Moody Japanese classics: recommended popular songs
I’ve put together a playlist of moody Japanese songs—popular hits, timeless classics, and hidden gems—perfect for twilight or nighttime, when you want to savor some grown-up time.
It’s great for relaxing alone, or for listening quietly with your spouse, partner, or someone special.
Enjoy a wonderful time.
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Moody Japanese classics: Recommended popular songs (21–30)
Someday Merry ChristmasB’z
A ballad by B’z that opens with richly seasonal imagery—city streets dressed for Christmas and gifts for a lover.
It’s a highly narrative masterpiece, delicately and meticulously portraying the feelings of a man who chooses a chair as a present and the poignant moment he realizes the relationship is ending.
Included on the mini-album “FRIENDS,” released in December 1992, and featured in Pepsi NEX’s Christmas commercial “Xmas Lover,” the song has become a familiar staple of holiday music heard on street corners.
It’s a track perfect for a moody winter night when you want to look back on memories with a lover, ideal for setting the tone of a grown-up Christmas with a glass in hand.
Love SongGReeeeN
A crystal-clear melody flows through the lounge.
This is a message song GReeeeN delivered in May 2007.
Its warm tones gently embrace feelings for someone dear, and its lyrics, conveying straightforward affection, quietly stir the heart.
The track was selected as the ending theme for NTV’s “Uta Sta!!” and Fuji TV’s “Ken Shimura no Daijoubuda II,” and it also drew attention as the song for Hoyu’s “Beauteen” commercial.
It peaked at No.
2 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart and achieved CD sales of 300,000 copies.
A rich, resonant piece that accompanies moments spent with someone special in a calm space wrapped in soft light.
Moody Japanese Classics: Recommended Popular Songs (31–40)
GoodbyeOf course
A gem of a ballad that gently and poignantly portrays a lovers’ parting.
Against the backdrop of a cold day when rain turns to snow, their memories and emotions are woven with delicate detail.
Kazumasa Oda’s clear, pure vocals beautifully convey the wavering heart of the protagonist who chooses to say goodbye.
Released in December 1979, the song was used as an insert track in the first season of the TBS drama “Mr.
Kinpachi in Class 3-B” and reached No.
2 on the Oricon weekly singles chart, making it one of Off Course’s signature classics.
It’s a soul-stirring piece you’ll want to listen to alone on a quiet night, glass in hand.
single bedSharam Q
This is a gem of a ballad that strikingly portrays the poignant feelings of a heartbroken man.
Sharam Q released the song in October 1994. It was used as the ending theme for the Nippon TV anime “D·N·A²: A Girl Who Arrived?” and went on to become a million-selling hit.
It is included on the album “Rettōkan” (Inferiority Complex) and was later featured as an insert song in the 2017 film “Memoirs of a Murderer.” Furniture steeped in memories of a former lover is depicted as a symbol that highlights the protagonist’s loneliness, powerfully expressing a shift in values toward love.
This moving masterpiece is perfect for a calm night drive or for quiet moments when you think of someone dear.
Hide-and-seekYuri
Yuri’s debut work, which likens a heartrending unrequited love to a game of hide-and-seek, is a soul-stirring ballad that delicately portrays loneliness and the pain of parting.
In a room left behind after his live-in girlfriend has gone, the man’s feelings—surrounded by objects that still evoke her presence—are woven together by a gentle, translucent voice.
Released in December 2019, the piece is a labor of love born from street performances following the breakup of the rock band THE BUGZY.
The warm timbre of the acoustic guitar closely follows the man’s earnest emotions.
It’s a song recommended for those who wish to soothe the pain of heartbreak—perfect for a nighttime drive or for quietly sipping a drink alone at home.
Close your eyesKen Hirai
A gem of a ballad suffused with the lingering ache of deep, bittersweet love.
Ken Hirai’s delicate, soul-stirring vocals beautifully convey the profound longing and sense of loss for a departed lover.
Sung with the purest feeling of closing one’s eyes and picturing the one you love, this work was released as a single in April 2004.
Chosen as the theme song for the film “Crying Out Love in the Center of the World,” it topped the Oricon year-end chart.
Its heart-piercing vocals and beautiful melody line make it a refined track for adults—perfect for a night drive or a quiet moment alone.
White LoversKeisuke Kuwata
A heartwarming ballad that delicately paints winter scenes, transforming the bittersweet memory of a lost love into a feeling of blessing.
While looking back on a past romance, it carries a positive message about cherishing the love that was shared, resonating through Keisuke Kuwata’s warm, soulful vocals.
Released in October 2001 as his seventh single, this gem won the Gold Prize at the 43rd Japan Record Awards that same year.
Also featured in Coca-Cola’s “No Reason” campaign commercial, the song won the hearts of listeners across generations.
It’s the perfect soundtrack for spending unhurried time with someone special in a relaxed lounge, or for quietly gazing at a winter nightscape alone with a glass in hand.