![[2025] Masterpieces Themed on Ehime: From Local Songs to Municipal Anthems](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ba9SD2FH8_g/sddefault.jpg)
[2025] Masterpieces Themed on Ehime: From Local Songs to Municipal Anthems
Ehime Prefecture brims with hometown pride.
Blessed with the beautiful Seto Inland Sea, Mount Takanawa—the highest in Japan—and a mild climate, this land is home to countless wonderful songs.
From municipal anthems every local can hum to regional tunes that extol Ehime’s charms, the variety is truly abundant! In this article, we’ll take our time introducing a selection of gem-like pieces that express Ehime’s nature, culture, and everyday life through music.
Whether you’re from Ehime or visiting as a tourist, you’re sure to rediscover the prefecture’s allure through these songs.
[2025] Masterpieces themed around Ehime: Introducing everything from local songs to city and town anthems (1–10)
osmanthus (fragrant orange osmanthus; sweet olive)LUNKHEAD
LUNKHEAD’s song “Kinmokusei,” created by members from Niihama City in Ehime Prefecture, is filled with vocalist Yoshitaro Odaka’s feelings for his hometown, layered over his own high school days.
The lyrics weave in local scenery like Besshiyama and the Hiuchi-nada Sea, and along with the sweet, wistful fragrance of osmanthus, they awaken the youthful memories we all keep tucked away.
The image of tossing a school uniform—still a bit early for the seasonal change—into a bicycle basket feels like a scene from a film.
It’s a song that gently wraps the hearts of everyone who longs for their hometown.
Ferry to MatsuyamaKozo Murashita
It’s a song deeply connected to Ehime, sung by Kozo Murashita—known for classics like “Hatsukoi.” Set on a ferry traveling from Hiroshima to Matsuyama, it paints a heart-wrenching scene of parting.
The beautiful Seto Inland Sea bathed in the evening sun seems only to accentuate the protagonist’s helpless sorrow.
In the wonderful lyrics, woven by Murashita’s tender, wistful voice, one can’t help but feel profound love.
Listening to this bittersweet melody while on a sea voyage would surely etch the scenery of the Seto Inland Sea even more deeply into your heart.
Blues of the DawnHiroshi Itsuki
Mr.
Matsuya Raymond from Ehime Prefecture wrote the lyrics and composed the music, and he also sings the song himself.
Nibancho in Matsuyama City is an entertainment district, and the story centers on an adult romance.
The prelude is quite stylish, and it has a similar vibe to “Izakaya,” the duet sung by Hiroshi Itsuki.
It’s not enka; this song is mood kayō (romantic pop).
STU48 Ehime ver.STU48
A local song overflowing with love for Ehime by STU48, a group based across the seven Setouchi prefectures.
This track, included on their debut single, makes its appeal unmistakably clear once you listen to the lyrics.
From tourist spots like Matsuyama Castle, the Shimanami Kaido, and the Botchan Train to specialties such as jakoten fish cakes and Imabari towels, Ehime’s “treasures” appear one after another.
It feels as if all the answers to “What is Ehime known for?” are packed into this one song.
Their refreshing vocals and the up-tempo melody are sure to vividly bring back memories of places you’ve visited.
A buoyant track that conveys their love for their hometown straight from the heart.
When you're tired, Ehime.Wagyu (Japanese beef)
This is a duet loved by many as Ehime Prefecture’s PR song, performed by the comedy duo Wagyu—Shinji Mizuta and Kenshiro Kawanishi—who are from Iyo City.
The unforgettable phrase “When you’re tired, come to Ehime” gently invites you to find comfort whenever you need it.
Their pleasant harmony, reminiscent of their exquisite manzai banter, blends beautifully with the images of Ehime’s scenery in the lyrics, such as Dogo Onsen and Matsuyama Castle.
Just by listening, you can picture the calm Seto Inland Sea and the warm smiles of its people.
It’s a heartwarming song that tenderly embraces a weary, city-worn heart like a hometown.
Matsuyama AirportKiyoshi Hikawa
Kiyoshi Hikawa, who shines beyond the boundaries of traditional enka, delivers a lyrical enka piece with Matsuyama Airport, set at the gateway to Ehime.
Carried by a wistful melody, the song portrays the protagonist’s aching feelings as they head to Matsuyama on the last flight from Haneda.
The emotionally rich lyrics seem to weave together lingering attachment to a love that ended in the city and a deep nostalgia for home.
Hikawa’s delicate, expressive vocals vividly depict both the Seto Inland Sea’s nightscape and the protagonist’s wavering heart.
It’s a song that gently embraces not only those from Ehime, but anyone living away from their hometown.
The Tangerine SongSEX MACHINEGUNS
As a local song from Ehime, this might be one of the most famous! The shocking track “Mikan no Uta,” released in 1999 by SEX MACHINEGUNS, one of Japan’s leading heavy metal bands, is, contrary to its cozy-sounding title, a characteristically aggressive metal song.
It’s a classic that powerfully sings of frontman Anchang’s deep love for mikan, a specialty of his home prefecture of Ehime.
It’s a huge hit at karaoke, so be sure to give it a try!