Lovely nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs

[2025] Masterpieces Themed on Ehime: From Local Songs to Municipal Anthems

music writerKOH-1
Started working as a music writer as a side job while employed at a record shop, and have been contributing to music magazines and web media for over 15 years. Although Western music is my main field, I always strive to stay curious with the motto, “I like what I like.” I have experience playing in a band, where I was a bassist responsible for songwriting and composition. Instruments I’ve performed on include bass, guitar, and piano. I resumed piano lessons after turning 40 and have been continuing ever since!

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 on Ehime: Introducing Everything from Local Songs to City and Town Anthems (41–50)

Imabari Miren RainMachiko Kitano

Imabari Miren Rain ♪ Machiko Kitano

Imabari Regret Rain by Machiko Kitano

While watching the waves of the Seto Inland Sea and thinking of a lost love, it also feels like a woman’s heartbroken journey.

After all, enka and local songs really suit themes of heartbreak and unrequited love.

Machiko Kitano is from Tsugaru City in Aomori Prefecture, and she also sings local songs from Hokkaido and her home prefecture of Aomori.

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I miss Sansa.Akemi Mizusawa

Sansa Koishiya / Akemi Mizusawa Cover: Eiko Yamaguchi (Doenka Eiko)

I miss you, Sansa—Akemi Mizusawa

The basic route of the Yosan Line starts at Takamatsu Station and ends at Uwajima Station.

While it may evoke the image of a local line, limited express trains like the “Shimakaze” also run on it, making it a train line for sightseeing as well.

With my hometown of Uwajima— which I left behind to chase my dreams— as the setting, the phrase I told myself, “shaanaine” (it can’t be helped), feels so lonely, capturing that feeling of wanting to return but being unable to.

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Hōyo StraitMiyako Otsuki

Hoyo Strait - Miyako Otsuki

Otsuki Miyako, Bungo Channel

The name of the strait comes from taking one character each from the old provincial names: Bungo (now Oita Prefecture) and Iyo (now Ehime Prefecture), hence Toyo Strait.

When men and women in similar circumstances meet, they feel the grandeur of nature—the sea viewed from Cape Sada and Oita Prefecture in Kyushu visible just ahead—so vast that their worries seem trivial.

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In conclusion

Songs of Ehime through the four seasons weave together traditional tunes, hometown melodies, and songs that speak of the future.

The musical memories preserved across the region, including in Matsuyama City, are an important cultural heritage passed down across generations.

The many songs that reflect Ehime’s rich nature and the lives of its people will continue to stay close to our hearts.

If this interests you, be sure to check out local songs from other regions as well.