Japanese national anthem, wall

"Kimigayo" (君が代) is Japan's national anthem. It is also one of the world's shortest national anthems in current use, with a length of 11 measures and 32 characters.

Its lyrics are based on a Waka poem written in the Heian period (794-1185), sung to a melody written in the later Meiji period. The current melody was chosen in 1880, replacing an unpopular melody composed eleven years earlier.

English Translation:

May your reign

Continue for a thousand, eight thousand generations,

Until the pebbles

Grow into boulders

Lush with moss