[Local Songs] Recommended tracks packed with Japan’s nationwide classics and hometown pride
Across Japan, there are many “local songs” created around themes like regional climate and traditions, long-standing customs, hometown pride, and specialty foods.
However, few people are likely familiar with songs from places far from their own living area or hometown.
Some might even have spent years in a region without knowing its local songs at all.
In this article, we’ll introduce some highly impactful, must-hear local songs from across Japan that we hope many of you will get to know.
If it’s a place you’ve visited, try listening while picturing the local scenery.
If it’s somewhere you’ve never been, let the song help you imagine the land and the lives of the people who live there.
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[Local Songs] Must-Listen Tracks Filled with Local Pride from Across Japan (81–90)
Izu ShowerYuji Kitagawa
A wistful song beautifully rendered with deep emotion by veteran enka singer Yuji Kitagawa.
Released in 2018, this piece is a lyrical enka number where the rain-veiled scenery of Izu intersects with a helpless yearning for love.
As the gentle intro begins, it feels as if a cold autumn drizzle, a shigure, is pouring into your heart.
Perhaps it is a journey retracing memories of a love that has passed.
Kitagawa’s rich, warm voice blends exquisitely with the imagery of the Amagi mountains and the lonely coastline, tightening the listener’s chest.
Many will likely see themselves in the protagonist who, burdened by heartbreak, wanders alone through Izu.
Rainy Nara RoadKazuo Chiba & Kazuko Ono
This is a duet released in 2006 by Kazuo Chiba and Kazuko Ono.
It’s also known as a recommended song by the Nara Tourism Association.
Set against Nara’s famous sites—such as the solemn ceremonies at Todai-ji Temple and the ancient ruins of Asuka Village—the song portrays the secret feelings of love between a man and a woman caught in the rain.
The shakuhachi and shamisen in the intro instantly transport listeners to a tranquil night in the ancient capital.
Kazuo Chiba’s warm vocals intertwine exquisitely with Kazuko Ono’s deeply expressive delivery, weaving a poignant story with dramatic flair.
Listening to this track may leave you feeling as if you’re walking together along Nara’s rain-soaked paths, wrapped in a gentle, wistful mood.
Lingering Attachment to the Yamato RoadGoro Minami
An enka ballad of tragic love set in the ancient capital of Nara, sung by Goro Minami with rich emotion.
Shamisen and koto tones resonate over a gently subdued melody, conjuring Nara’s ink-wash landscapes before your eyes.
Though the singer devoted himself to his beloved, the love came to an end.
Unable to forget that person, the protagonist wanders alone through places of memories, and Goro Minami’s restrained yet wistful voice conveys his aching helplessness.
Real locations—such as Mount Mikasa—appear in the song, mirroring the protagonist’s loneliness and adding profound depth to the story.
As he thinks of the one he cannot forget and walks the old road in the rain, some listeners may find their own experiences reflected in his figure.
Heavenly LeafAyaka Yoshioka
AiKA Yoshioka, a native of Kakegawa City, created “Amahā” as a heartfelt tribute to her hometown.
It’s a folk-style song filled with a warmly enveloping feel, as if you were standing in springtime tea fields.
Serving also as the image song for the Kakegawa tea brand “Amahā,” its simple, gentle sound is captivating, conjuring scenes of mild sunshine and blooming flowers before your eyes.
Yoshioka’s pure, unadorned vocals layer with the chorus of many fans to weave a soundscape like sun-dappled light filtering through leaves.
Just listening loosens the heart and brings a calm moment.
You can sense the rich blessings of Shizuoka’s nature melting into the melody.
Travel Longing ~At Ikaruga~Akira Fuse
A nostalgic number in which Akira Fuse’s deep, rich voice soaks into the heart.
Released in 1977, this song pairs lyricist Takashi Matsumoto’s words—overlaying the lingering traces of a bygone love onto the autumn scenery of the ancient capital, Ikaruga—with the singer’s emotive delivery.
Mountain ranges dyed by the setting sun and a sea of pampas grass swaying in the wind—such vivid, beautiful imagery meets Fuse’s expressive vocals to create a world like a single landscape painting.
Listening to this song while traveling through the old capital might make even the most ordinary scenery feel special.
It’s a classic with the power to render your travel memories even more vibrant.
Lament of the Hot Spring TownAraki Ichiro
This song, performed by Ichiro Araki—who showcases his multifaceted talents as a singer and actor—is set in Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
It depicts a heartbroken journey, with the protagonist visiting the hot-spring town filled with memories, unable to forget a former lover.
Araki’s sweet yet wistful vocals evoke flickering memories and a tender melancholy, like visions shimmering beyond the steam.
The sorrowful melody—where enka and kayōkyoku blend—overlaps with the protagonist’s helpless state of mind, tightening the chest.
It’s a masterpiece that conjures the emotionally rich nightscape of Atami, where the loneliness of traveling alone sinks deep into the heart.
[Local Songs] Must-Listen Tracks Filled with Hometown Pride from Across Japan (91–100)
Song of the Old Lady of GotenbaFusako Fujimoto
With lyrics by Shizuka Ijuin under the pen name Ayumu Date and music by Akihiro Komori, this song became widely beloved by Shizuoka Prefecture residents as a campaign song for Television Shizuoka.
Set to Fusako Fujimoto’s bright, buoyant vocals, the uniquely structured lyrics string together place names from across Shizuoka, leaving a strong impression.
It feels as if you’re traveling throughout the prefecture along with the song.
Since it even mentions municipalities and districts that no longer exist, many listeners may find their memories of that time vividly revived.
Fujimoto’s charming high tones paint a picture of the good old Shizuoka, making this a treasure-like local song.