Arai Yumi’s Most Popular Karaoke Songs Ranking [2025]

December RainYumi Arai8rank/position

December Rain / Jyunigatsu No Ame

This song, which captures the loneliness of winter and the bittersweet longing for a love that has passed, is a gem that represents the early work of Yumi Arai.

Released in October 1974 and included on the album MISSLIM, it features a restrained band performance as its foundation, while the beautiful choral work by Tatsuro Yamashita and Taeko Onuki leaves a strong impression.

There is even an anecdote that Yamashita agreed to join the recording on the condition that he handle the chorus arrangement.

Set against a winter scene of December rain, a quiet nostalgia for days that will never return rises to the surface.

It’s a song you’ll want to listen to softly by a window streaked with cold rain, when you feel like immersing yourself in memories of the past.

Departing AutumnYumi Arai9rank/position

Departing Autumn

Singer-songwriter Yumi Arai has been active at the forefront from the 1970s to the present.

This song, included on the classic album MISSLIM released in October 1974, closes the record and is a perfect fit for the autumn air.

Its poetic worldview, which overlays a fading romance with the end of the season, leaves you feeling a touch sentimental as you listen.

The sophisticated arrangement by Masataka Matsutoya and the otherworldly sound featuring Tatsuro Yamashita and others are a perfect match.

The album MISSLIM reached No.

8 on the weekly charts.

Why not immerse yourself in the beautifully melancholic atmosphere of this work on a long autumn night?

Rainy StationYumi Arai10rank/position

♪ Rainy Station / Yumi Arai (LIVE)

“Ame no Station,” which Yuming released when she still had the surname Arai, is said to be set at Nishi-Tachikawa Station.

The season is the rainy monsoon.

Her ex-lover already has someone new.

She says, “Don’t remember me for that person’s sake,” yet when she stands at the station filled with their memories, she can’t help but think he might be there.

It’s a work that depicts such shifting emotions with a trembling delicacy.

If I'm wrapped in kindnessYumi Arai (Yumi Matsutoya)11rank/position

Wrapped in Gentleness – Yumi Arai (Yumi Matsutoya)

“Wrapped in Gentleness,” also famous as the theme song for the Studio Ghibli film Kiki’s Delivery Service.

It’s a classic from Yumi Matsutoya—affectionately known as Yuming—during the period when she performed under the name Yumi Arai.

What makes this song so easy to sing is above all its widespread recognition.

Because it’s known by both children and adults, it’s a go-to choice for karaoke when multiple generations are gathered.

If you’ve never sung it before, take this opportunity to add it to your repertoire.

The melody is easy to remember, and it’s a very gentle, soft song.

Late Summer (A Season for One)Yumi Arai12rank/position

Late Summer 2021 Yumi Arai

This is a song by Yumi Arai that overlays the changing seasonal scenery with the end of a romance and the beginning of time alone.

The sight of leaves blazing with color and delicate flowers swaying in the wind seems to reflect the protagonist’s loneliness.

The song was included on the album “The 14th Moon,” released under the name Yumi Arai in November 1976, and it also served as the theme song for the NHK dramas “Natsu no Furusato” and “Maboroshi no Budōen.” Its poignant melody—mingling a lingering affection for the summer that has passed with a quiet resolve for the seasons to come—resonates deeply with listeners.

Whether you play it on a drive while reminiscing about summer or during a slightly chilly evening stroll, it will gently keep you company.