[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 masterpieces and hometown-pride-filled songs from across Japan (51–60)
Ishioka, my hometownLyrics by Hanako Oshima and the citizens of Ishioka / Music by Hanako Oshima
This is a song created collaboratively by singer-songwriter Hanako Oshima and the citizens of Ishioka to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the city’s merger.
The lyrics are woven with more than 800 “words and feelings” contributed by residents, packing in the charms of Ishioka—from the scenery of Mount Tsukuba and the Koise River to the lively spirit of the “lion-dancing town.” Oshima’s warm vocals pair perfectly with the friendly call-and-response “Osshainā.” Just listening to it conveys the heartfelt love people have for their hometown.
It will surely resonate not only with the citizens of Ishioka, but also deeply with those living away from home.
For a wonderful tomorrowLyrics by Yasushi Akimoto / Music by Tsugutoshi Gotō
This is a local song created to celebrate the birth of Hitachinaka City and to entrust it with hopes for the future.
The lyrics were written by Yasushi Akimoto and the music composed by Tsugutoshi Goto—both hitmakers in the J-pop world—with vocals by the illustrious Minako Honda.
The hopeful lyrics, blessing the start of a new city, resonate deeply.
You can almost picture citizens joining hands and moving toward the future—toward a “wonderful tomorrow.” Honda’s clear, soaring voice feels like a sun brightly illuminating what lies ahead.
The song colors the dance parade of the Hitachinaka Festival and serves as the melody for the city’s time signal, becoming deeply embedded in residents’ daily lives.
It will surely continue to be sung as an important piece that fosters love and pride for the city.
Seal of TearsSelf-styled Tourism Association
This is a local song from Ibaraki Prefecture by the duo “Katteni Kanko Kyokai,” formed by Jun Miura and Hajime Anzai.
The song’s charm lies in its unique idea of comparing the protagonist’s bittersweet feelings of love to Mito Komon’s ‘inrō’ (the seal case).
The poignant sentiment of “needing lies in order to love” is strikingly condensed into the phrase “tears as an inrō.” The lyrics are packed with Ibaraki specialties—like the “greasy sweat of Mount Tsukuba’s toad” and the “strings of Mito natto”—which comically portray the protagonist’s complex state of mind.
It’s a song overflowing with love for Ibaraki, where melancholy and humor blend to perfection.
Ah, Mito RōshiSaburō Kitajima
This is a celebrated song that sings of Mito’s history, delivered with the soul-stirring voice of Saburo Kitajima, a giant of the enka world.
The piece takes the late-Edo “Tengu Party Rebellion” as its theme, depicting the grim resolve and pride of the Mito loyalists who rose out of concern for their country.
Kitajima’s powerful yet heartrending vocals feel as if the spirits of those warriors have possessed him.
Listening to his voice, you can vividly picture their arduous journey toward snowy Tsuruga and the fiery convictions they held close to their hearts.
Created to commemorate the sister-city partnership with Tsuruga City in Fukui Prefecture, this song profoundly conveys the spirit of righteousness that lives on in Ibaraki’s history.
It is a weighty work that will captivate anyone who loves historical narratives and refuse to let go.
[Local Songs] Must-listen masterpieces and hometown-love-filled recommendations from across Japan (61–70)
When you're tired, Ehime.Wagyu (Japanese beef)
This is a duet loved by many as Ehime Prefecture’s PR song, performed by the comedy duo Wagyu—Shinji Mizuta and Kenshiro Kawanishi—who are from Iyo City.
The unforgettable phrase “When you’re tired, come to Ehime” gently invites you to find comfort whenever you need it.
Their pleasant harmony, reminiscent of their exquisite manzai banter, blends beautifully with the images of Ehime’s scenery in the lyrics, such as Dogo Onsen and Matsuyama Castle.
Just by listening, you can picture the calm Seto Inland Sea and the warm smiles of its people.
It’s a heartwarming song that tenderly embraces a weary, city-worn heart like a hometown.
GAIYA ON THE ROADRyudo Uzaki
This song by Ryudo Uzaki is a powerful track that resounds through the Uwajima Ushioni Festival in Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture.
Its blood-stirring sound—like a fusion of rock and festival music—matches perfectly with the fervor of the “Gaiya Carnival.” It’s also noteworthy that it features the Uwajima dialect, with phrases like “dogai mo kogai mo.” The vigorous calls shake the listener’s soul, giving a visceral sense of being at the very heart of the festival’s whirlwind.
It’s sure to grab the hearts not only of people from Uwajima, but of anyone who wants to feel the fiery spirit of Ehime.
From my daughter who married and moved to EhimeJunpei Oda
Sung by Junpei Oda, an artist with the soul of folk and enka, this is a heartwarming message song from a daughter who married into Ehime to her parents.
The “Iyo-bushi” and “Kira Kira Ferry” that appear in the lyrics are like picture postcards capturing the gentle scenery of the Seto Inland Sea.
Beneath the unadorned words, you can feel the daughter’s deep love and her wish to put her parents at ease.
Oda’s warm yet wistful voice—seasoned by a life that understands its subtleties—overlaps with the heroine’s earnest heart, gently stirring the listener’s sense of nostalgia.
It’s a song that softly embraces those who long for their hometown.