[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] A roundup of nostalgic folk song classics and popular tracks you’ll want to sing at karaoke (21–30)
Graduation PhotoHi-Fi set
It was released on February 5, 1975, at the same time as the album Hi-Fi Set.
It is Hi-Fi Set’s debut song.
The piece is sung with a gentle sense of sadness and nostalgia for someone loved during student days.
It has become a classic graduation song.
Azusa No. 2hunter
This is a signature song by a male duo from the Showa era.
I love folk songs from this period! In “Azusa No.
2,” the A and B sections are relatively quiet, but once the chorus hits and the harmonies come in, it suddenly soars! It’s incredibly cool and feels so good to sing! The harmony is basically a third below, but since the main melody’s chorus sits around G4 and has that belting quality, the harmony should come in firmly so it doesn’t get overshadowed.
When entering the chorus, listen carefully to the backing track and breathe together so you both come in at the same time! The unison at the end of the chorus after all that harmonizing is wonderful, too.
It might be a somewhat wistful song, but when the harmonies lock in, it’ll give you goosebumps—so definitely find a partner and give it a try!
I saw a grasshopper in Katsushika.Kenichi Nagira
Released on August 10, 1974.
It’s more like Kenichi Nagira’s spoken narration than a song.
Interweaving scenes of Katsushika, he quietly talks about his circumstances and feelings at the time; the singing style makes you chuckle, yet it’s a nostalgic tune.
Goodbye for today.Ryoko Moriyama
It was released on August 25, 1966.
This is a signature song by Ryoko Moriyama that has become a karaoke staple.
With lyrics expressing the friendship of young people, it’s a song that appeals to all generations.
It has been widely loved, having been broadcast on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” and included in music textbooks.
Into the DreamYosui Inoue
Though Yosui Inoue has many classic songs, if you’re singing folk songs together at karaoke, Yume no Naka e is perfect.
Later, in 1989, Yuki Saito also covered it, and even quite recently the song has been used in commercials, so even if people don’t know the lyrics, I think younger listeners are at least somewhat familiar with the melody.
I'm falling in love with you againBilly BanBan
The duo who produced hits with beautiful harmonies during the heyday of folk—such as “Shiroi Buranko” and “Sayonara Suru Tame ni,” released in 2007—continued to deliver beloved songs even into the 2000s, when Showa-era folk music still found a receptive audience.
When sung by Billy BanBan, it’s folk, but there’s also a version covered by Fuyumi Sakamoto for a commercial.
That rendition leans more toward J-pop than enka.
With this song, Fuyumi Sakamoto made it into the Top Ten.
Sake, Tears, Men, and WomenEigo Kawashima
It was released on June 25, 1976.
This is one of Eigo Kawashima’s signature songs.
Sung with poignant emotion by Kawashima, the lyrics portray the hardships men and women face in life and the differing attitudes they have toward crying, making it a simple yet profoundly deep piece.
It’s a recommended song for men to sing at karaoke.