[Songs of Kanagawa] A showcase of classic masterpieces that sing of port-town scenes and the feelings of its people!
Yokohama, Yokosuka, Shonan, Hakone—Kanagawa is dotted with breathtaking landscapes where mountains and sea intertwine, along with countless sightseeing spots.
Many renowned artists have created classic songs that capture its scenery, culture, and the lives of its people.
In this article, we’re highlighting Japanese songs connected to Kanagawa! From local tunes beloved by residents to blockbuster hits adored across generations, we’ll introduce a wide range.
Enjoy these exquisite masterpieces filled with all kinds of feelings for Kanagawa.
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[Songs of Kanagawa] A roundup of classic hits that capture the port town’s scenery and people’s emotions (1–10)
Yokohama SilhouetteYoko Nagayama
This is a classic kayōkyoku song that layers a sense of helpless longing for love onto the twilight scene of the port city of Yokohama.
Released in June 1996 as a single by Yoko Nagayama, it was produced as the third installment in her kayōkyoku-oriented direction following “Suterarete.” Drawing on the solid vocal prowess she honed in enka, the song gently portrays a woman bearing the loneliness of the city night and a heart swelling with yearning.
In this work, she sets aside her powerful kobushi ornamentation and, over a refined, pop-tinged melody, brilliantly expresses the protagonist’s delicate emotional fluctuations.
It’s a track you’ll want to listen to when gazing at the harbor nightscape, lost in solitary reflection.
Yokohama Rainy BluePedro & Capricious
A mellow city pop track that vividly conjures rainy Yokohama.
Released as a single in November 1984, its soulful vocals resonate wistfully over a light, Latin-tinged sound.
The lyrics portray a protagonist who, on the verge of a love nurtured in this city coming to an end, tries to stay composed while sinking into sentimentality.
It’s a timeless classic, still cherished across generations—such as with Hideaki Tokunaga’s acoustic cover in July 2019.
Why not make it your companion on a sentimental night, letting the patter of rain be your BGM as you gently immerse yourself in memories of a love that has passed?
Make love to me in SakuragichoRika Nakai and Los Indios
A Showa-style mood kayō that blends a wistful sound with humorous lyrics to moving effect.
Set in Yokohama’s Sakuragichō, the song comically portrays a romance between a man and a woman born from a dialect-based mishearing.
Included on NGT48’s single “Where Does the Blue Sky End?” and released in December 2017, it’s also noted that the music video was filmed at a long-established dance hall in Yokohama’s Motomachi.
You may find yourself irresistibly drawn into its uniquely charming love story.
[Songs of Kanagawa] A showcase of classic masterpieces capturing port town scenes and human emotions (11–20)
Yokohama Henryrice porridge
This is a kayōkyoku song whose melancholy melody, evocative of a port town’s nightscape, strikes a chord in the heart.
It is the memorable major-label debut of Okayu, the Heisei-era female wandering guitarist, released in May 2019.
Her experience traveling and performing across all 47 prefectures lends profound emotion to her vocals, and the track was selected as a recommended song by HBC Radio.
The lyrics portray a faint, bittersweet love story set in Yokohama, in places like Isezakichō and Honmoku.
With a gentle, lullaby-like tune, it’s a piece that stirs deep nostalgia in listeners.
YOKOHAMA SING A SONGAya Matsuura
With stylish jazz tones and a slightly grown-up singing voice, this pop number lifts the listener’s spirits.
Included on the single “Sougen no Hito,” released in December 2002, the piece was created as a song featured in the musical “Sougen no Hito,” starring Aya Matsuura.
In the show, it was presented in three different arrangements—such as the opening and a jazz version—leaving behind stories of how it vividly expressed the work’s world.
Why not listen to this song while imagining the night view of Yokohama and soak in a romantic mood?
Harbor Town No. 13Hibari Misora
The hometown of Hibari Misora, known as the “Queen of the Kayō World,” is Yokohama City in Kanagawa Prefecture.
This song sings about Yokohama City and the neighboring Kawasaki City.
It topped Columbia’s annual chart.
A monument inscribed with the song’s lyrics stands at Minatomachi Station.
yokohamaB’z
It’s a song included on B’z’s 45th single, “BURN -Fumetsu no Face-,” and as the title suggests, it’s about Yokohama.
Before the official release, it was apparently aired in advance on FM Yokohama.
Incidentally, B’z’s vocalist, Koshi Inaba, is a graduate of Yokohama National University.