[BGM] Japanese songs for campfires and BBQs: A playlist of J-pop to enjoy while camping
Outdoor activities have become hugely popular in recent years, influenced in part by camping videos on YouTube.
When you feel like you want to break free from everyday life, why not put yourself in a setting that’s a little different from the norm and refresh your mind? This time, I’ll introduce some Japanese songs that are perfect for camping and the outdoors.
I’ve gathered everything from upbeat, exciting tracks to chill tunes that are perfect as background music for a campfire.
Let’s lean on the power of nature and music to forget everyday stress!
- [Camp Songs] Classic camping songs. Campfire songs you can play along with
- Recommended songs about mountains: classic and popular tracks for mountaineering and mountain songs
- [Night Songs] Classic masterpieces themed around the night. J-POP you’ll want to listen to at nighttime.
- Songs for every season: classic and popular tunes of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
- Songs of the constellations: classic and popular tracks you’ll want to listen to while gazing at the night sky
- [Moon Songs Special] Famous songs about the moon. Songs you’ll want to listen to under a full moon or in the moonlight.
- Song of the Wind: Masterpieces themed around wind. Popular songs [2025]
- Masterpieces that sing of the stars. Star songs that resonate in the heart, best heard beneath the night sky.
- [2025] Iconic songs and love songs themed around or set by the sea and sandy beaches — sea songs
[BGM] For campfires and BBQs: A roundup of Japanese songs you’ll want to listen to while camping (1–10)
You are beautiful.Tavito Nanao
This work by Tavitō Nanao, a singer-songwriter from Kochi Prefecture, is moving, with rap that feels like poetry reading and a structure that gradually rises into a soulful melody.
It carries a universal hope that no matter how difficult the path ahead, we will surely stand up again someday, and it resonates deeply with listeners.
Included on the album “Stray Dogs,” released in December 2018.
On a camping night, if you listen while watching the flickering flames, it might give you the strength to face tomorrow.
READY GO-GOGusokumuzu
The light, airy sound lifts your spirits and feels so pleasant.
This new track by Gusokumuzu is a pop song that gently gives listeners a push forward.
Released in October 2024, it was featured as the Sukiya TV commercial song starring Satomi Ishihara.
Drummer Yūji Nakajima wrote and composed the piece, filling it with a brightness that helps you forget everyday blues.
It’s perfect for those moments when you want a change of mood!
Adria Bluebohemianvoodoo
A beautiful piece that opens with an arresting acoustic guitar melody.
Performed by the instrumental band bohemianvoodoo, it’s a track rooted in jazz while shining with the essence of diverse genres.
Its urban, sophisticated sonority and dramatic development conjure vivid landscapes in the listener’s mind.
Included on their second album, “SCENES,” released in December 2012.
It’s perfect for nights around a campfire or moments of relaxation in nature.
[BGM] For campfires and BBQs. A collection of Japanese songs you’ll want to listen to while camping (11–20)
IslandsTENDOUJI
The sound, where punk rock vibes and the wistful textures of bedroom pop blend exquisitely, is instantly captivating.
This work was provided to TENDOUJI by Taisei Kondo of No Buses under his solo moniker Cwondo, and was released in October 2024.
It’s a track that marks the 10th anniversary of TENDOUJI’s formation.
The lyrics depict a stifling sense of isolation—like being stranded on a deserted island—and deliver a scathing message to the music industry.
Its earnest cry is bound to shake your heart.
Step away from the noise of everyday life, gaze into the campfire, and let your thoughts wander—this song is perfect for a night like that.
Gigantic in MidsummerCody Lee (Li)
An urban sound lingers in your ears, where summer shimmer and fleeting melancholy intersect.
In this work by Cody Lee (Lee), the blinding brilliance of a summer romance and the earnest desire to make that moment last forever are vividly portrayed.
Summer, special music just for two, and the wish to keep dancing until dawn… that feverish intensity—and the sudden pangs of loneliness that surface in quiet moments—are woven together with finesse.
Included on the album “The Last First Love,” released in June 2024.
How about it as slightly grown-up nighttime BGM for an open-air summer camp?
FebruaryTETORA
It’s a sound that strikingly blends the crispness of winter air with a gentle warmth that spreads deep in your chest.
This track is included on the album “13 Months,” released in June 2024 by the three-piece band TETORA.
With an earnest vocal delivery, it conveys the unique loneliness of harsh, cold seasons and the precious bonds between people that you can still clearly feel.
Listen to it on a solitary night at a campsite, and it will sink deeply into your heart.
YEARNINGtha BOSS
Over a breezy track, tha BOSS lays down his heavyweight rap on this song.
Released in January 2023, it was later included on his second solo album, “IN THE NAME OF HIPHOP II.” The piece is captivating for its worldview that seems to probe deeply into the listener’s heart, infused with tha BOSS’s long career and life perspective.
It’s not just pleasant to the ear—the weight of the words quietly sinks in.
How about putting it on as background music for a night when you want to drift away from the everyday and get lost in thought?