Popular Japanese songs among women in their 50s: recommended classics and staple tracks
If you’re currently in your 50s, songs from the ’80s and ’90s are probably packed with memories of your youth, aren’t they?
And there are likely many tracks from the 2000s that feel familiar and nostalgic as well.
In this article, we’ll introduce a selection of recommended songs for women in their 50s, focusing on music from the ’80s through the 2000s.
We’ve carefully chosen only tracks that were popular at the time, so you’re sure to reunite with some old favorites.
We hope you’ll enjoy listening closely—and that this list will also come in handy when choosing songs for karaoke.
- Favorite Songs for Women in Their 50s: A Curated Selection of Sweet and Bittersweet Love Ballads!
- Recommended for women in their 50s! A curated selection of classic and popular karaoke hits that will get the crowd going
- Famous songs we’d like women in their 50s to sing (by age group)
- Karaoke songs that are easy to sing even if you’re not confident in your pitch (for women in their 50s)
- [In Their 50s] Ranking of Easy-to-Sing Karaoke Songs [2025]
- Popular Japanese songs among women in their 40s: recommended classics and standard hits
- Easy-to-sing Japanese karaoke songs recommended for women in their 50s
- [Women in Their 40s] Even If You’re Tone-Deaf, You Can Sing! Karaoke Songs That Fit a Woman’s Vocal Range
- Packed with masterpieces! Karaoke songs recommended for women of the Yutori generation
- [2025] A roundup of autumn songs for people in their 50s. Showa-era classics that bring back those days
- Time-travel back to your memories just by listening! Spring songs recommended for people in their 50s
- Recommended for women in their 40s! Easy-to-sing songs for karaoke
- Love songs recommended for women in their 40s: classic and popular Japanese hits
Japanese popular music favored by women in their 50s: Recommended masterpieces and classic songs (31–40)
Surely more than anyone else in the worldMiho Nakayama
A gem of a love song that eloquently sings of the joy and poignancy of romance.
It gently weaves a wish for eternal love with a fated partner, and the feelings full of hope and expectation for a chance reunion resonate in the heart.
The collaboration between Miho Nakayama and WANDS drew attention upon its October 1992 release as the theme song for the drama “Dareka ga Kanojo o Aishiteru” (“Someone Loves Her”).
It surpassed one million copies sold in just 20 days after release and topped the Oricon charts for four consecutive weeks.
Depicting a fateful reunion and unwavering love, this piece is perfect for when you want to reflect on meeting someone special, or when your heart flutters at the start of a new romance.
After all, I'm an idolKyoko Koizumi
This is a masterpiece by Kyoko Koizumi that portrays the light and shadow of idols with a mix of irony and humor.
By confronting the very idea of an idol head-on and vividly expressing both its front and back sides without concealment, it overturned the conventional concept of idol songs.
The complex emotions embedded within its bright, catchy melody—self-affirmation and inner conflict, loneliness amid glamour—sparked a major response when it was released in 1985.
The song was used in a commercial for Fujifilm’s Caldia and topped the Oricon chart, selling 420,000 copies.
It’s a track that resonates with the feelings of wavering between the “ideal self” and the “real self,” something people of any age or gender can relate to.
rainChisato Moritaka
A heart-stirring ballad by Chisato Moritaka, where the poignancy of heartbreak overlaps beautifully with rainy scenery.
Since its release in September 1990, this song has marked a turning point as she evolved toward a more artist-driven direction.
The delicate vocals weave a story of unrequited love, vividly portraying the complex emotions of a woman parting with her lover in the rain.
Released by Warner-Pioneer, the track reached No.
2 on the Oricon charts.
It’s the perfect accompaniment for quiet moments—when you want to empathize with the ache of love, on a gently rainy afternoon, or during a nighttime drive to sort out your thoughts.
Summertime BluesMisato Watanabe
This is a classic song that captures the dazzling yet bittersweet romance of youth spent by the summer shore.
It was the first single for which Misato Watanabe both wrote the lyrics and composed the music, and her emotions are beautifully expressed through vivid scenes.
The lyrics, which layer the ebb and flow of love over the small, everyday landscapes of life, are deeply moving.
Included on the album “tokyo,” the song was released in May 1990 and reached No.
2 on the Oricon charts.
It also drew attention as the theme for a Meiji Life insurance commercial.
With a melody infused with blues elements and a memorable saxophone interlude, it’s a track you’ll want to listen to when reminiscing about summer or spending a quiet night thinking of someone special.
Come, spring.Yumi Matsutoya
With Yumi Matsutoya’s distinctive turns of phrase and melody, this masterpiece delicately paints springtime scenes that sink deep into the heart.
Her warm voice offers solace and hope, embracing thoughts of someone dear and the uncertainties of life.
Released in October 1994, the song was written as the theme for an NHK morning drama series and reached No.
1 on the Oricon weekly chart, selling approximately 1.
164 million copies.
It was also featured in commercials for Huis Ten Bosch and All Nippon Airways, and its charm continues to soothe many hearts.
It’s a perfect song for moments when the start of a new season stirs your emotions, or when you wish to linger in memories of someone special.
Popular Japanese songs among women in their 50s: recommended classics and standard tracks (41–50)
Love Doesn't Stop ~Turn It Into Love~Wink
A gemlike love song that captures the bittersweet feelings everyone experiences at least once—the unstoppable stirrings of romance that sprout from friendship.
Released in November 1988 and gaining attention as the theme song for the drama “I Want to Chase You!”, the track reached No.
1 on the Oricon chart the following year, selling approximately 645,000 copies.
With a swelling premonition of love in one’s heart and emotions that can’t be contained even after learning the other person already has a partner, this timeless classic speaks to all who resonate with that poignant ache.
Gentle RainKyoko Koizumi
Like a rain that gently fills the gaps in the heart, Kyoko Koizumi’s quietly companionable voice leaves a vivid impression.
Released by Victor in February 1993, this work beautifully harmonizes a warm, healing melody with exquisite lyrics that portray a bittersweet love.
Chosen as the theme song for the drama “To Love,” it reached No.
2 on the Oricon chart and sold 950,000 copies.
It has been covered by numerous artists, including Anri and Kōmi Hirose, and continues to be cherished across generations.
The fleeting feelings that well up in everyday moments are expressed through delicate words penned by Koizumi herself and a beautiful melody by singer-songwriter Shoko Suzuki.
When you wish to soothe your heart with the sound of gentle rain, why not lend it an ear?