Why does it make us cry so much? The true strength that “moving-to-Tokyo songs” teach us

One-room DiscoPerfume

[Official Music Video] Perfume “One-Room Disco”

When you start a new chapter in life, you often feel big anxieties alongside your expectations, don’t you? Released as a single in March 2009, “One Room Disco” is a song in which Perfume exquisitely captures that springtime loneliness and sense of uplift.

Its bright four-on-the-floor beat makes you want to dance, yet it also holds a bittersweet twinge that tightens your chest.

At its core is the feeling of switching your mindset and dancing alone in a small room, gently wrapping everyday loneliness in warmth.

Later included on an album, this track is a superb dance-pop song that quietly gives a push to anyone striving in a new place.

night busaimyon

night bus

It’s a work that gently stays by your side in those helplessly anxious moments when you leave your hometown and head somewhere new.

The loneliness felt in a dark car for roughly eight hours one way, and the thoughts of family, are depicted with raw immediacy, and the fear and sadness of chasing a dream press on your heart.

Precisely because it’s written not with grandiose expressions but with unadorned words, the tears may come naturally.

This song is by Aimyon and is included on the mini-album “tamago,” released in May 2015.

While the piece itself had no tie-in, it later became a cherished track preserved in her live footage at the Nippon Budokan.

When you’re feeling insecure about life in an unfamiliar place or losing confidence, listening to it can give you the courage to look forward.

Cotton HandkerchiefŌta Hiromi

Hiromi Ohta “Cotton Handkerchief” Music Video (Animation by Ai Nina)

This is a classic Showa-era work that poignantly depicts the heartache of a long-distance relationship through a dialogue format.

It vividly portrays the disconnect between a man who moves to Tokyo and gradually becomes absorbed in the city’s glamorous life, and a woman back home who continues to wait with unwavering love.

The woman’s wish to value a pure, sincere heart over material wealth truly resonates with listeners.

Released as a single in December 1975, it was originally included on the album “The Day My Heart Caught a Cold.” Thanks to this major hit, Hiromi Ohta made her first appearance on NHK’s Kouhaku Uta Gassen in December 1976.

It’s a song that gently accompanies those starting a new life with uncertainty about a new environment, or when you find yourself thinking of someone dear who is far away.

The bright musical style crafted by Takashi Matsumoto and Kyohei Tsutsumi softly wraps the loneliness in warmth.

The Correct CityShiina Ringo

Tadashii Machi -Correct City-

A masterpiece where longing for one’s hometown intersects with the resolve to head somewhere new.

It opened singer-songwriter Sheena Ringo’s first album, “Muzai Moratorium,” released in 1999.

The lyrics, sprinkled with place names from Fukuoka, intricately weave together affection, discomfort, and emotions left behind.

The tidy band arrangement crafted by Seiji Kameda further amplifies the raw force of her words and melodies.

When your heart feels like it might break amid unfamiliar sights after moving to Tokyo, this song will gently nudge you forward.

Don’t just bask in nostalgia—give it a listen on a night when you want to reexamine your own choices.

TOKYOYUI

YUI 『TOKYO ～2012 in FUKUOKA～』

TOKYO, in which singer-songwriter YUI candidly writes about her own life-changing move to Tokyo, is her fifth single, released in January 2006.

It was also included on the album FROM ME TO YOU released in February of the same year, and despite having no tie-in, it has continued to be deeply loved as a signature song from her early period.

Set to a sound that layers the warmth of acoustic guitar with the driving force of pop rock, the lyrics straightforwardly sing of hope, anxiety, and loneliness.

Perhaps it’s so moving because it captures unvarnished, down-to-earth, shifting emotions—not just glittering success.

It’s a reassuring number that quietly stays by your side and gives you a gentle push, along with tears, at the moment you leave your hometown for studies, work, or any new first step.

far; distant; by farGReeeeN

GReeeeN – Haruka

Have you ever felt uneasy when taking your first step from your hometown into a new city? Released as a single in May 2009 and used as the theme song for the film “ROOKIES: Graduation,” this piece moved many to tears.

It was the first time GReeeeN set aside rap and created a purely ballad-style track.

Its straightforward lyrics convey gratitude to parents and the resolve to set out on a new journey, and the members’ own experiences of facing their parents give it an even deeper emotional impact.

It’s a song that gently gives you a push when you hit a wall after starting to live on your own, or when you suddenly want to hear your family’s voices.

Its warm, tear-jerking message is sure to give you courage.

Tokyokururi

Quruli – Tokyo

It’s a song that gently stays by your side when you suddenly feel lonely in an unfamiliar city.

The anxieties you carry amid the hustle and bustle of the metropolis, and the aching thoughts for someone dear who’s far away, resonate in your chest alongside its nostalgic sound.

Released in October 1998 as the major-label debut single by Quruli, a rock band from Kyoto, it was chosen as the ending theme for the NHK-FM program “Music Square.” Later included on the acclaimed album “Sayonara Stranger,” this track is a classic I’d recommend to anyone bewildered by a new chapter in life or working hard far from home.

Each listen washes over you with both melancholy and warmth.