JAPAN IN
ONE MINUTE 
~The shortest and oldest lyrics in the world~
Have you ever heard of Japan’s national anthem, “Kimigayo“?
You might’ve heard it before a sports match or during the Olympics.
Hmm… I think I heard it at a soccer game once!
But I didn’t know what it was.
Yes, I’ve heard it during the Olympics!
It sounded really calm and different from many other anthems.
I was curious about it, actually.
That makes sense! “Kimigayo” is quite unique.
It’s the oldest national anthem still in use today and it has the shortest lyrics of any national anthem in the world.
The lyrics come from an ancient poem that was part of a collection called Kokin Waka Shu,
compiled over 1,100 years ago during the Heian period. The Japanese characters are only 32 in total!
Here are the lyrics.
Kimigayo wa
Chiyo ni yachiyo ni
Sazare ishi no
Iwao to narite
Koke no musu made
Wow, that’s so poetic.
It’s much more symbolic than some other anthems I’ve heard.
I never knew Japan’s anthem had such historical roots!
Yes, and even though the lyrics are short, the melody is very slow and solemn,
so the full anthem still takes about a minute to perform.
Only 32 words?! That’s really short!
But it sounds so special… I want to listen to it properly next time!
Summary
Japan’s national anthem, “Kimigayo“, is the world’s oldest and shortest anthem, with just 32 poetic words from a poem written over 1,000 years ago.
