Nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs about animals

bug-catching game

Bug-catching play / With Mother (a Japanese kids’ TV show) / Hand play (fingerplay)

Even if you feel like you could never touch bugs now, many people probably enjoyed catching them as a matter of course when they were kids.

This song, “Mushitori Asobi,” is a recommended summer tune that lets children—and adults, too—enjoy bug-catching within the song and recapture a childlike spirit.

It was used on the popular TV program “Okaasan to Issho,” but since it’s an older song, you might try looking for the CD at a rental shop.

Only three bugs appear—dragonflies, butterflies, and a praying mantis—so it’s easy to remember, and as long as you can mimic gestures like searching for bugs and react when you spot and catch them, you can have fun dancing to it!

The Gorilla’s Concert

The Gorilla’s Concert

This is a song that was broadcast in 1994 on the children’s program “Okaasan to Issho.” It’s about a family of gorillas who find musical instruments and hold a concert with them.

The lyrics and singing style, which resemble gorilla calls, are quite funny.

Please try imitating them!

Let's go to the zoo.

Children’s Song “Let’s Go to the Zoo” Mutsumi Hamasaki

This is a song about having fun at the zoo.

It became popular after being broadcast on “Minna no Uta” and “Okaasan to Issho.” Many animals appear, including elephants, bears, and sea lions.

You can easily picture a family enjoying their day at the zoo.

carp in a pond

Children’s Song “The Carp in the Pond” (Mutsuko Ogawa)

This is a familiar children’s song about feeding koi swimming in a pond.

It’s interesting how the lyrics use rhyme.

The hornwort that appears in the first verse is a type of aquatic plant found in many places across Japan and is also known as water milfoil.

A tadpole is the child of a frog.

Tadpoles Are Frogs’ Children [With Song] – Nursery Rhyme

It’s a children’s song based on the American folk tune “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Doesn’t the melody sound familiar? In fact, Yodobashi Camera’s commercial jingle uses the same melody.

There are also several other parody songs that use this tune.

Come, firefly

Children’s song “Hotaru Koi” round

The children’s song “Hotaru Koi,” with its memorable calls that evoke the gentle glow of fireflies, allows entrances at any timing—one beat late, half a measure late, a full measure late, and so on—so you can enjoy the many ways the lyrics overlap.

However, the tricky part of this round is that when the “ho, ho” calls overlap, it’s easy to lose track of your own timing.

Start by entering at a point where the calls don’t overlap, and as you get used to it, gradually bring your entrance closer.

With a bit of creativity, have fun challenging yourself with the round.

Dona Dona

Donna Donna

This song, which sings about a calf being sold from the ranch to the market, is one many people likely sang in school music classes.

Its melancholy melody is unforgettable.

Originally a song from Jewish culture, it was sung in Japan by The Peanuts in 1965, and a version sung by Yoko Kishi was broadcast on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” in 1966.

It can be called a timeless classic that transcends generations.