[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 collection of nostalgic folk song masterpieces and popular karaoke picks (31–40)
The Drunkard Has ReturnedThe Folk Crusaders
With a high-pitched voice and humor-laden musical expression, a fantastical story unfolds that shuttles between heaven and earth.
While satirically conveying the dangers of drunk driving, its innovative musicality—woven with nods to the Beatles, the Heart Sutra, and even Beethoven—is captivating.
Released by The Folk Crusaders in December 1967, the song became the first million-seller in Oricon chart history and was even adapted into a Toei film.
Far from sounding like a track born to fill out an album, this masterpiece combines experimental sound with social consciousness, making it a recommended tune for those who want to savor life’s subtleties along with a good laugh.
Aoba Castle Love SongMuneyuki Sato
Muneyuki Sato, who hosted a radio program in Sendai, had a segment where he invited listeners to submit lyrics and then set them to music.
“Aoba Castle Love Song” was written by a listener, Shoichi Hoshima, and came about when he took a demo tape to Tokyo.
Later, Yu Aku—who went on to create one hit after another—praised the beauty of the song’s lyrics.
In the Showa era, words were carefully expressed in lyrics, so even when taken as a heartbreak song, it paints a vivid picture.
It’s also used as the departure melody for the Shinkansen at Sendai Station.
One day, suddenlyToi et Moi
As soon as it was released in May 1969, Towa Tei Moi’s debut single became a major hit, reaching No.
4 on the Oricon chart.
This work portrays the love that blooms from a sudden encounter through delicate lyrics and melody.
Its lyrics, which depict quietly growing emotions, resonated with many people and have been cherished for years.
In 1993, it was remixed with a new arrangement and chosen as a TV drama’s opening theme.
It’s also a perfect song to sing at karaoke, letting you pour your feelings for someone special into your performance.
Why not sing your hidden feelings along with its gentle tune?
SACHIKOHirofumi Bamba
When you’re alive, if you start counting your misfortunes, there’s really no end to them.
I immediately felt a connection with the first lyrics.
Even if you dislike the name Sachiko, the idea that there’s someone—regardless of whether they’re a man or a woman—who will stay by your side through any hardship makes this a comforting song.
scarecrowMasashi Sada
It’s a song that Masashi Sada composed based on his experience living alone in Tokyo, paired with the scene he witnessed from a train window while traveling with his younger brother, where he saw a scarecrow in the fields.
In an era before LINE or email, it poignantly gives voice to the parents and siblings back home who worry and simply want any sign—anything at all—that their loved one is doing well.
It’s a classic that beautifully and tenderly conveys those feelings.
[Showa Era] A Collection of Beloved Nostalgic Folk Song Classics for Karaoke: Popular Picks (41–50)
Let me have that wonderful love once moreKazuhiko Kato, Osamu Kitayama
It was released on April 5, 1971.
It was presented as a collaboration between Kazuhiko Kato and Osamu Kitayama.
It has also become a classic wedding song.
The guitar accompaniment uses a three-finger picking style and is played briskly.
At karaoke, it’s fun and lively when everyone sings along.
puka-pukaKyozo Nishioka
Released in 1972, this song was written by Kyozo Nishioka, the master of the folk café “Dylan,” for the jazz singer Minami Yasuda.
“Puka Puka” became one of Nishioka’s signature songs.
Its jazzy, light-hearted groove is fun, and it’s a great song that really livens things up when everyone sings it together at karaoke.