[Showa Era] A roundup of nostalgic folk song classics and popular tracks you’ll want to sing at karaoke
What kind of image do you have of the music genre known as “folk songs”? Perhaps many of you picture Showa-era singers with an acoustic guitar in hand, singing lyrics like private diaries of everyday life—and at times delivering political messages.
In Japan, folk songs became a booming trend from the 1960s to the 1970s, and countless classic tracks that made music history were born as the style evolved.
In this article, we’ve curated a wide selection of nostalgic Japanese folk song classics that you’ll definitely want to try singing at karaoke.
Whether you experienced them in real time or you’re a younger listener who loves Showa-era music, be sure to check them out!
- A classic Japanese folk song passed down through generations of acoustic performances
- Folk songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke: classic and popular tunes everyone can enjoy
- Folk dance classics and popular songs
- Nursery rhymes you’ll want to sing at karaoke: classic and popular songs everyone can enjoy together.
[Showa Era] A roundup of nostalgic folk song classics and popular tracks you’ll want to sing at karaoke (61–70)
My good friendHiroshi Kamayatsu
The song on the 1975 release screen feels a bit slow-tempo, but isn’t it the kind of track that would hype up a karaoke session? It has the vibe of Haruo Minami’s “Chanchiki Okesa,” and by the end the accompaniment takes on a party-like feel, making it a song everyone can sing together.
Above all, since it’s a song for friends who are nostalgic about their youth, it’s definitely one you’ll want to sing at an after-party karaoke session for a class reunion.
Our JourneyKei Ogura
Ogura, the lyricist and composer, actually graduated from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Law and is a former elite banker.
He said that writing songs was like keeping a diary, and even though the bank prohibited side jobs at the time, he convinced his boss to let him continue composing.
He is the writer of a Japan Record Award-winning song and even served as a branch manager at the bank.
This song is the theme for “Oretachi no Tabi,” starring Masatoshi Nakamura, and Nakamura also sings it.
Since the lyrics and other details differ slightly, feel free to choose between the Masatoshi version and the Ogura version according to your preference.
White SwingBilly BanBan
It was released on January 15, 1969.
It is the debut single by the brother duo Billy BanBan.
The song became a hit, selling over 200,000 copies, and Billy BanBan quickly rose to popularity as a folk duo.
With its gentle melody and the intertwining harmonies of the two voices, the piece evokes a beautiful scene with a white swing.
Your MorningSatoshi Kishida
He also appeared as an actor in the 1979 drama “Ai to Kassai to,” and the insert song he sang for the show became a big hit.
I’ve heard that in the drama the song was titled “Morning,” but it was released on record as “Kimi no Asa.” The refrain at the end, repeating “Morning, morning,” is very catchy.
He changed his stage name from Satoshi Kishida to Toshiyuki Kishida, and his voice quality is truly beautiful.
If you’re proud of your singing voice, why not give it a try?
A rose has bloomed.Mike Maki
It was released on April 5, 1966.
This song sparked and fueled Japan’s folk song boom.
The lyrics, which liken a rose to feelings of love, are beautiful.
It was also broadcast on NHK’s “Minna no Uta.” For karaoke, it’s best sung in a relaxed, conversational style.
In conclusion
Even when we say “folk songs” in a single breath, if you listen to the classics introduced this time, you’ll hear everything from pop-leaning numbers to simple, stripped-down solo performances—the styles are truly diverse.
The timeless songs that colored their eras never lose their luster, and the spirit of folk music is being carried on by musicians active in today’s Reiwa era.
If you’ve been avoiding it, thinking it feels kind of old-fashioned, I hope you’ll try singing any tracks you liked from this article!