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Recommended songs about mountains: classic and popular tracks for mountaineering and mountain songs

Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICSasashina
Deputy Editor of the web media RAG MUSIC. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. In my student days, I studied broadly at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, covering sound, lighting, and video technology, and acquired skills from comprehensive stage production to the fundamentals of creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, and have consistently built my career on the production side, taking on diverse tasks centered around music. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting in my own way, as well as insights and discoveries from interacting with my kids every day. I hope I can be of help to you, even just a little!

Mountains are popular spots that people of all ages—from children to seniors—can enjoy through activities like climbing and hiking.

When you take in the majestic scenery and beautiful nature, your mind and body feel refreshed, and everyday worries and stress can start to seem small—you might even wonder, “Why was I so worried in the first place?”

In this article, we’ll introduce songs themed around mountains.

It’s packed with tracks you’ll want to sing with friends in the mountains and songs you’ll want to listen to before a hike.

By listening, you might get a sense of why so many people are so captivated by mountains.

Recommended songs that sing about mountains: Classic and popular tracks about mountaineering and mountain songs (11–20)

Mikamoyama (Mount Mikamo)Nobby

Nobi / Mount Mikamo / Seijiro

Mount Mikamo — Nobby

This is the title track from Nobby’s original album “Mikamoyama,” released in March 2015.

It was issued as a single in July of the same year.

The song is about Mount Mikamo, which rises on the border between Sano City and Tochigi City in Tochigi Prefecture, where Nobby is from.

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mountainSaburō Kitajima

Mountain — Saburo Kitajima

Saburo Yamakita

This is a song composed by Saburo Kitajima himself under the pen name Joji Hara.

It sings of a man’s way of life and outlook on life as he strives to surpass his master, a presence as immense as a mountain.

At the time, Kitajima was approaching the 30-year mark of his career, and the result is a grand, perfectly scaled piece.

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Harvest Moon over Mount AkagiAya Shimazu

Harvest Moon over Mount Akagi — Aya Shimazu

Meigetsu Akagi-yama Shimazu Aya

Set against the majestic backdrop of Mount Akagi, this song celebrates the friendship and fate of men.

Centered on the life of the chivalrous outlaw Chūji Kunisada, it unfolds with scenes reminiscent of a historical drama.

Originally released in 1939, it was powerfully reinterpreted by Aya Shimazu in July 2009.

Her commanding vocals bring the song’s deep emotions into even sharper relief.

You’ll be drawn into a world where the natural beauty of Akagi and human drama are interwoven.

It’s a great listen before a mountain hike to lift your spirits, and it’s also recommended for life’s turning points, such as when you’re about to part ways with a friend.

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Mountains of the Four SeasonsIchiro Toba and Miyu Tsubuki

“New Song” Shiki no Yama (Mountain of the Four Seasons) — Ichiro Toba & Miyu Tsubuki — cover by Yumiko Hirabayashi

Shiki no Yama by Ichiro Toba & Miyu Tsubuki

Mountain Day, a new holiday that debuted in August 2016, garnered attention as the first national holiday established in 20 years.

To commemorate it, a song was created as the “Song of Mountain Day.” This piece, Shiki no Yama (Mountains of the Four Seasons), is a duet by Ichiro Toba and Miyu Tsubuki, and was released as a single together with Saburo Kitajima’s Yama, Utsukushiki (Mountains, Beautiful).

The song celebrates the beauty of mountains in each of the four seasons.

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Praying to the mountain

01_Choral Suite “Prayer to the Mountain” — Song of the Mountain

Praying to the mountain

In 1959 (Showa 34), a small booklet titled “Prayers to the Mountains” was created to call for the prevention of mountain accidents by compiling memoirs written by the bereaved families of victims.

The choral suite Prayers to the Mountains was composed based on the diary of a victim and the memoir written by his mother that were published in this booklet.

The suite’s structure, which shifts from a bright tone to an increasingly somber one, conveys the mountains’ terrifying side, not just their grandeur.

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Smoke of the mountainHisao Ito

Smoke of the Mountain — Hisao Itō

The Mountain Smoke by Hisao Ito

Up until the late 1950s, it’s said that various kinds of smoke rose over rural villages in addition to open field burning.

The smoke from these mountains could be called a late-autumn tradition, as people would make charcoal in preparation for winter.

This song depicts that scene, with lyrics by Yoshiro Okura and music by Hideaki Yashima.

Its melody is in a minor key, with touches of major interwoven here and there—an indescribably tasteful, slightly stylish effect.

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Recommended songs about mountains: classic and popular tracks for mountaineering and mountain songs (21–30)

The mountains are my hometown.Tokiko Kato

Mountains Are My Hometown - Tokiko Kato (Cover by aki1682)

Yama wa Furusato by Tokiko Kato

In 2016, a new national holiday was established: Mountain Day in August.

To commemorate this first new holiday in 20 years, a song was created as the “Song of Mountain Day”: Tokiko Kato’s “Yama wa Furusato” (“The Mountain Is My Hometown”).

Its gentle yet expansive melody and lyrics that liken the mountain to a father or mother convey the mountain’s majestic presence, as if it embraces everything.

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