[Nostalgic Songs] Gentle Drizzle Rain Songs: A Collection of Classic Japanese Hits
When you gaze out the window and see the steady patter of rain.
.
.
just putting it into words makes the scene come to life, doesn’t it?
There are probably many people who would say, “I love rainy days.”
In this feature, we’re introducing classic Japanese songs that take rain as their theme—tunes that will fill you with nostalgia the moment you hear them.
We’ve picked “nostalgic hits” from the ’90s and earlier, so it might strike a chord with a wide range of generations.
Please read through to the end.
You’re sure to rediscover the music of your memories.
- [Rain Songs] Songs to listen to on a rainy day. A special feature on rain-themed tracks.
- Songs of the Rainy Season: Classic Tracks and Rain Songs That Evoke Tsuyu Through Their Lyrics
- Rain Songs: A curated selection of tracks that feature rain in the lyrics — including many nostalgic Japanese hits
- Children’s songs to sing on a rainy day / children’s songs with a rain theme
- [Rainy Season] A Collection of Vocaloid Songs to Listen to in June [Early Summer]
- Songs for every season: classic and popular tunes of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
[Nostalgic Songs] Drizzly Rain Songs: A Collection of Classic Japanese Hits (11–20)
rainChisato Moritaka
Chisato Moritaka’s hit song “Ame (Rain),” released in 1990, is also known as a track that many artists have covered.
Love songs about rain tend to be mellow and sad, and this one, too, sings of a broken heart.
The lyrics feel like a farewell to one’s own feelings—emotions that anyone who’s experienced a breakup can surely relate to.
It’s a love song swaying between the desire to be drenched by the rain and wash everything clean, and the wish to hold on and not forget because you’re still in love.
You are the rain.ohashiTrio
It’s a ballad overflowing with emotion that could only come from Ohashi Trio, its jazzy, sophisticated piano tones resonating deep in the heart.
You can picture someone alone on a breakwater, looking up at the night sky while hiding their tears.
That helpless loneliness of longing for someone dear overlaps with the quietly falling rain, leaving you with a poignant ache.
The beautiful melody tightens your chest before you know it.
The track is included on the acclaimed album “I Got Rhythm?” released in November 2009, which reached No.
1 on the charts.
Later selected for his best-of compilation, it stands as one of his signature ballads.
On a quiet night when you want to sink into a sentimental mood, its gentle tones will surely stay close to your heart.
Longing for RainAki Yashiro
Aki Yashiro is an enka singer beloved not only by older listeners but also by younger generations.
She’s known for hits like “Funauta,” “Namida Koi,” and “Onna Minato-machi,” but we mustn’t forget “Ame no Bojō,” a rain-themed classic that’s perfect for June.
Her rich, heartrending voice really sinks into the soul, and the chorus has an incredibly familiar, catchy melody.
That’s exactly why it’s a great pick even if you only vaguely remember the lyrics—you’ll still find it easy to sing through to the end.
It was rainy again in Nagasaki today.Hiroshi Uchiyamada and the Cool Five
The musician Hiroshi Uchiyamada, who hails from Fukuoka.
The song he released jointly with the kayō group Cool Five, which he leads, is “Nagasaki wa Kyou mo Ame Datta” (“It Was Raining Again in Nagasaki Today”).
The group is from Nagasaki, and the lyrics are sprinkled with many phrases that evoke the city’s streetscape.
With its poignant depiction of a rainy scene, it’s perfect to sing at a karaoke session in June.
The chorus is especially memorable, and it’s a song you’ll want to belt out with a soulful kobushi right through to the end!
Rainy Day WomanMiki Matsubara
Let me introduce the wonderfully contrasting “Rainy Day Woman.” This is a song released in 1980 by singer Miki Matsubara.
It’s a city pop track with a sultry vibe, and the lyrics depict events on a rainy day.
The first half recalls memories of a sunny summer day spent with a loved one, while the second half portrays saying goodbye to a lover on a rainy day.
This structure makes the melancholy mood of the rain stand out even more.
Even in sadness, the message of self-affirmation is sure to strike a chord.
In conclusion
Did any of the works become memorable for you? I feel like there were many songs with a somewhat wistful atmosphere.
How about listening to them while looking out the window on a rainy day? Please, immerse yourself in these wonderful pieces of music.