A classic song about Nagano. The enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.

Messenger from the MoonChieko Baisho

Chieko Baisho Messenger from the Moon

The film dates from the 1930s to the 1950s, and its theme song—sharing the same title as the film—was released in 1949.

The story is set on a plateau in Nagano Prefecture, and the title “Messenger from the Moon” refers to the heroine, Michiko, a nurse renowned for her exceptional beauty.

The theme song was also recorded as a duet by the lead actor and actress, among others, but for people of that era, Chieko Baisho’s rendition seems to be the most memorable.

Kurohime MonogatariAkiko Ozawa

Akiko Ozawa / The Tale of Kurohime

It’s a narrative enka that lets you experience it as if you were watching a film.

Akiko Ozawa’s “Kurohime Monogatari” is a single released in June 2025, inspired by the folklore of her hometown Nagano, the Legend of Kurohime.

The progression from a quiet, storytelling tone to a dramatic climax truly captivates the listener’s heart.

If you’d like to explore enka rich in storytelling or feel the beauty of Japan’s traditions, I highly recommend giving it a listen.

Matsumoto Bon BonYoko Maekawa

Matsumoto Bon Bon

Matsumoto Bonbon is the largest summer festival in the prefecture, held in Matsumoto City on the first Saturday of August every year.

The name’s origin is said to come from a girls’ event called “bonbon,” where girls in yukata carried lanterns, wore pokkuri clogs, walked through town, and comforted the spirits of their ancestors.

In the second verse of the song, the mention of Aoyama-sama refers to a boys’ event said to have been combined with it, in which boys raised the banners of Aoyama Shrine and carried a portable shrine (mikoshi).

By the old castle at KomoroAkiko Ogawa

Ryutaro Hirota: By the Old Castle of Komoro (Toson Shimazaki)

This poem by Toson Shimazaki, included in the collection Rakubaishū, and the pieces “By the Old Castle in Komoro” and “A Travel Poem of the Chikuma River” have been set to music many times and sung over many years.

This may be my own interpretation, but as a traveler takes in the Chikuma River through the changing seasons with a touch of melancholy, they also find a ray of hope in the river’s unchanging flow despite the many shifts of history.

It shows just how deeply the Chikuma River has moved poets.

Elegy of the Chikuma RiverMina Nomura

Mina Nomura “Elegy of the Chikuma River”

The Bessho Line mentioned in the song is a local railway that connects Ueda Station to Bessho-Onsen Station in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture.

Throughout the lyrics, landmarks around Ueda—such as Ueda Castle, the Chikuma River, and references to the Sanada clan—appear, but it is a heartbreak song.

It portrays a wounded heart that shares the harshness of winter and the pain of lost love, while wishing for the flow of the Chikuma River to carry the sorrow away.

A Summer Resort RomanceCherish

A Summer Resort Romance

The duo Cherish, who scored numerous hits with their refreshing duets, released this song at a time in the 1970s when, rather than having weddings overseas, it was many girls’ dream to get married in a stylish church in Karuizawa.

It’s a perfect song for the fresh-faced Cherish, who were dreaming of marrying the ones they loved.

Kiso KoishigureSaburō Kitajima

Kiso Koishigure - Saburo Kitajima / by Nogawakawa

Enka singers have performed a great many so-called local songs, and Saburo Kitajima has sung about regions across almost the entire country—from Hakodate no Onna in the north in Hokkaido to Okinawa no Onna in the south.

As for why Kiso, among the many picturesque solo-travel destinations in Nagano Prefecture, was chosen as a theme, perhaps it’s because Kiso, with its numerous post stations along the Nakasendo, fit the enka image as a stage setting.