[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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- A famous song about Fukuoka. The heart of the hometown passed down through song.
- A classic song that celebrates Niigata. The enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
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- A classic song about Nagano. The enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
- A classic song that sings of Nagasaki: the enduring heart of our hometown
- Songs related to Mie Prefecture. Beloved local tunes of Mie that continue to be cherished.
[Local Songs] Recommended Tracks Filled with Masterpieces and Hometown Pride from Across Japan (41–50)
Muro-ji TempleMieko Makimura
Mieko Makimura’s song “Murō-ji” is a piece set at a secluded temple in the ancient capital of Nara, powerfully voicing the anguish of a love with no way out.
Murō-ji, long known as the “Women’s Kōya” for welcoming women’s prayers since olden times.
Exhausted by a hopeless love, the woman seeks salvation and clings to the Buddha—her heartrending emotions are deeply conveyed through Makimura’s poignantly wistful vocals.
The song evokes the temple’s serene scenery—vermilion bridges and a five-story pagoda spring to mind.
Many listeners may find their hearts tighten at the sight of the protagonist burdened with feelings that have nowhere to go.
It is a compelling masterpiece where the solemn aura of an age-old temple blends with inescapable human passion.
Shimanto Youth StoryRaymond Matsuya
This is a song by singer-songwriter Raymond Matsuya, known as the “Bard of Love.” Set against the majestic Shimanto River, the pride of Kochi, it portrays a mature coming-of-age love story that looks back on a romance from days gone by.
Blending the emotion of enka with the approachable warmth of folk, this kayō-folk piece features gentle acoustic tones that resonate deeply.
The scene of layering faint memories of first love over the shimmering flow of the river is both sweet and achingly bittersweet.
Now that we’re adults, the youthful days that shine alongside the scenery of our hometown feel all the more precious.
Many listeners may find that, when they hear this song, their own “youth story,” carefully tucked away in their hearts, suddenly springs back to life.
Secret FireflyMiyuki Nagai
Miyuki Nagai’s “Hibotaru” is set in early-summer Nara, overlaying a fleeting love with fireflies dancing in the dark.
The song moves from a flower-scented daytime scene to a night where fireflies take flight, drawing you into a world that feels like reading a short novel.
A Western-style arrangement that goes beyond traditional enka and the aching timbre of the erhu intertwine exquisitely, evoking the smoldering passion of a secret love.
Nagai’s breathy vocals vividly depict the protagonist burdened with growing feelings, tightening the listener’s heart.
Night in AtamiShinichiro Hakozaki
This was Shinichiro Hakozaki’s debut single and a song that can be called a milestone of mood kayō.
As the sweet tone of the saxophone intro flows in, the night view of Atami—its steam and neon lights shimmering mysteriously—unfolds before your eyes.
A fleeting love encountered on a journey, only once and never again.
He sings those aching memories with rich emotion.
Hakozaki’s sweet, heartrending falsetto—often described as almost feminine—soaks into the chest and grips the listener’s heart.
The song caught fire through snack bars and cable broadcasts and came to be loved by many.
Perhaps no other piece captures the unique melancholy and romance of a Showa-era hot-spring town so perfectly.
Rain in IzuHiroshi Kadokawa
Hiroshi Kadokawa’s deep, nostalgic voice melds with the scenery of Izu in this classic rich with the feel of travel.
Released in 1984, the song is an “enka-pop” blend that fuses the emotion of enka with the lightness of pop.
Its gentle melody evokes the atmosphere of a hot spring town glistening in the rain.
The lyrics overlay unwavering devotion to a loved one with the image of unrelenting rain.
You can feel the protagonist’s single-minded yearning, as if searching beyond the steam for the beloved’s lingering silhouette.
The quiet sound of the rain seems almost like subdued sobbing, stirring a poignant ache in the listener’s heart.
Song of Oarai TownBxAxG
This is the official image song of Oarai Town, created by the locally rooted mixture rock band BxAxG.
The vocalist, NAOI, lives in Oarai as a fisherman, and that authentic perspective is a major appeal of the track.
The line “born, raised, and felt in the town of Oarai” conveys a deep affection and pride that goes beyond simple scenic description.
The lyrics, which vividly evoke the warmth and kindness of the townspeople, are truly the everyday life of Oarai.
Carried by an energetic sound, the straightforward feelings it delivers warmly embrace listeners’ hearts—making it a quintessential local anthem overflowing with love for the town.
Our backs and the sunLUNKHEAD
A rock band from Niihama City in Ehime Prefecture, LUNKHEAD offers a classic song filled with bittersweet feelings for their hometown: “Our Backs and the Sun.” Based on the real experiences of vocalist Yotarou Odaka, who wrote both the lyrics and music, the song even mentions a specific place, the “Niihama Civic Cultural Center.” It evokes a shimmering page of youth: nights spent on a deserted rooftop talking about the future with friends, the sun they watched while holding both anxiety and hope for what lies ahead.
Carried by nostalgic guitar tones, the straightforward message—“Let’s dream once more”—gently nudges those who have left home and are doing their best.
It’s a warm anthem that reminds listeners of love and gratitude for their hometown.