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] Tracks to Listen to on a Rainy Day: Rain Song Special (101–110)

Love Weather ForecastHanako Oku

Oku Hanako – Love Weather Forecast

Love Weather Forecast Oku Hanako

It was used as the theme song for NHK General, Educational, and BS2’s “Direct from the Source! Straight to the Table.” It is included on Hanako Oku’s second album, “TIME NOTE,” released in 2007.

The lively piano melody and the atmosphere that can turn a rainy day into something exciting feel really nice.

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Ice RainShizuka Kudo

Shizuka Kudo 'Ice Rain' OPV ♪ With Lyrics [HD]

Ice Rain Shizuka Kudo

It’s a very quiet yet grand song.

On rainy days, I recommend this kind of gentle ballad.

It’s the kind of track that makes you want to look back on your relationships or reflect on your life.

The encounters we have in this vast world and our clumsy way of living can be so frustrating, but precisely on a rainy day, I hope you’ll immerse yourself fully in this world.

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Rainy MidosujiOuyang Feifei

Feifei Ouyang / Midosuji in the Rain (Stranger in Midosuji) (1971) Viewing No. 41

Rainy Midosuji Ouyang Fei Fei

This song was the debut single of Fifi Ouyang (Fei Fei Ouyang), released in 1971, and it was composed by The Ventures, who sparked the electric guitar boom among Japanese youth.

Speaking of Ventures compositions, Yuko Nagisa’s “Kyoto Bojo” is also famous.

The lyrics are heartrending: on a rainy night, a woman, without even an umbrella, wanders up and down Osaka’s main street, Midosuji, from Kita to Minami, searching for her lover.

Through Fifi Ouyang’s dynamic vocals, you can sense the resolve of a woman determined to face forward and live strongly from now on.

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Rainy dayAyumi Hamasaki

Ayumi Hamasaki / rainy day (Short Ver.)

Rainy day Ayumi Hamasaki

This is a song included on Ayumi Hamasaki’s seventh original album, (miss)understood.

It was released in 2006.

The composition is by GEO of SWEETBOX, the arrangement is by Yuta Nakano, and it served as the ending theme for the PS2 game “Shin Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams.” Rather than a heavy downpour, I felt a poignant yet warm quality in the image of gently falling rain.

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By the time the rain lets upMasaki Suda

By the time the rain lets up

Masaki Suda when the rain lets up

A track by Masaki Suda, who’s been hugely successful as an actor in films and TV dramas.

Included as a B-side on the single “Kokyū” and on the album “PLAY,” this song carries Suda’s signature freshness that sweeps away the sorrow and dreariness of rainy days.

Not just rain—there are plenty of annoying, demoralizing things in everyday life.

The message is: don’t let that dreariness crush you! On rainy days especially, all the unpleasant stuff can feel more than twice as heavy, right? When that happens, listen to this song, reset your mindset, and give it your best!

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[Rain Songs] Songs to listen to on a rainy day. Rain song special (111–120)

Straw DogsFumiya Fujii

Fumiya Fujii LIVE 1999 “Straw Dogs” “DO NOT”

Straw Dogs Fumiya Fujii

Fumiya Fujii’s voice is truly wonderful.

The Checkers have many great songs, and his solo work also includes many truly beautiful love songs.

His kindness and love shine through, and it brings to mind a scene of a truly wonderful man protecting the woman he loves.

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Taking shelter from the rainMasashi Sada

Masashi Sada - Shelter from the Rain [HD]

Taking Shelter from the Rain — Masashi Sada

Here’s a bit of mini trivia common to all of Masashi Sada’s songs: where most people would write “lyrics” (作詞), Sada writes “poetry” (作詩).

It reflects his insistence that the words aren’t just lines for a song—the song itself is a single poem.

Very much like Sada.

This track is his second solo single after the breakup of the duo Grapes.

It comically portrays the bold actions of a woman who falls in love with a man she meets while taking shelter from the rain.

Rainy days can sap your energy, but listening to this song somehow lifts you up.

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