302nd Under the Cherry Blossom Tree ~Welcome to Japan, Elf. ~

It’s the cherry blossom season. The cherry blossoms near my workplace are also in full bloom. This time, I would like to introduce a soundtrack that is perfect for such a time of year. The TV anime “Welcome to Japan Elf.” aired from January to March 2025. It is the music of “.

“Welcome to Japan, Elf. ‘ is a TV anime based on a light novel by Makishima Suzuki and produced by staff from director Kitahata Toru and animation production by ZeroG.
Kitase Kazuhiro, an ordinary office worker, has been visiting another world in his dreams since childhood. It’s a fantasy-like world where dragons and elves live. There, Kazuhiro remains in the form of a boy and is called Kazuhiho. In fact, it wasn’t a dream, but Kazuhiro was transported to another world when he was asleep.
One day, when he encounters a magical dragon in another world, Kazuhiro brings Maria Bell (Marie), an elf girl from another world, into this world. Marie is surprised when she suddenly becomes transferred to Kazuhiho’s world (Kazuhiro), but as she gets exposed to Japanese culture and food, she becomes more and more fond of Japan. Kazuhiro and Marie gradually connect with each other’s worlds as they move back and forth between each other.
It seems to be a popular reincarnation and transfer of another world, but it is basically a romantic comedy that smiles at how Kazuhiro and Marie’s relationship approaches. The highlight is Marie’s Journey to Japan. It’s interesting to see Marie being impressed by Japanese food, anime, hot springs and more, and becoming more and more in love with Japan. The battle and suspense elements are modest, and I like how it’s a work that warms your heart to watch.

The music is done by pianist and composer Harakanako. Harakanako has been active in providing music for dramas, anime, commercials, and music to artists, and has also featured the anime series “Is a Dark Destruction God Beside Me.” He has produced music such as ” (2020) and “The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter” (2021).
The music in this work is based on acoustic sounds made from live instruments such as piano, flute, oboe, guitar and strings. The music that colores Kazuhiro and Marie’s daily life is filled with many warm and light songs, and it gives a refreshing feeling to listen to it. It includes folk music-style songs, action and suspense songs, giving off an atmosphere of adventure in another world. What is typical of this work is that the music that color everyday life in Japan and the music that color other worlds do not separate, but coexist naturally.
The scenarios for all episodes are created at the time of the composition, and some songs are ordered and composed with the aim of specific scenes in the scenario. However, there may be cases where the finished work is not selected as such.
What I like are lyrical and adorable songs that are mainly piano. Particularly good are the songs “Marie is at an interest in age,” written as Marie’s themes, and “Uki Uki Lunch Box Time” and “Interesting” that play when Marie is moved by Japanese food and culture.
The soundtrack album for this work began streaming on March 29, 2025 by Bandai Namco Music Live/Lantis under the title “Original Soundtrack for the TV anime “Welcome to Japan.””. It will not be available on CD.
The tracks included are as follows:

