing to listen to.