[Children’s Songs of Autumn] Autumn songs, school songs, and traditional children’s rhymes. A collection of classic pieces to sing in autumn.
We’d like to introduce autumn nursery rhymes, songs, and traditional children’s songs that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults.
When you think of autumn, what comes to mind?
Pine cones, acorns, autumn leaves, moon-viewing… The more you think about it, the more images pop up, don’t they?
In this article, we’ve gathered wonderful classics that make autumn scenery unfold right before your eyes.
From gentle, soothing pieces unique to autumn that sink into the heart, to hand-play songs and traditional children’s tunes you can play and sing along with—these are all famous songs that let you experience autumn in many ways.
Be sure to listen together, sing along, and immerse yourselves in “autumn.”
- Song of the Maple Leaves. An autumn children’s song/nursery rhyme/folk song
- Recommended children's songs and hand play songs for October! Music time in childcare that feels like autumn.
- [Childcare] Recommended songs and nursery rhymes for November: Fun autumn fingerplay songs
- A collection of classic nursery rhymes and hand-play songs for September! Enjoy autumn with your child through songs.
- Children’s songs and nursery rhymes about the moon
- Children’s songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes about insects
- [Children’s Songs] Let’s Sing of Spring! A Fun Collection of Nursery Rhymes, Folk Songs, and Children’s Songs
- [February Songs] Introducing children's songs, folk songs, nursery rhymes, and hand-play songs about Setsubun and winter!
- Autumn anime songs: iconic tracks for the deepening fall
- In the season of colors. A collection of Vocaloid songs perfect for autumn [refreshing, wistful]
- Collection of winter nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs. Includes fun winter hand-play songs too.
- [For Children] Recommended Nursery Rhymes and Traditional Children’s Songs to Sing in April
- [Moon Songs Special] Famous songs about the moon. Songs you’ll want to listen to under a full moon or in the moonlight.
[Autumn Children's Songs] Autumn songs, school songs, and nursery rhymes. A collection of classic songs you’ll want to sing in autumn (21–30)
maple leavesLyrics by Tatsuyuki Takano / Music by Teiichi Okano
Representing autumn children’s songs, “Momiji” is a school song released in 1911 (Meiji 44).
It is said that Tatsuyuki Takano wrote the lyrics inspired by the autumn foliage around the Usui Pass on the border between Gunma and Nagano Prefectures.
In this area, when autumn arrives, the fiery leaves are lit by the sun, and their beauty never grows tiresome.
Passed down through generations and included in elementary school music textbooks from the 1950s (Showa 20s), it was selected in 2007 (Heisei 19) by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the National Congress of Parents and Teachers Associations of Japan as one of the “100 Best Songs of Japan.”
hometownLyrics by Tatsuyuki Takano / Music by Teiichi Okano
On long autumn nights, do you ever suddenly think of your hometown and feel a little lonely? This piece has a warm melody that seems to gently stay by your side in such moments.
Its lyrics depict the original landscapes of home that everyone carries in their hearts, like the hills where we chased rabbits and the rivers where we caught small crucian carp.
First released in 1914 as a Ministry of Education school song, it was performed at the closing ceremony of the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, moving audiences around the world.
It is a classic that continues to be sung in Japanese by overseas groups such as IL DIVO.
It’s the perfect song for those living away from home, listening to the chirping of autumn insects and quietly reflecting on their roots.
Cosmos flowerLyrics by Hongo Kumagai / Music by Hiromitsu Takatsuki
This is a children’s song that layers a gentle, enveloping warmth over cosmos flowers swaying in the autumn breeze.
Created by children’s author Hongo Kumagai and composer Hiromitsu Takatsuki, the piece won the Grand Prize at the 1st Japan Original Children’s Song Competition in 1990.
The lyrics portray deep, motherly love and sincerity, offering quiet comfort to listeners.
After its award, the song was included in collections such as “Everyone’s Children’s Songs 200-1” and has continued to be sung ever since.
Listen to it on a slightly chilly evening while thinking of someone dear or your hometown, and its tender melody will slowly seep into your heart.
Waltz of the Maple LeavesLyrics by Naoko Kudō / Music by Naoko Zukeran
It’s a charming song that conjures up images of maple leaves twirling and dancing in the wind.
The world that poet Naoko Kudo depicts, with personified maple leaves, is truly wonderful.
Its calm, warm melody gently cradles the poetic sentiment.
This piece is included in the choral collection “Giniro Jikan” and is loved in many settings, such as being performed in children’s song contests.
It would be lovely to hum it while sitting on a park bench on an autumn day, or to sing it together with family and friends.
That Town, This TownLyrics by Ujō Noguchi / Music by Shinpei Nakayama
This song is the work of the golden duo of the children’s song world: lyrics by Ujō Noguchi and music by Shimpei Nakayama.
The buoyant rhythm, known as the “Pyonko-bushi,” naturally lifts your spirits as you listen.
The piece depicts the slightly lonely yet somehow nostalgic feeling of looking back at your home growing distant on the way back at dusk.
It was published in a magazine in January 1924, and some say the poem was influenced by the sadness and isolation felt after the Great Kanto Earthquake the previous year.
There’s also an anecdote that composer Shimpei Nakayama would hum this song in his later years, which speaks to its profound appeal.
It’s a moving classic, perfect for listening to on an autumn evening while gazing at the crimson sky.
Why not share it with someone dear and let it stir thoughts of each of your hometowns?
black kiteLyrics by Shigeru Kuzuhara / Music by Tei Yanada
When you catch sight of birds tracing circles in the high autumn sky as if they’re feeling wonderful, doesn’t your heart feel at ease? This song, with lyrics by Shigeru Kuzuhara and music by Tadashi Yanada, is a very free-spirited children’s song that depicts birds dancing through such a sky.
The playful phrases that imitate birdsong are striking, conveying the creators’ gentle wish for children to sing out joyfully.
First published in May 1918 in the song collection Taishō Shōnen Shōka, the piece can still be heard today on albums such as Let’s Sing Together: Best of Japanese Children’s Songs.
On a clear autumn day, spreading your arms like wings and singing it together as parent and child makes it even more fun.
The setting sun gives me a gentle push on the back.Lyrics by Hiroo Sakata / Music by Naosumi Yamamoto
A children’s song that evokes a nostalgic feeling on an autumn evening.
The lyrics were written by Hiroo Sakata, who was active as a poet and novelist, and the music was composed by Naosumi Yamamoto.
You can picture the heartwarming scene of a large setting sun gently urging, like a friend, “Come on, let’s go home,” giving you a little push on the back.
The gentle lyrics, encouraging you so you can play energetically again tomorrow, really resonate.
The song was first introduced in July 1968 on NHK’s “Minna no Uta,” and was later included on Naosumi Yamamoto’s best-of album “Life Is a Symphony: Naosumi Yamamoto Best Selection (4CD).” How about singing it together during an evening walk with your child? That unassuming walk home might become an unforgettable page in your autumn memories.