[Spring Love Songs] Recommended Classics and Popular Love Songs to Listen to During Cherry Blossom Season

Azusa No. 2hunter

Azusa Nigo (2015 Remaster)

This is a classic song from 1977 that portrays love and parting in the city, heralding the arrival of spring.

It vividly conveys the protagonist’s state of mind as they, exhausted by urban life, decide to set off on a journey.

The Hunters’ striking harmonies blend beautifully with the powerful yet wistful melody composed by Shunichi Tokura and the delicate lyrics by Machiko Ryu.

After its release in March 1977, it reached No.

4 on the Oricon weekly chart and No.

15 on the year-end chart.

It also won the New Artist Award at the Japan Record Awards that same year, and has continued to be cherished as one of The Hunters’ signature songs.

It resonates deeply with those taking a new step forward or parting from someone dear.

Why not listen to it on a morning train, accompanied by the gentle scenery of spring?

To my distant loverHideki Saijo

Hideki Saijo — To a Distant Lover

A heartwarming medium-tempo ballad by Hideki Saijo that poignantly sings of his feelings for the lover he left behind in his hometown after moving to the city.

Released in November 1978, the song reached No.

8 on the Oricon chart.

With a powerful voice, it gently embraces the yearning for a dear one far away and the hope for the arrival of spring.

The strong will to reunite with his lover after a long winter resonates with a beautiful melody, leaving a deep impression on listeners.

This work stands as a classic that conveys the preciousness of love that remains unchanged despite distance, offering comfort to everyone living apart from their loved ones.

Song of Seeing Spring OffGoro Noguchi

Soushunkyoku

A poignant ballad that delicately portrays the moment spring slips away.

Goro Noguchi’s soaring vocals beautifully capture the bittersweetness of youth and the resolve to set out on a new journey.

Released in December 1978, the song reached No.

14 on the Oricon chart and No.

8 on The Best Ten, and it ranked 46th on the 1979 year-end chart.

Created by the duo of Yū Aku and Kyōhei Tsutsumi, it tells a story of a man and a woman set on a rainy spring day.

With Noguchi’s tender, empathetic singing, this track deeply moves listeners with its portrayal of a heartrending relationship.

dandelionHiromi Ohta

Dandelion by Hiromi Ohta

A classic that captures delicate feelings of first love from a unique perspective.

The emotions of a modest yet pure-hearted girl in love are overlapped with the image of dandelions blooming by the roadside, gently singing of the bittersweet feelings everyone experiences.

Takashi Matsumoto’s poetic lyrics and Kyohei Tsutsumi’s melody blend beautifully, and Hiromi Ohta’s pure voice perfectly conveys the song’s world.

Released in April 1975, it was later included on the album “Tanshūhen” (Short Stories) and gained popularity.

It’s a song that comforts those who strive to live strongly—like a dandelion that keeps blooming while facing forward—even when they carry loneliness in their hearts.

Recommended for anyone who wants to relate to the ache of unrequited love and the feelings of being in love.

apple pieCuddling with my backpack and eating

apple pie

If you’re looking for a spring song that you’ll want to listen to in the spring breeze, I recommend this one! “Apple Pie,” included on Ryoku to Soiné Gohan’s 2022 album Shiki (Four Seasons).

The lyrics, written from a male perspective, evoke the everyday life of a wholesome couple.

You can’t help but think it was written for his girlfriend, and the melody is so easy on the ears.

It’s soft and fluffy yet still vows eternal love, which is totally heart-fluttering.

It’s also easy to sing at karaoke, so it might be nice to try singing it for a woman you like or for your girlfriend.

cherry blossoms at nightSEKAI NO OWARI

Yozakura

Included on SEKAI NO OWARI’s album “Eye,” released in February 2019, this song is a moving piece that overlays fleeting cherry blossoms with the stirrings of love.

It forms a pair with “Himawari,” featured on the album “Lip” and sharing the same melody, and leaves a strong impression with its dark atmosphere that delicately depicts the loneliness of spring nights.

Its gentle acoustic sound exudes lingering attachment and bittersweet longing for a loved one.

By contrasting opposing realms—past and future, night and day—the song succeeds in drawing out deeper emotions.

A gem of high artistic quality, it’s a track you’ll want to listen to alone on a quiet night.

cherry blossom rainJUJU

JUJU “Sakura Ame” (Cherry Blossom Rain)

A poignant medium-tempo ballad by JUJU, layered with reflections on a beautiful cherry blossom rain.

Visiting a riverside path of memories alone, the protagonist wistfully recalls a past love—tenderly portraying the bittersweetness of spring in a gem of a song.

Released in February 2010, it was featured as the March opening theme for TBS’s CDTV and in a RecoChoku commercial, and is also included on the album “JUJU.” It’s a song to listen to on nights when the coming of spring makes you look back, or when you’ve said goodbye to someone dear.