Nostalgic song medley. Classic Japanese hits and recommended popular songs.
Don’t make fun of old songs.
There are always good reasons and qualities behind the tunes that captivated people of their time.
Also, by engaging with music from generations different from your own, you can rediscover what characterizes today’s music.
Here’s a special feature on nostalgic classics.
Nostalgic hits medley. Classic Japanese songs, recommended popular tracks (1–10)
Love stories happen suddenlyKazumasa Oda
This is one of Kazumasa Oda’s signature songs, used as the theme for the romance drama “Tokyo Love Story,” which starred Yuji Oda, Honami Suzuki, Yosuke Eguchi, and others, and made the phrase “Kanchi” memorable.
It’s a quintessential nostalgic hit from the ’90s with an irresistible sense of melancholy.
SAY YESCHAGE and ASKA
This is a famous song by CHAGE & ASKA that was used as the theme for the romance drama “101st Proposal,” known for the line “I won’t die!” and starring the likes of Tetsuya Takeda and Yosuke Eguchi.
It’s one of the nostalgic ’90s hits that’s often sung at weddings.
Tomorrow never knowsMr.Children
It’s also the biggest hit by the legendary band Mr.
Children, which was used as the theme song for the drama “Wakamono no Subete” starring former SMAP member Takuya Kimura, Masato Hagiwara, Anju Suzuki, and others.
The chorus line “Beyond the endless darkness…” is especially memorable.
Festival Ninjaninja
This is the biggest hit single by Ninja, a sing-and-dance kayōkyoku group born from Johnny’s.
They debuted with the catchphrase “The world is waiting for Ninja,” and with this one song they rewrote records at the Japan Record Awards and on Kōhaku.
It’s a nostalgic oldie that everyone was singing back then.
frecklesJUDY AND MARY
One of JUDY AND MARY’s classic hits that was used as an opening theme for the anime Rurouni Kenshin.
YUKI’s refreshing vocals mixed with a visual-kei-influenced sound make it an extremely easy-to-listen-to track.
It’s one of the nostalgic songs that became a big hit in the ’90s.
Poem of SunlightLe Couple
This is a love song that was used as an insert song in the drama “Under One Roof 2,” which starred Yosuke Eguchi, Masaharu Fukuyama, Noriko Sakai, and Issei Ishida.
It was also performed at that year’s Kohaku Uta Gassen.
The opening line, “How long has it been since we stopped seeing each other?” is particularly memorable.
KNOCKIN’ON YOUR DOORL⇔R
It’s a classic song by the legendary band L⇔R that was used as the theme song for the drama “Bokura ni Ai o,” which starred Yosuke Eguchi, Shinji Takeda, Kotomi Kyono, and others.
There was even a rumor that the phrase “I’m KNOCKIN’ ON YOUR DOOR” sounded like “ano kyonyū dō?” (“How about that busty girl?”).