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Songs of Studio Ghibli: List of Theme Songs, Insert Songs, and BGM from Ghibli Music

DancerFukkun:)Tatsuki Fukuda
Primarily active in Tokyo, I have experience as a backup dancer for artists, a music video dancer, and a commercial dancer. I continue to work as a dancer while also engaging in article production. After discovering Michael Jackson in junior high school, I began dancing in my second year of high school. Since starting dance, in addition to the J-Pop and Japanese rock I had been listening to, I began exploring Western R&B, rap, alternative music, and other tracks commonly used for dance. In elementary school, I spent three years in a choir, and because I love singing, I often go to karaoke for fun. These days, I enjoy a wide range of music, from Japanese rock and rap to K-pop.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICSasashina
Deputy Editor of the web media RAG MUSIC. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. In my student days, I studied broadly at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, covering sound, lighting, and video technology, and acquired skills from comprehensive stage production to the fundamentals of creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, and have consistently built my career on the production side, taking on diverse tasks centered around music. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting in my own way, as well as insights and discoveries from interacting with my kids every day. I hope I can be of help to you, even just a little!

Studio Ghibli films, enjoyed by both adults and children, are also famous for their wonderful music.

Every work features songs that perfectly fit the story and leave an unforgettable impression after just one listen.

We’ve gathered not only the popular theme songs and insert songs from Studio Ghibli works, but also image songs that bring back memories of famous scenes and evocative moments.

If you want to listen to Ghibli’s masterpieces or hear again the song that played in that one scene, be sure to check these out!

Heisei Tanuki War Ponpoko (1–10)

In this city in AsiaShang Shang Typhoon

[Karaoke] In This Asian Town / Shang Shang Typhoon

Top Shouteng in this Asian city

A song that warmly depicts scenes of Asian streets and the people who live there, brimming with the charm of Shang Shang Typhoon.

The lyrics, imbued with a wish to turn tears into stars and sad lies into light, resonate deeply.

Released as a single in 1994, it was also included on the album “Around Asia in 80 Days.” It’s also known as the theme song for Toho’s animated film “Pom Poko.” This track empathizes with those who leave their hometowns to start anew elsewhere—recommended for people striving in a foreign land or those who have decided to set off on a journey.

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The Wind Rises (11–20)

The timeless hit by Yumi (Yuming) that the producer wanted to use!

Opinions among fans are divided, but it’s a work with a brilliant connection to its music. The theme song is Yumi Matsutoya’s “Hikoukigumo,” which producer Toshio Suzuki personally requested to use. There are many other wonderful tracks as well, so if you haven’t heard them yet, please do! Related article:The Wind Rises songs: theme song and insert songs

The Wind Rises (1–10)

contrailYumi Arai

Contrail (Vapour Trail) – Yumi Arai (Yumi Matsutoya)

Hikoukigumo Arai Yumi

The theme song of The Wind Rises.

Since they had already decided on this song during production, its match with the film’s world and atmosphere is flawless.

Although the movie stirred up various controversies among fans, I personally feel that while Porco Rosso included elements that even children could enjoy, The Wind Rises is a film that pursues “a man’s romance” or masculine ideals.

You can sense Hayao Miyazaki’s philosophy of men and life through this work.

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Journey (Dream Flight)Joe Hisaishi

The Wind Rises / Journey (Dream Flight)

Tabiji (Dream Flight) Joe Hisaishi

It’s a song that evokes the strength of those who pursue their dreams and the emotional scars that come from facing them, as well as the resilience and fragility of people who still choose to stand and fight.

The arrangement, with its subtly analog feel—as if the propeller were being turned by hand—further accentuates the historical setting of The Wind Rises.

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Only onceWerner Richard Heymann

The Congress Dances Das Gibt’s Nur Einmal

Werner Richard Heymann, only once

This song is also known as the theme for the German film The Congress Dances, released in 1931.

In the film, it is used in a cheerful scene where people gathered at a hotel suddenly break into song.

Its composer, Werner Richard Heymann, was a renowned German composer.

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Nahoko (Encounter)Joe Hisaishi

Joe Hisaishi – Naoko’s First Meeting – [The Wind Rises]

Nausicaä (Encounters) Joe Hisaishi

This is a piece called “Nahoko (Encounter).” The title includes “Encounter,” but it isn’t the cheerful song you might imagine from that.

War and natural disasters—Nahoko and Jiro met in the very midst of a turbulent era.

While everyone was lamenting the misfortunes of the world, the two refused to yield to fate and came together.

It’s a song that reminds us of the importance of our encounters with others.

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Castorp (The Magic Mountain)Joe Hisaishi

Castorp (The Magic Mountain) Piano Performance — from the film The Wind Rises

Kastorp (The Magic Mountain) Joe Hisaishi

The protagonist, Jiro Horikoshi, meets a German man named Castorp at a hotel.

Although he shares the same name as the piece’s title, this character’s name comes from Hans Castorp, the protagonist of Thomas Mann’s masterpiece The Magic Mountain.

It’s a somewhat wistful piece of music.

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JunkersJoe Hisaishi

Junkers (Piano) ~ from the film 'The Wind Rises' ~

Junkers Joe Hisaishi

This is the piece “Junkers,” which was used in the film The Wind Rises.

Its title comes from the German aircraft manufacturer Junkers that appears in the story.

Behind the backdrop of war lay the passion of the aviation companies.

You can strongly feel Germany’s pride and resolute bearing in this music.

It’s also a track that hints at the wavering relationships between nations brought on by the war.

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