September brings milder heat and more comfortable days.
It’s also a somewhat pensive season where the remnants of summer intersect with the beginning of autumn.
In this article, we introduce songs you’ll want to listen to in September.
We’ve selected a wide range, from popular tracks by up-and-coming artists to classic summer songs beloved across generations.
From memories of summer and bittersweet love songs to tracks that evoke the changing seasons, each one will resonate with your heart.
For an end-of-summer drive or a leisurely walk, you’re sure to find the perfect song for you.
[Songs to Listen to in September] Popular J‑Pop Tracks That Evoke Late Summer and Early Autumn (1–10)
The summer you gave meNEW!ieiri reo
A bittersweet medium-tempo ballad that paints feelings for seasons gone by and a future that never came to be.
It’s a quintessential summer song by Leo Ieiri, whose vocals are both powerful and delicate.
Released in August 2015, it’s also included on the album “WE.” The track was produced as the theme song for the TV drama “Koinaka,” which aired the same year and starred Sota Fukushi and others.
Many listeners were surely captivated by lyrics that express the end of youth and the pains of growing up.
September, when autumn begins to show, is a time that makes us want to look back on days past.
This is a song that gently stays by the side of anyone who wants to face forward while carrying the scars that remain in their heart.
The End of SummerNEW!aibii karaa
When the cool breeze starts to mingle in, doesn’t something in your chest tighten for no clear reason? What Ivycolor paints is the shrinking distance between two people on a summer festival night.
The delicate scenes—the clack of wooden sandals, the night wind, the taste of soda—pile up to portray a one-night story, right down to the sudden silence that arrives the moment the fireworks fade.
The piano-centered band sound, strings, and the members’ chorus further heighten the bittersweetness.
This piece is the first track on their second mini-album, “Bursting Love, Unraveled Magic,” released in August 2018.
It’s perfect for days when you want to stroll through the night breeze, reminiscing about summers gone by.
Goodbye, Summer DaysNEW!Yamashita Tatsuro
You’ll be drawn in by the intricate arrangements that fuse elements of pop, AOR, and city pop, and by the beautiful layers of harmonies.
What the lyrics depict is more than just summer memories.
They delicately trace the sense of loss, anticipation, and hope felt as boys and girls grow into adults, and the universal theme of the end of youth rises to the surface, bittersweet yet fresh like the summer air.
Released in May 1991, this is a single by Tatsuro Yamashita, serving as the lead single from the acclaimed album ARTISAN.
It peaked at No.
12 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart and was also used as a corporate image song for Dai-ichi Life.
In 2021, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the album ARTISAN, a fully animated music video created by Ai Nina was released.
On a September evening, take it along for a drive or a walk, and you’ll be able to savor both a wistful nostalgia for time gone by and a forward-looking feeling for the future.
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summer cicadaNEW!JUJU
A perfect song by JUJU for the time of year when the end of summer gently gives way to the first hints of autumn.
It’s a medium-tempo ballad created as the theme for the Nippon TV Wednesday drama “First Cry: Maternal and Neonatal Emergency Unit.” Released early in July 2026, the song portrays the fragility of life and universal love from a broad perspective.
The nostalgic melody written and composed by Ikimono-gakari’s Yoshiki Mizuno blends beautifully with JUJU’s expressive, velvety vocals to create a moving harmony.
It’s a track you’ll want to listen to on long autumn nights, when you feel the loneliness of passing seasons and hold your loved ones close in your thoughts.
The quiet, prayer-like melody gently nestles against the listener’s heart.
red neonNEW!milet
It’s a track with a warm yet somehow wistful tone that makes you want to listen while picturing a nighttime scene.
Before milet made her major debut, she created this song for a close friend—so the story goes.
Centered on Japanese lyrics, it captures unassuming everyday memories like a coin laundry and the city at night.
The dry, country-tinged sound pairs beautifully with her smoky vocals, conveying a gentle warmth that feels close to the listener’s heart.
This non-tie-in song was included on her fifth EP, “Prover / Tell me,” released in February 2020.
It’s recommended for a cool September night when the wind starts to hint at summer’s end and you want to linger in memories with someone special.
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Midsummer FruitNEW!Sazan Ōrusutāzu
Although the days are hot, September’s morning and evening breezes carry a hint of autumn.
This ballad paints scenes of the seaside at summer’s end and the fleeting nature of the seasons with a warm, inviting sound.
Keisuke Kuwata’s wistful yet velvety vocals beautifully convey the inexpressible sense of loss in love.
Released as a single in July 1990, it was chosen as the theme song for the film “Inamura Jane,” set in Shonan in the 1960s.
It was later included on the acclaimed album “Umi no Yeah!!,” becoming one of Southern All Stars’ signature summer songs.
Perfect for when you want to linger over memories of a summer romance or for a drive along the seaside at dusk.
As you listen to its beautiful melody, why not indulge in a gently nostalgic mood?
After the FestivalNEW!Kuwata Keisuke
This song gently overlays a sense of emptiness—like the hush after a lively festival—onto a cityscape swept by autumn winds.
Unable to fully convey their feelings to the one they love, the protagonist, who doesn’t hide their own awkwardness, pours out their story in a husky voice.
Precisely because the arrangement is unadorned, centered on guitar and piano, Keisuke Kuwata’s words reach straight to the heart.
Released in October 1994 as his fifth solo single, the track was used as the theme song for the NTV drama “Shizukanaru Don.” It also became familiar as the CM song for Kirin’s canned coffee JIVE, in which he appeared.
It’s perfect for those nights when you want to walk alone down a slightly chilly street, savoring the quiet loneliness that lingers after the glittering moments have passed.