[Yamagata Songs] Beloved local tunes and classic tracks celebrating majestic nature and hometown pride
Yamagata Prefecture faces the Sea of Japan and is blessed with rich natural beauty woven by mountains and rivers through the changing seasons.
This environment has given rise to heartfelt folk songs and hometown melodies.
The masterpieces born from people who love their homeland have captured the hearts of many, not just the prefecture’s residents.
This time, we’re spotlighting songs connected to Yamagata! From folk tunes rooted in the region to soul-stirring enka and cheerful local songs that lift your spirits, we’ll introduce a wide range.
Please enjoy these songs brimming with the charms of Yamagata.
- [Folk Songs of Yamagata] The Heart of Our Hometown Passed Down in Song: Feelings Woven into Nostalgic Melodies
- A classic song that sings of Yamanashi. The enduring heart of our hometown.
- Miyagi Songs: Popular tracks that celebrate famous sights and specialties, and timeless pieces filled with love for home
- [Local Songs] Recommended tracks packed with Japan’s nationwide classics and hometown pride
- A classic song about Kumamoto. The enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
- A famous song that sings of Okayama. The enduring spirit of our hometown, passed down through song.
- [Song of Shimane] Izumo, Matsue, Tsuwano... Exquisite masterpieces depicting Shimane
- A classic song that celebrates Fukui. The enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
- Recommended songs about mountains: classic and popular tracks for mountaineering and mountain songs
- [2025] Masterpieces that sing of Hokkaido: The enduring heart of our homeland passed down in song
- [Akita Songs] A Collection of Gem-Like Local Tunes Filled with Love for Hometowns
- A classic song that celebrates Niigata. The enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
- [Songs of Yamaguchi] Introducing local tunes filled with hometown love and tracks related to Yamaguchi
[Yamagata Songs] Famous and Local Tunes Celebrating Majestic Nature and Love for One’s Hometown (21–30)
Love-Waiting FlowerAtsuko Asada
The safflower, the flower of Yamagata Prefecture, yields threads in various shades depending on the different extraction liquids used, and is woven into cotton, silk, and summer kimono.
In the song, the protagonist wears a safflower–shibori yukata and longs for a man she met as a traveler.
Atsuko Asada became a singer after winning numerous karaoke competitions, which caught the attention of a talent scout; she debuted in 1994.
Perhaps because she is from the Kansai region, she often sings songs themed around Kansai.
Oshin's LullabyKazuko Yamamoto
When people hear “Oshin” and can immediately picture the drama, is it only those up to around their 40s nowadays? The NHK morning drama series that began in 1983 caused a tremendous sensation at the time.
Above all, the unforgettable scene is when seven-year-old Oshin, sent away to work to lessen the number of mouths to feed, rides a raft on the Mogami River and parts from her family.
In the falling, bitterly cold snow, her farewell to her mother was something that cannot be described as mere sadness.
The song sounds as if it recreates the drama.
[Yamagata Songs] Masterpieces and Local Tunes Celebrating Majestic Nature and Love for Hometowns (31–40)
Thank you (in Yamagata dialect)Kei Ogura
“Oshōshina” isn’t a familiar word in standard Japanese, but in Yamagata it might be one of the most popular expressions.
Its meaning is interpreted as “thank you,” though there seems to be a slight nuance difference from how it’s used locally.
This is a song composed by Kei Ogura, who is also active as a singer-songwriter, using Yonezawa as its theme.
In each and every lyric, you can feel people’s warmth and kindness.
A Petal of Cherry BlossomTsukasa Mogami
You can tell where he’s from just by his stage name.
Tsukasa Mogamigawa is being promoted as a visual-kei enka singer.
Although this song doesn’t directly mention place names in Yamagata Prefecture, Tsukasa has said that the environment where he was born and raised was incredibly beautiful when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.
A devoted grandson, he once shared that while he was on a short trip, his grandfather passed away, and he couldn’t be there at his last moments—he said he cried his eyes out.
Using that hometown as the theme, he likens the parting of never being able to meet again to cherry blossom petals.
Both the lyrics and the music are by Tsukasa Mogamigawa himself.
There are famous spots called “Senbonzakura” (a thousand cherry trees) all over Japan; in Yamagata Prefecture, the cherry blossoms around Eboshiyama Park are well-known.
red cherryYuki Iwase
It is said that the lyrics were written by an elementary school student in 1932 (Showa 7), but since Japan was a military empire at the time, the original lyrics may be quite different from the current version.
This song innocently and straightforwardly portrays, in a childlike way, the scene from the early-summer landscape of Yamagata’s red cherries to the autumn when the rice ears ripen.
Our hometownHako Yamasaki
Listening to this song, I was convinced Hako Yamasaki was from Yamagata, but she’s actually from Kyushu.
She is a close friend of Eri Watanabe, who is from Yamagata, and she composed the song.
The occasion was the 55th anniversary of the founding of Shirataka Town in Yamagata Prefecture, with lyrics by political journalist Yasuhiro Tase, who hails from Shirataka.
The charm lies in the world of Yamagata Prefecture and the mysterious character that Hako Yamasaki embodies.
Lovestruck RabbitA high school girl living in Yamagata Prefecture
This is a cheer song for the Flower Nagai Line, a local railway in Yamagata Prefecture.
Lately there have been many animals holding the title of stationmaster.
Cats, dogs, and sometimes even koi—there’s quite a variety.
This song is a refreshing tune that also sings about the youth of a high school girl and “Mocchii,” the rabbit who serves as stationmaster of the local line’s Miyauchi Station.
It’s soothing, isn’t it? I’ve heard there are also two rabbits and a turtle working as station staff.