![A classic song about Miyazaki: a heartfelt ode to one’s hometown [2025]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/TMiMU31w42g/maxresdefault.webp)
A classic song about Miyazaki: a heartfelt ode to one’s hometown [2025]
When you think of Miyazaki Prefecture, its catchphrase “Japan’s sunny spot” comes to mind.
It’s known as one of Japan’s warmest regions, rich in nature and home to many popular tourist destinations.
With an abundance of delicacies from both the sea and the mountains, many people make a trip to Miyazaki every year.
This time, we’re focusing on songs about Miyazaki—introducing plenty of tunes connected to the prefecture, including local anthems and theme songs for regional events.
We’ve also included nostalgic commercial jingles that locals are sure to remember, so be sure to check them out!
Masterpieces that sing of Miyazaki. Songs filled with love for one’s hometown [2025] (1–10)
Miyazaki BluesKenzo Tsukamoto
This is a song for which Kenzo Tsukamoto himself wrote the lyrics and composed the music, filled with his unending love for his hometown of Miyazaki.
It is said to be a song of resolve, marking his pledge to make a fresh start as a singer at the milestone of his sixtieth birthday.
The lyrics depict a forlorn man wandering through places of memories—such as the Oyodo River and Nichinan—in search of someone he parted with.
Some listeners may find themselves overlaying their own unfulfilled love onto his wistful, retreating figure.
The arrangement beautifully conveys the world of Showa-era mood kayō, woven together with the soul-stirring tones of the guitar.
Tsukamoto’s rugged, seasoned voice seems to deepen the portrayal of Miyazaki’s scenery and the protagonist’s emotions even further.
Cape HyugaKaori Mizumori
This is a song by Kaori Mizumori, the “Queen of Local Songs,” set in Hyuga City, Miyazaki Prefecture, where she serves as a tourism ambassador.
It portrays the feelings of a woman who visits Cape Hyuga alone, trying to overcome the sorrow of parting.
The lyrics are wonderful, seeming to symbolize hope for the future even amid heartache, and Mizumori’s emotionally rich vocals blend with the sound of the Hyuga-nada waves and the sea breeze, making you feel as if you’re right there.
It’s a piece that stirs a longing to travel to Miyazaki.
AdvanceMINAMI NiNE
MINAMI NiNE, a three-piece band from Miyazaki Prefecture, wrote this cheer song filled with love for their hometown.
It also serves as the theme song for the 58th Nobeoka West Japan Marathon, and its impression is defined by a driving sound that feels like runners sprinting toward the finish line.
From the powerful opening, you can sense a strong will to face adversity.
For those striving toward a goal or gearing up for a new challenge, this track may feel like a steadfast companion running right beside you.
It’s a song imbued with the spirit of Miyazaki that gives you the courage to take a step toward tomorrow.
The prefecture closest to heavenSelf-styled Tourism Association
From the title alone—“The Prefecture Closest to Heaven”—you can already picture Miyazaki’s warm, sunny scenery; it’s a song that feels like an unofficial tourism anthem.
The story that Jun Miura and Hajime Anzai recorded it impromptu at a ryokan also speaks to the song’s distinctive laid-back vibe and sense of wanderlust.
Over a sprightly guitalele backing, tourist spots like sun-baked beaches, Aoshima, and giant Moai statues appear one after another, making you feel as if you’re traveling with a tropical breeze at your back.
It’s the kind of track that, if you listen to it before a trip to Miyazaki, will only heighten your anticipation.
Kari-bushi (Karihagi Kiri Uta)folk song
This song originates from a work chant passed down in the Takachiho region of Miyazaki Prefecture.
It was sung during breaks while cutting pampas grass in the autumn mountains, and from the very first lines—evoking farm work and sweat at dusk—you can almost picture how people lived back then.
The relaxed melodic turns mirror the very rhythm of swinging a sickle.
Woven into its wistful melody are gentle calls to horses and thoughts of love, and you may find your heart stirred by the everyday joys and human warmth that surely existed even amid harsh labor.
Miyazaki BluesMiyako Otsuki
This is a local song set in Miyazaki, released in 1973 by Miyako Otsuki, who hails from Osaka and debuted in her teens.
The lyrics convey an inexhaustible longing for her hometown of Miyazaki, along with the loneliness felt on the road and a helpless yearning for love.
Otsuki’s emotionally rich, storytelling voice deeply resonates with listeners.
If you lend an ear to this song, you can almost picture a slightly melancholic Miyazaki nightscape—so different from the sunny, tropical face it’s known for.
It’s a piece that stirs the spirit of travel, don’t you think?
Takachiho GorgeYuko Oka
This is a lyrical enka song by Yuko Oka—also known as the “Singing Map of Japan”—set against Miyazaki Prefecture’s famed scenic spot, Takachiho Gorge.
You can almost picture the view of Manai Falls from a boat and the myth-steeped landscape of the gorge.
Though the lyrics tell of parting from a loved one, Oka’s gentle, tender vocals interweave with the grand depictions of nature, as if to softly cradle a wounded heart.
In fact, this piece is said to be a landmark song in which Oka completed her series of local songs for all 47 prefectures.
Perhaps that’s why it carries an especially deep affection for Miyazaki’s beautiful scenery.