Japanese Pop ‘Sakura’ Song Rankings [2025]

bookmarkCreepHyp15rank/position

CreepHyp - “Bookmark” (MUSIC VIDEO)

CreepHyp’s song gently encourages you to take a new step after a breakup.

Set against a spring scene of falling cherry blossoms, it delicately portrays feelings where lingering attachment to the past intersects with hope for the future.

Included on the album “NakITakunaru Hodo Ureshii Hibi ni,” the track was released in September 2018.

This piece quietly supports anyone who has experienced a farewell or needs courage to dive into a new environment.

Listen to it during the season of spring goodbyes, and it will surely give you the strength to face forward and start walking.

Sakura RockCHERRYBLOSSOM16rank/position

Sakura Rock

CHERRYBLOSSOM is a band known for its appealing female dual vocals that unfortunately disbanded in 2010.

Their song “Sakura Rock” is their fourth single, released in 2009, and it was used as the ending theme for the TV anime “Katekyo Hitman Reborn!” The lyrics express how, when the cherry blossom season arrives, you think, “It’s that time of year again,” and remember someone.

That someone was once important but is no longer by your side.

It’s a cherry blossom song packed with a sense of poignancy, set to a rock-influenced sound.

Cherry Blossom Timeaiko17rank/position

aiko - “Sakura no Toki” music video

Aiko’s songs, which attract a wide audience—especially many female fans—often resonate with listeners through the emotions in her love songs.

“Sakura no Toki,” her fifth single released in 2000, was also featured in a Calpis Water commercial.

Aiko’s lyrics frequently make you think, “So it’s possible to express those in-love feelings I could never put into words like this!” and this song showcases that expressive power in a direct way.

It’s a love song that fills you with happiness—perfect for the buoyant mood of spring.

SakuraAyaka18rank/position

Ayaka / “Sakura” (from the LIVE DVD & Blu-ray “Acoustic Live Tour 2017–2018 ~3-STAR RAW~”)

Speaking of sakura songs, given the season, many of them are graduation songs or songs about new beginnings.

Ayaka’s “Sakura” is also a very popular number as a graduation song.

What’s noteworthy about this track is that the first verse is written from the perspective of young people graduating, while the second verse depicts those who graduated long ago—people who, having grown older, watch their own children graduate and set off, reflecting on the path they’ve walked and on their own graduation.

Ayaka’s vocals blend with the indescribably heartrending lyrics to create a song that makes you feel tears welling up.

After the cherry blossoms (all quartets lead to the?)UNISON SQUARE GARDEN19rank/position

UNISON SQUARE GARDEN 'After the Cherry Blossoms (all quartets lead to the?)' MV

The exhilarating sound and vocals might clear your mind in an instant! This track by the three-piece rock band UNISON SQUARE GARDEN was released in 2013 as their eighth single.

It was used as the opening theme for the anime Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta.

It’s got that signature sharp, punchy production that they’re known for—packed with highlights like crisp guitar cutting and a wildly active bassline.

The positive lyrics about “enjoying the moment” are truly empowering.

10-year cherry blossomsAKB4820rank/position

[MV full] 10nen Zakura / AKB48 [Official]

A heartwarming AKB48 song that accompanies the season of graduations and farewells.

Its lyrics, depicting friends vowing to reunite in ten years, beautifully capture the universal loneliness of parting and the hope for the future.

Released in March 2009, the track became the group’s first to reach the Oricon Top 3.

It’s a gentle push for those taking a new step with the arrival of spring, and is also recommended as background music for send-offs and graduation ceremonies.

lightly; nimbly; flutteringlySakurako Ohara21rank/position

Sakurako Ohara – Hirari (Music Video YouTube ver.)

Sakurako Ohara’s “Hirari” evokes cherry blossoms blooming with a gentle smile.

Released in 2017, the song was chosen as the theme for the film “Let’s Go, JETS! From Small Town Girls to U.

S.

Champions?!”.

Even as spring arrives and we go our separate ways, we’ll never forget the memories we shared and the cherry blossoms we saw together.

Whenever something happens, we’ll recall those happy times and keep pushing forward.

The lyrics portray turning that kind of friendship into strength to live boldly into the future.