Lovely nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs

Songs related to Mie Prefecture. Beloved local tunes of Mie that continue to be cherished.

DancerFukkun:)Tatsuki Fukuda
Primarily active in Tokyo, I have experience as a backup dancer for artists, a music video dancer, and a commercial dancer. I continue to work as a dancer while also engaging in article production. After discovering Michael Jackson in junior high school, I began dancing in my second year of high school. Since starting dance, in addition to the J-Pop and Japanese rock I had been listening to, I began exploring Western R&B, rap, alternative music, and other tracks commonly used for dance. In elementary school, I spent three years in a choir, and because I love singing, I often go to karaoke for fun. These days, I enjoy a wide range of music, from Japanese rock and rap to K-pop.

Mie Prefecture is a place where the tradition of pouring feelings for one’s hometown and its landscapes into song still remains strong.

From the historic Ise Grand Shrine and the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes, to Ago Bay famed for its pearls, and the majestic Suzuka Mountains, Mie’s songs have been nurtured by its rich nature and culture.

From nostalgic children’s songs and moving folk tunes to contemporary local anthems, we bring you music that carries a variety of sentiments.

Are there any songs you know that are connected to Mie Prefecture? Songs rooted in a place are filled with a charm that makes you want to hum along.

Songs related to Mie Prefecture: Beloved local tunes from Mie (21–30)

Rice cooked in a clay pot4-sails

Yokkaichi City local idol 4-sails “Rice in a Donabe (Clay Pot)”

Rice in a Donabe 4-sails

“Donabe de Gohan,” sung by Yokkaichi’s local idol group, is a song that helps promote Yokkaichi’s local industry, Banko-yaki.

By the way, it’s pronounced “banko-yaki,” so please don’t get it wrong.

The four-member group is a bit amateurish, but that’s part of their charm.

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Kameyama Miso Yaki Udon SongMikiko

Mikiko. “Miso-Yaki Udon Song” at Ishigakiya

Kameyama Miso Yaki Udon Song Mikiko

The song is indescribably simple, but maybe because it’s easy to remember and has a good groove, it’s the kind of song that naturally gets your body moving when you listen to it.

The B-grade gourmet Kameyama yaki-udon is promoted as both sweet-and-spicy and a bit spicy, and says it uses Kameyama’s secret miso—the advertising is solid.

It’s a song that makes me want to try it at least once.

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Songs related to Mie Prefecture: Beloved local tunes of Mie (31–40)

Mahoroba of IseRuriko Ichijo

Mahoroba of Ise — Lyrics, Composition, and Vocals by Ruriko Ichijo

Ruriko Ichijo of Ise, the Mahoroba

Mahoroba means a wonderful place or a comfortable place to live.

Ruriko Ichijō wanted to create a song that people from children to the elderly could sing in the year of the Ise Grand Shrine’s Shikinen Sengu, so she wrote both the lyrics and the music.

Its gentle pace and the jingling sounds evoke the feeling of making a pilgrimage to Ise.

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Go-chan OndoTakemi Sato

Go-chan Ondo

Go-chan Ondo Satoh Takemi

This is also “Gō-chan,” an official character of Tsu City.

The name comes from the fact that Oeyo (Lady Go) and the three Azai sisters lived in Tsu City.

She’s a bona fide princess, but the image is that of an energetic girl.

Her title is Tsu City’s “Tourism Hospitality Director.” At the Tsu Festival, they hope to liven things up with the Gō-chan Ondo, which has a light, dance-music feel.

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Futami YearningElena Shiro

Futami Yearning (with vocals)

Futami Longing Castle Elena

This is an original song by Elena Shiro, who lives in Futami-ga-ura.

As expected, the Meoto Iwa (Wedded Rocks) really stand out.

The row of charming houses lining the coastline around them is a popular sightseeing spot, but as for Otonashiyama, I didn’t realize it was also a tourist destination.

This song turns each of these into a memory, and it’s one you can sit with and listen to carefully.

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Dream ChronicleTeiji Yamazaki

Dream Chronicle

Yume Tsuzuri Teiji Yamazaki

It’s the perfect local song to sing at a snack bar with karaoke.

The lyrics have a bit of wordplay, but they do a solid job promoting Mie Prefecture.

There are many sightseeing spots, but the place that appears as “Daimon Sakaba” is said to be Ueno Ginza, the most prosperous entertainment district in Mie Prefecture—located in what used to be Ueno City and is now Iga City.

There are plenty of areas across Japan where shopping streets are named ‘Ginza,’ but in the song it’s called Yume-dori (Dream Street).

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Ise OndoKyoko Saito

Ise Ondo: Kyoko Saito (Mitama Matsuri at Yasukuni Shrine, 2013)

Ise Ondo Saito Kyoko

The Ise Ondo is a folk song that spread through Ise Province during the Edo period, and it falls into two types: one used by courtesans to sing and dance in the pleasure quarters, and the other featuring the lyrics that begin “Ise wa Tsu de motsu, Tsu wa ….” There are many songs related to Ise, but this Ise Ondo is perhaps the most famous.

It’s even said that the “Ise Ondo” is an Ise souvenir that doesn’t become a burden to carry.

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