Folk songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke: classic and popular tunes everyone can enjoy
A showcase of Japanese folk songs, all in one go!
We’ve picked out folk songs you might want to try singing at karaoke!
From timeless classics to slightly lesser-known gems, we’ve curated a wide range.
These days, folk songs no longer sit at the forefront of the scene.
They’re part of Japan’s traditional music, but they don’t usually get a great reaction from the general public.
To share what makes these folk songs so wonderful, we’ve selected some of Japan’s most popular folk numbers this time.
Even if you’re not familiar with enka or folk music, you’ll enjoy this!
Be sure to read through to the end!
- Ranking of Popular Folk Songs
- [Japanese Folk and Regional Songs] A Collection of Beloved Masterpieces from Across Japan, Brimming with Local Pride
- A folk song singer. The enduring heart of their hometown
- [Showa Era] A roundup of nostalgic folk song classics and popular tracks you’ll want to sing at karaoke
- Collection of winter nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs. Includes fun winter hand-play songs too.
- Folk Songs of the World | Hometown Songs Passed Down Abroad
- [February Songs] Introducing children's songs, folk songs, nursery rhymes, and hand-play songs about Setsubun and winter!
- Children’s Song Medley: A playlist of classic and popular hits everyone knows
- Nursery rhymes you’ll want to sing at karaoke: classic and popular songs everyone can enjoy together.
- Folk dance classics and popular songs
- Nostalgic Children’s Songs, Folk Songs, and Nursery Rhymes: The Heart of Japan Passed Down Through Song
- [Traditional Performing Arts of Okinawa] A special feature on classic Eisa songs that make you want to dance
- [Folk and Children's Songs of Hokkaido] Songs of Hokkaido that continue to be loved across generations
Folk songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke: classic and popular tunes everyone can enjoy (21–30)
Hokkai Bon UtaMichiya Mihashi
It was originally sung as a Bon Odori song by coal miners, but the lyrics were sexy at the time.
In today’s terms, it had somewhat erotic elements, so later the lyrics and melody were revised.
After the great singer Michiya Mihashi performed it and it became a big hit, it spread nationwide as a Bon Odori song.
It’s a lively, up-tempo Bon Odori tune.
Sado OkesaBunzō Murata
There are various interpretations of what the term “Okesa” means, and no single definition has been settled on.
However, its plaintive melody and the graceful dance performed with bird-chasing hats have become known throughout the country, and it is now one of Japan’s representative folk songs.
The dance isn’t particularly difficult, so it can be enjoyable to try dancing along while singing the song.
Kiso-bushiFujimoto Fumiyoshi
It is said to be a song sung by a middle crewman aboard a boat carrying timber down the Kiso River.
It’s a bit curious why it’s the middle crewman and not the bowman, but that doesn’t really matter.
Since the melody is familiar to everyone, try singing it while picturing the scenes of the Kiso region described in the song.
Donpan-bushiSayuri Ishikawa
This folk song is one of the best-known representative pieces of Akita folk music nationwide, and it is also popular as a song in which the singer can improvise the lyrics.
In addition, this song is almost always heard at Bon Odori venues as a Bon dance song.
It might be nice to try singing it as if you were dancing the Bon Odori.
Kushimoto-bushiOtomaru
This is a parlor song that has been sung in Kushimoto, a port town in Wakayama Prefecture at the southernmost tip of Honshu.
Oshima, located off the coast of Kushimoto, is now connected to Honshu by a bridge, but in the past people traveled back and forth by boat.
As a parlor song, it is accompanied by shamisen, and its tone is similar to that of a kouta (a short song).
Yasugi-bushiSachiko Kuroda
The Yasugibushi is a folk song that has been sung and danced in the Yasugi area of Izumo Province.
As its other name, ‘Dojo Sukui’ (loach scooping), suggests, it traditionally comes with the Dojo Sukui dance.
While the singing has the character of a typical folk song, the dance is coquettish, bringing a spontaneous smile to viewers’ faces and soothing the heart.
One way to enjoy this song is to watch the screen and follow along with the dance.
Chakkiri-bushiThe Peanuts
Chakkiri-bushi is not a traditional folk song that has been passed down in that region since old times; it is a “new folk song” with lyrics by Hakushu Kitahara and composition by Yoshiaki Machida, yet it is treated as a folk song in Shizuoka Prefecture.
This song, which comically sings about Shizuoka’s sights and customs in several dozen verses, has also become known throughout Japan.