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Mominoki
The fir tree

mominoki mominoki

oiya shigereru

mominoki mominoki

oiya shigereru

kokageo samayoi

katarishi omoide

mominoki mominoki

imanao koishi

Fir tree, fir tree,

how magnificently green you are!

Fir tree, fir tree,

how magnificently green you are!

When we walk in the shadows of the trees,

we talk about our memories.

Fir tree, fir tree,

full of desire, I think of you.

In the past, this song was sung as a socialist song or song for Labour Day (May first) in Japan. From about 1912 onwards, information about Christmas came from the US – mostly grounded in economic motives. Only from 1945 on, the Japanese were able to buy Christmas trees made of plastic that never reached any religious meaning. Alongside this development, people started to sing this song with new lyrics that became very popular.