The author was responsible for the composition. It contains a total of 44 music songs produced for this work, and two theme songs are also included in TV size. The content will surely be appreciated by fans of this work.
When it comes to composition, I thought about recreating the atmosphere of the main story in a relaxed manner rather than following the detailed story.
The first half introduces the three main characters, Kazuhiro (Kazuhiho), Marie, and the magical dragon Uridora, and goes through an adventure in another world until Kazuhiro and Marie get closer. In the second half, after experiencing another world adventure, Kazuhiro and Marie return to Japan until they confirm each other’s feelings. That’s the image it’s made up of.
Below is some of the highlights to listen to.
The first song, “Under the Cherry Blossom Tree,” is the main theme of this work. The film plays in the scene where Marie appears while the cherry blossom petals are flying in the title of the first episode. The cool piano and koto sounds express the beauty of the cherry blossoms in full bloom, and this song is both elegance and fragility. In fact, a similar scene from the final episode features Sakura Fubuki. The scene was played by a long version of “Under the Cherry Blood Snow” (Track 42). The first episode, “Under the Cherry Blossom Tree,” is a preview of the final episode, and is a music that foreshadows the future of Kazuhiro and Marie.
With the opening theme song in between, Kazuhiho’s theme “Kazuhiho” (track 3) and Marie’s theme “Marie is an interesting age” (track 4). Both songs are refreshing songs with piano sounds that will leave you in your ears. “Marie is at the age where she is curious” is often used in scenes where Marie, who has come to Japan, has her eyes shining.
The three songs, “Excited Lunch Box Time” (Track 5), “A Different Scene from the Universal” (Track 6), and “Welcome Elf” (Track 7), were often used in the daily scenes of Kazuhiro and Marie. The Japanese landscape, which is typical for Kazuhiro, is also fresh in Marie’s eyes. The excitement and excitement that Marie experiences are well expressed, making you want to listen to it forever. I think this kind of song supports the worldview of this work.
Truck 8 “Drowning in Dreams” – Truck 12 “Katsudon and Dragon” is designed to imagine the encounter between Kazuhiho and the Magic Dragon Uridra in episodes 1 and 2. “Drowning in Dreams” (Track 8) is the theme of transferring to another world. As the title suggests, “The Beginning of an Adventure” (Track 9) is a song inspired by the beginning of an adventure in another world.
Both of the two songs, “The Magical Dragon Uridora” (track 11) and “Katsudon and Ryu” (track 12) are Uridora’s themes. The “Magical Dragon Uridra” represents Uridra, which is the form of a giant dragon, and the “Katsudon and Dragon” represents Uridra, which is the form of a human female human. Although they use the same motif, the difference in the melody, both heavy and comical, is interesting, and the difference in the melody that matches the characters’ changes.
Track 14, “Interesting” is a light-hearted song based on a piano solo that was often used in the scene of the curious Marie. Various scenes come to mind, such as scenes where Marie is moved by Kazuhiro’s cooking (episode 2), scenes where she speaks freshly learned Japanese (episode 3), scenes where she is moved by Uridora’s magic (episode 8), and scenes where she eats an Ekiben on a Shinkansen (episode 11). The piano performance is pleasant and exciting.
Truck 16 “Unknown Tomorrow” – Truck 19 “Sad Memories” is designed to resemble the adventures surrounding magic stones from episodes 3 to 5. “Sad Memories,” in which the melancholy flute sounds play a simple melody, plays in episode 5 of the cat tribe’s child Mui reminiscing about the past.
Track 20, “Look Up at the Moon of a Foreigner,” is a song with a gentle piano melody that conveys a sense of emotion. At the end of episode 6, Kazuhiro was shown holding hands with Marie, saying, “Thank you, come to Japan.” This is an important song that colored the famous scenes that the two of them were in.
The next song, “You ga Ichiba” (track 21), also expresses Kazuhiro and Marie’s feelings. In the final scene of episode 7, the two of them became busy in their respective worlds, but were lonely about how little time they spent together. The sad investigations by the piano and clarinet express the sad feelings.
Here’s an eye catcher (track 22). The following two songs, “Marie’s Favorites” (track 23) and “Marie’s Favorites II” (track 24), were played as background music for Japanese anime that Marie watches at Kazuhiro’s house. It’s fun to see that the music is reminiscent of the music from a certain famous theatrical anime. Another eyecatch (track 25) plays and we head to the second half of the album.
Truck 26 “The World is Full of Wonders” – Truck 34 “The Age of Night” is designed to resemble an adventure around an underground labyrinth in the second half of the story. Although this work has many everyday scenes, it also has quite a few fantastical and suspense songs that are typical of otherworldly stories. Among these, we will focus on Kazuhiho’s action theme, “The Dream Swordsman” (Track 33). “Dreaming Swordsman” is another name given to Kazuhiho, who fights at the mercy of his enemies with magic. Along with “Shizuku no Gotoku” recorded on track 18, it can be enjoyed as a speedy action song. There are few battle scenes in this work overall, so it’s a shame that it wasn’t used very often.
Track 35 “My Feelings Can’t Stop” – Track 37 “Dance in Another World” is humorous He continued his bright song. This laidback atmosphere gives this film a taste of it, and it’s a relief to listen to it.
Track 38 “The Road Lights by the Spirits” – Track 44 “Let’s Walk Together” is designed with the image of episodes 11 and 12 (final episode).
“The Road Lights by the Spirit” (Track 38) is used at the end of episode 11 when Kazuhiro and Marie talk about the Road illuminated by the Spirit of Light. It’s a fantastic scene from Hirosaki (Aomori Prefecture) in Japan, not in another world. Also at the end of episode 11, Kazuhiro and Marie stare at each other in the moonlight, “Always Just Together” (Track 39). The sound of the string ensemble gently envelops the two of them’ feelings is touching my heart. The music menu was entitled “Happiness.”
Track 40 “Maria Bell” is a Marie theme that includes piano and flute. In episode 12, Marie was used to cheer after seeing the cherry blossom trees in full bloom. The next episode, “The Warmth of the Touch” (track 41), was not used in the final episode, but it is included here considering the musical flow. This is a gentle piano and oboe song used in episode 8 when Marie kisses Kazuhiro’s forehead.
The “Sakura Fubuki” on Truck 42 is a long version of “Under the Cherry Blood” (Track 1) introduced earlier. Under the cherry blossom tree, Kazuhiro and Marie recall the first time they came to Japan, and play the scene as they snuggle together. It could be said that this is the climax of the entire film, as the relationship between the two goes one step further. It lasts nearly three minutes, the longest of all the songs included. I was captivated by the melody that combines beauty and fleeting, and I wanted this time to last for as long as possible.
The following two songs were used in two scenes that concluded the ending of episode 12. Truck 43 “As You As You” is a moving scene in which Kazuhiro’s grandfather, who has realized that Marie is an elf, tells Marie, “It’s fine to just be you as you are,” and Truck 44 “Let’s Walk Together” plays in the final scene in which Kazuhiro and Marie return to Tokyo by Shinkansen. Both songs are piano-focused, and it is once again clear that the piano is responsible for the sound image of this work.
The main story ends with the ending theme song included on track 45. The final track 46, “Continuation of Dreams,” was recorded with the intention of being a concert encore. This song is not for the main story, but was created for the teaser PV for this work, which was released in March 2024. As you can see from listening, it is composed of medleys of representative songs played in the main story, such as “Under the Cherry Blossom Tree” and “The Beginning of an Adventure.” The anime has reached its final episode, but their adventures continue. This is my hope that people will finish listening to the album in that mood.

As I wrote at the beginning, I think this is basically a romantic comedy. The music created by Harakanako expresses the excitement of experiencing the unknown world and the feelings of cherishing the people close to you in a refreshing melody, and just listening to it makes you feel fun and gentle.
However, it is a romantic comedy that begins when two people meet and who are not supposed to be in contact with each other in the world they belong to. The awkward yet heartwarming relationship lies with a fleeting feeling that you never know when they will be separated. That’s why the time we spend together becomes irreplaceable and precious. The main themes, “Under the Cherry Blood Snow,” are scooped over the beauty of this fleeting nature. The cherry blossoms are also beautiful because they are fleeting. As I walk under the cherry blossom trees while listening to music like this, I feel like I’ll love the cherry blossoms even more.

TV anime “Welcome to Japan Elf. ‘Original Soundtrack
Amazon