[Yumi Matsutoya’s Masterpieces] A Collection of Heart-Touching Gems: Yuming’s Finest Hits

Shadow of WaterNEW!Matsutōya Yumi

Shadows On The Water / Mizu No Kage

Yumi Matsutoya, who has produced numerous hit songs and continues to lead the Japanese music scene.

This piece, included as the final track on her ninth album “Toki no Nai Hotel,” released in June 1980, is a self-cover of a song she originally provided to the female duo Simons in 1978.

The poignant lyrics, which liken the passage of time to the flow of a river, resonate deeply with listeners.

It’s also well known for being used for many years as the ending theme of NHK General’s “Tanken Roman: World Heritage.” The beautiful melody that quietly brings the album’s weighty worldview to a close is perfect for adults seeking peace at the end of the day.

It can be called a hidden gem that is loved across generations.

The Day When Eternity Is VisibleNEW!Matsutōya Yumi

Yumi Matsutoya – The Day Eternity Comes Into View (Short ver.)

A bittersweet yet beautiful medium-tempo ballad by Yumi Matsutoya that intertwines with the film’s storyline.

It was first released as a DVD single in June 2004 and was later included on her 33rd album, VIVA! 6×7.

Written as the theme song for the film Heaven’s Bookstore—Koibi, its lyrics vividly evoke scenes of a summer night.

The contrast between a fleeting brilliance like fireworks and the theme of eternity resonates deeply and lingers in the listener’s heart.

It’s a song you’ll want to hear when you’re holding feelings you can’t put into words or when you want to quietly savor time with someone important.

The arrangement by Masataka Matsutoya is also superb, making this a masterpiece that remains in your memory along with the film’s lingering afterglow.

Snow, Moon, and FlowersNEW!Matsutōya Yumi

Yumi Matsutoya – Setsugetsuka

A soul-stirring ballad interwoven with winter’s stillness and a distinctly Japanese sense of beauty.

Sung by Yumi Matsutoya—affectionately known as Yuming—the song features delicate lyrics that seem to let past memories and the present intersect, offering deep comfort to listeners.

It is included on her 32nd album, “Wings of Winter, Shades of Summer,” released in November 2002, and was also used as the theme for NHK’s program “NHK Television 50 Years: I Want to Meet That Person.” There’s an anecdote that during production, the producer instructed her to “write lots of ballads,” and after many songs were discarded, this piece was finally completed.

It’s a winter classic you’ll want to hear when quietly revisiting memories alone at night.

Youthful RegretNEW!Matsutōya Yumi

Yumi Matsutoya – Regret of Youth (Into the Dancing Sun)

If you’ve ever been the one to initiate a breakup, only to be overwhelmed later by a crushing sense of loss, this is the song by Yumi Matsutoya you should hear.

Many will relate to the lyrics’ searing passion, which condemns the self who tried to act gently at the moment of parting.

Though included on the album DA・DI・DA, released in November 1985, did you know it’s actually a self-cover of a song she originally provided to Remi in 1984? In addition to being used as the theme song for the TV program Hito Tabi Wakuwaku, it also inspired a drama broadcast in 2024.

It’s a deeply piercing track, perfect for those moments when you want to look back on a past love, shed some tears, and feel cleansed.

An Afternoon Spent Watching the SeaNEW!Arai Yumi

Yumi Arai – An Afternoon Looking at the Sea (from “Japanese Love and Yumi”)

Set in a restaurant with a view of the sea in Yokohama, the scene that overlays the landscape reflected through a glass with a love that has passed resonates deeply.

It’s a song included on the classic album MISSLIM, released in October 1974, written by Yumi Matsutoya—known as Yuming—under the name Yumi Arai.

Did you know that “Dolphin” in Yamate, which appears in the lyrics, is a real establishment still cherished as a holy site by fans today? Many artists, including Hi-Fi Set, have covered it.

While the piece has no flashy developments, the gentle tones of the quiet piano seem to softly nestle close to the heart.

It’s a song I’d recommend for times when you want to bask in nostalgia, or for a solitary, peaceful afternoon tea.

I’ll teach you how to mend a broken heart.NEW!Matsutōya Yumi

I’ll teach you how to mend a broken love (Yumi Matsutoya)

A song where humor and heartbreak blend, as if teaching a curious “spell” to soothe the pain of a broken heart.

The lyrics, memorable for how Yumi Matsutoya depicts lingering attachment to a finished love through distinctive motifs like black magic and incantations, are striking.

It’s included on the classic album NO SIDE, released in December 1984.

Though not a single, it was selected for her 2018 best-of compilation, and even covered by Sachiko Kobayashi in 2008—cherished for years as a hidden gem.

When you’re wrestling with a wavering heart that longs to go back but can’t, its cynical worldview will, curiously, give you strength.

As Yuming’s own “prescription for love,” why not immerse yourself in its story-like, dramatic progression?

ronde (also rendered as rondo or round dance)Matsutōya Yumi

Yumi Matsutoya – Rondo

A song released in 1995 as Yumi Matsutoya’s 27th single.

It was used as the theme song for the Nippon TV drama “Tatakau Oyomesama” and reached No.

2 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.

It is included on her 27th original album, “KATHMANDU,” as an album mix version.