![A classic that evokes the year’s end. Looking back on the year through music [Just a little left of this year!]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/fd-f1E4CSYI/maxresdefault.webp)
What kind of year has it been for you?
This year felt long yet short, and at last it’s time to wrap it up!
Year-end always comes with all sorts of events, and music is essential for getting into the spirit, right?
So in this article, we’ve picked out plenty of songs that are perfect for the end of the year.
From songs about the year’s end to winter tunes, we’ve gathered popular tracks across generations—so you’re sure to find the perfect song for you!
Whether you’re someone who says, “This year was great,” or someone who feels, “This year was so-so,” we’ve got a full lineup of year-end songs we hope you’ll listen to.
- Songs to Play at the End of 2026! A Roundup of New Year’s Eve and Winter J‑Pop
- [For Seniors] Winter songs you'll want to hum along to. A collection of classic tunes recommended for BGM and recreational activities
- [2026] Karaoke songs to sing on New Year’s Eve: classic and popular Japanese hits
- [For Seniors] Beloved songs to sing in December: heartwarming moments with nostalgic kayōkyoku and children’s songs
- Winter songs you'll want to listen to in the cold season! Recommended for the yutori generation
- [New Year’s Songs] Timeless classics and popular New Year tunes you’ll want to listen to at the start of the year
- [Songs to Listen to in December] J-POP and Christmas Songs that Feel Like Winter [2026]
- [Winter Songs] Recommended for Instagram Reels! Classic winter hits
- Winter songs in 90s J-pop: a roundup of popular winter tunes
- Recommended Christmas songs for people in their 70s: A collection of classic winter hits from the Showa era
- Winter Songs: Classic tracks you want to listen to in winter. Songs you long for during the winter.
- Masterpieces to Listen to in January: New Year-Themed, New Year-Ready, and Winter Songs
- Popular winter songs on YouTube Shorts. Winter song special.
Iconic songs that evoke the year’s end: Looking back on the year through music [Just a little left of this year!] (1–10)
ephemeral blueSIX LOUNGE
This track is included on the EP “Sansan,” released in October 2025 by SIX LOUNGE, a three-piece rock band from Oita Prefecture.
It portrays a winter scene wrapped in station-front illuminations and the intermingling emotions of affection for someone special.
Lyrics depicting pure white snow tinged blue and bittersweet emotional fluctuations convey the year-end melancholy and the faint stirrings of youthful love.
The drummer, Shintaro Nagamatsu, penned the lyrics, and the result is a fusion of melodies influenced by folk and kayōkyoku with a band sound rooted in rock ’n’ roll.
It’s a song that will keep you company on a quiet night when you want to reflect on the year and let your thoughts wander alone.
STILL LOVE HER (A Lost Landscape)TM NETWORK
This ballad, which closes the album “CAROL ~A DAY IN A GIRL’S LIFE 1991~” released at the end of 1988, is a delicate piece that gently reflects the urban scenery of December.
With images of double-decker buses and a park, the protagonist’s heart quietly carries feelings they wished to convey and a poignant sense of what has been lost.
It was also used as the ending theme for the NTV anime City Hunter 2, and the synthesizer tones that echo on winter nights leave an even deeper impression.
This song is perfect for those who want to pause amid the year-end rush and spend a reflective moment looking back on the past year.
I’m still alive.Makihara Noriyuki
Released in November 1996, this single by Noriyuki Makihara is a playful track that cleverly turns the rumors circulating at the time on their head.
Its newspaper-style cover design is striking, and the lyrics blend humor with a strong message.
As the year draws to a close, it carries a powerful yet warm affirmation of one’s presence—“I’m still here.” The song conveys a determination to keep looking forward despite hardships, making it perfect for reflecting on the year at the end of December.
Even if things didn’t go well this year, listening to this track will likely make you think, “I’ll do my best next year.” It’s a number that makes you want to cheer yourself on amid the reflective atmosphere of year’s end.
forgotten itemGRAPEVINE
Puddles reflecting the sun, a sweat-drenched past, holiday lights in December—though the lyrics are dotted with such vivid scenes, a somehow bittersweet and distant memory rises to the surface in this GRAPEVINE number.
The song appears as the fourth track on their 19th album, Far From That Road, released in May 2025, with lyrics by Kazumasa Tanaka and music by drummer Toru Kamei.
The jangly guitars layered with strings gently cradle a nostalgia for something lost in adulthood.
It’s a perfect song for the year’s end, when you find yourself looking back and longing for “those days.”
Subaru -Subaru-Tanimura Shinji
A grand song of a journey that stirs the heart at year’s end.
Symbolic of Shinji Tanimura’s solo career, this piece has been loved in Japan and abroad since its release in 1980.
Its majestic melody and profound lyrics express the strength to confront life’s loneliness and fate, resonating deeply with listeners’ souls.
Inspired by the poetry of Takuboku Ishikawa, the song is said to have been born from a melody that suddenly came to Tanimura during a house move.
It was also performed at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, further enhancing its international recognition.
As the year turns, or when you find yourself at a crossroads in life, why not listen to this song and draw courage from it?
Ephemeral SwingKai Band
In the season when December’s neon colors the city, the single Kai Band released in October 1975 is a winter classic set against a metropolitan Christmas night.
Depicting a fleeting reunion and parting that arrive unexpectedly on a glittering street corner where jingle bells ring out, the song vividly captures, like a scene from a film, the loneliness and poignancy that lurk behind the festive bustle.
From its wistful violin intro, the sound unfolds into a light rhythm reminiscent of gypsy jazz, perfectly expressing the unique atmosphere that envelops the city at year’s end.
Included on the album “Heroes and Villains,” the track has continued to be cherished as a signature piece in the band’s history, even lending its name to a best-of compilation and tour in 2017.
It’s recommended for those who want to look back on the past year and savor a slightly bittersweet, grown-up moment.
Harmony of DecemberKinKi Kids
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.