Lovely nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs

[Rain Songs] Songs to listen to on a rainy day. A special feature on rain-themed tracks.

Editor-in-Chief, RAG MUSICKeisuke Hane
Editor-in-chief of RAG MUSIC. After working at a music studio and in wedding sound engineering, joined the RAG MUSIC editorial team in 2016. Experienced with various instruments: marching band in elementary school, clarinet in middle school wind ensemble, and drums in a band from high school onward. Drawing on personal music activities and professional experience, produces daily articles, including song introductions, features on music festivals around Japan, and live reports. Enjoys a wide range of music, from domestic and international rock to, more recently, a broad spectrum of J-pop.
A Vocaloid producer who is also a music writerWakachan Araki
I started playing guitar in middle school and focused on band activities during my student years. I’ve been a hobbyist Vocaloid producer for over 15 years. After entering the workforce, I gained experience in various roles, including event sound engineering and videography/photography. As a writer, I’ve contributed introduction articles for music and manga websites, and in 2022 I had the opportunity to write the bonus liner notes for IA SUPER BEST. My specialties are Japanese rock, Vocaloid, and manga.

Do you like rainy days?

Some people dislike them because you get wet and can’t go out, while others love the sound of the rain or the calm atmosphere—there are all kinds of opinions.

For many, rain also ties in with a slightly bittersweet feeling, and there are plenty of songs that use rain as a theme to sing about that sense of poignancy.

In this article, we’ll introduce lots of popular songs that are perfect for listening to on a rainy day!

While many of them are melancholy, there are also songs that sing about hope—like how the rain will stop someday—so be sure to listen to plenty of them!

[Rain Songs] Songs to listen to on rainy days. Rain Song Special (91–100)

I hope it’s sunny.DREAMS COME TRUE

DREAMS COME TRUE – I Hope It’s Sunny (from DWL 2011 Live Ver.)

I Hope It’s Sunny (DREAMS COME TRUE)

Many of you may know Dreams Come True’s “Haretara Ii ne,” which was also used as the theme song for the NHK morning drama Hirari.

It’s a song that wishes, “I hope it doesn’t rain,” so you can go out with someone special.

We’ve all probably experienced plans we were looking forward to being canceled because it rained.

Many of you might also have hung up a teru teru bozu before a school trip.

It’s a heartwarming number filled with the excitement of getting to see someone dear to you.

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Don't underestimate the rain.KIRINJI

Kirinji - Don't Underestimate the Rain (Nobukazu Takemura Remix) (Nobukazu Takemura)

Don't underestimate the rain, KIRINJI

Here’s one track from Kirinji’s debut album, which is pop no matter where you cut it.

What’s happening, in what situation, and what will happen next? I have no idea—but love is often like that, isn’t it? Sometimes you don’t even realize you’re being led around…

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Unaffected by sudden showersNICO Touches the Walls

NICO Touches the Walls 'Not Defeated by a Passing Shower'

Unfazed by Sudden Showers — NICO Touches the Walls

A song by the rock band NICO Touches the Walls, released on July 10, 2013.

It was selected as the 13th opening theme for the TV Tokyo anime Naruto Shippuden.

With lyrics like “Even if it rains, I’ll live smiling in the present,” it’s an upbeat track that lifts your spirits.

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Midsummer RainREBECCA

Rebecca Midsummer Rain

Midsummer Rain REBECCA

When it comes to songs about summer rain, REBECCA’s “Midsummer Rain” comes to mind.

After REBECCA’s “Friends” became a huge hit in 1985, the band became a pioneer of Japan’s second band boom.

“Midsummer Rain” is included on their sixth album, Poison, released in 1987, and it also appeared on the preceding single “Nervous But Glamorous.” You can hear NOKKO’s vocals—different from those on “Friends”—delivering a sultry, subdued tone, like the rain in August.

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After the rainWANIMA

After the rain

After the Rain WANIMA

WANIMA, whose members are all from Kumamoto Prefecture.

Their band name was created by taking the first letters of each member’s name.

Even from that alone, you can feel the strong bond between them.

The lyrics are a WANIMA-style cheer song that supports a protagonist who, despite being mocked by smooth operators, clumsily continues down their own path.

Even when bad things happen, they say “a sunny day will surely come,” likening the clearing after rain to a turning point in life.

It’s a track brimming with their rock spirit, featuring a wonderfully approachable melody.

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RAINYUI

YUI　『Rain-short ver.-』

RAINYUI

The song “RAIN,” with its striking music video of YUI singing in a downpour, is a Christmas song that portrays the feelings of a woman who has experienced heartbreak.

She dresses up to go meet the person she likes, but he never shows up at their meeting place, and she ends up walking home alone in the pouring rain—a painfully bittersweet story.

Her quiet resilience, acknowledging that she simply got her hopes up and that it isn’t anyone’s fault, makes the sadness all the more poignant.

If you’re looking for a breakup song about rain, give it a listen.

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Wet in the rainZYYG, REV, ZARD&WANDS

ZYYG REV ZARD WANDS Ame Ni Nurete

In the Rain, ZYYG, REV, ZARD & WANDS

A lavish collaboration between ZARD, the rock band WANDS, the rock band ZYYG, and the singer-songwriter REV, the song “Ame ni Nurete” (“Soaked in the Rain”).

As the lyrics say, it’s that feeling of wanting the rain to wash away your sadness—you know it well if you’ve gone through a painful breakup.

In contrast to the heartrending lyrics, the refreshing melody will leave you feeling clear and uplifted.

It’s also a classic that ZARD later self-covered, so be sure to check that version out as well.

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