[Songs of Fukushima] Thinking of my hometown | A heartwarming collection of classic songs celebrating the beautiful “Fukushima”
Songs woven from Fukushima’s rich land and the warm hearts of the people who live there.
From GReeeeN’s upbeat anthems, to songs that encouraged the Hula Girls, to enka pieces that evoke the port town of Soma, melodies rooted in the region still resonate today.
In this article, we’ve gathered heartwarming classics filled with love for Fukushima.
As you let your mind wander to the land of Fukushima—or think of your own hometown or family living far away—lend an ear to a world of songs brimming with hometown love.
- Folksongs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes of Fukushima: the heart of our hometown passed down in song
- [Local Songs] Recommended tracks packed with Japan’s nationwide classics and hometown pride
- Miyagi Songs: Popular tracks that celebrate famous sights and specialties, and timeless pieces filled with love for home
- A classic song that celebrates Niigata. The enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
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- [Songs of Aomori] A collection of local songs depicting the grandeur of nature and the warmth of its people.
- Songs of Iwate: The Heart of Our Hometown Passed Down in Song | A Collection of Classics to Enjoy While Thinking of Iwate
- Folk Songs, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes of Aomori: Japanese Songs from Tsugaru and Hachinohe that Resonate with the Heart
- [Songs of Yamaguchi] Introducing local tunes filled with hometown love and tracks related to Yamaguchi
- [Folk Songs of Yamagata] The Heart of Our Hometown Passed Down in Song: Feelings Woven into Nostalgic Melodies
- Classic songs about Nara: Local anthems and popular tracks [2025]
- [Hometown Songs] A curated selection of popular Japanese tracks that fill your heart with nostalgia
[Songs of Fukushima] Thinking of My Hometown | A Heartwarming Collection of Masterpieces Singing of the Beautiful 'Fukushima' (21–30)
At Ouchi-juku...Kaori Mizumori
Ouchi-juku, a post town that still preserves a streetscape of over 30 thatched-roof houses, prospered as a station on the Aizu Nishi Kaido, the highway connecting Aizu and Nikko, and is now a lively tourist spot.
Kaori Mizumori, a popular local-song singer, gently sings about Ouchi-juku adorned with dancing cherry blossoms.
Song of the Traditional Aizu Sauce KatsudonLOVE and Brotherhood
In Aizu, when people say katsudon as a local specialty, they usually mean sauce katsudon: shredded cabbage laid on the bottom with a cutlet seasoned with a savory sauce on top.
There’s a sauce katsudon map around Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, and this song was created to encourage visitors to enjoy the local flavors.
It’s said that each restaurant has its own unique sauce, and they all sound delicious.
Yae: A Single Flower of AizuAya Shimazu
Released in 2012, this song was created based on Yae Yamamoto, known as the Joan of Arc of Aizu.
Behind it lies the tragedy of the Byakkotai, a unit formed solely of boys as young as 16 and 17 during the Aizu War.
It is said that Yae Yamamoto, despite being a woman, taught the Byakkotai boys how to handle firearms.
The song recounts this sorrowful ending, interwoven with spoken lines.
Nakoso • YamautaHajime Sagawa
The Nakoso Barrier in Fukushima Prefecture has been celebrated as a poetic place-name (utamakura) by many poets, including Ki no Tsurayuki, Ono no Komachi, Izumi Shikibu, and the monk Saigyō.
What was called yamato-uta refers to the classical Japanese waka, and the lyrics incorporate poems by these poets.
Might we call such songs historical ballads? Even so, Nakoso Barrier remains a quiet, charming sightseeing spot.
A solitary journey to MichinokuJoji Yamamoto
This song, which was a huge hit in 1980, could be called Joji Yamamoto’s signature piece.
“Michinoku no Tabi” is a song that sounds like a lone man’s journey from Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture to Shirakawa in Fukushima Prefecture, as if cutting off lingering feelings for the woman he loves.
It’s a classic, but for some reason, Joji Yamamoto often performed this song wearing a fundoshi.
Abukuma River Love SongMari Kawana
The Abukuma River flows through Fukushima and Miyagi Prefectures.
In Sukagawa City, the Otsujigataki Falls are locally called the “Little Niagara,” and in Nihonmatsu City, the scenic site Kurozuka can be seen from the levee as the river passes through.
As for the custom of placing wishes into little bamboo-leaf boats and setting them afloat on the Abukuma River—would that be a tradition originating in the Tohoku region?
Byakkotai (White Tiger Corps)Ichiro Fujiyama
Along with the tide of the Meiji Restoration, the tragic Byakkotai—boys of 16 or 17 who, driven by a desire to protect their homeland of Aizu, went to the battlefield and ultimately took their own lives—are famous throughout Japan.
Although the lyrics themselves use quite difficult language, phrases such as “fair and tender-faced” boys and “rain of blood” vividly evoke the horrific circumstances.