Children’s songs are an integral part of a culture’s DNA. So, it only makes sense that if we’re going to talk about the things we need to learn about another country, we’re going to look at the music the kids listen to. In this case, anyone interested in Japan for kids may want to have these Japanese children’s songs on their playlist.
I’ll be honest, it was hard for me to find a great and varied selection of Japanese children’s songs on YouTube. I encourage you to check out Mama Lisa’s post for a comprehensive list. But, the ones below are pretty good.
Seven catchy YouTube videos of Traditional Japanese children’s songs
Japanese Greetings Song
It only makes sense to start with a song of greetings.
Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun
This song is considered Japan’s best selling song. It appeared on a Japanese children’s television program, but there are now quite a few versions of it.
Here’s a translation of the song into English.
Oni No Pants
Many people will be familiar with the melody which is from the song “Funiculi, Funicula” (by the way, that song was created in the late 1800s to commemorate the opening of the first funicular railway on Mount Vesuvius). This song encourages kids to wear pants.
Here’s some information about Oni No Pants lyrics in English.
Donguri Korokoro
I thought you’d enjoy these two versions of the same song about an acorn rolling down the hill.
This post on Thought Co goes into depth about acorns and the lyrics of this song.
Numbers in Japanese, an easy Japanese children’s song to learn
While I highly doubt this is a song found in Japanese preschools, I thought it was a fun song and a cute way to try to learn the numbers.
Compilation of Japanese Children’s Songs
I’m including this compilation of Japanese children’s songs because of the comments in the video. People really seem to like this selection, so I thought it would be a good share.
Two Spotify playlists from Japanese children’s albums
Are you familiar with the songs children in Japan sing? Let me know some in the comments.
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