[Gratitude, Encouragement, Memories] Tear-Jerking Graduation Songs You Can’t Listen to Without Crying [2026]

Best FriendKiroro

Best Friend – Kiroro (Full)

Kiroro’s 10th single.

It was released on June 6, 2001.

It’s a very beautiful song, with straightforward vocals layered over a simple piano accompaniment.

It brings up feelings for the dear friends you spent your school days with.

Many people leave their hometowns around graduation, but when you listen to this song, tears come along with the feeling that you’ll remain best friends forever.

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Saitō Ayumu

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Promise ~promises~EXILE

EXILE / Yakusoku ~promises~ (Recording Movie)

A heartwarming ballad by EXILE themed around a promise to meet again.

Created as the final work featuring ATSUSHI and TAKAHIRO as the duo on vocals, who have long led the group, the song’s lyrics were written by ATSUSHI.

It is filled with unwavering bonds that remain strong even when apart and a firm hope for the future.

Played at important milestones like graduation ceremonies or farewell gatherings to express gratitude, it will surely envelop the entire venue in a warm, moving atmosphere.

GraduationKobukuro

Kobukuro “Graduation”

Kobukuro, whose voices resonate deep in the heart and whose superb singing wins fans across age and gender, released a graduation song in 2020 aptly titled “Sotsugyo” (“Graduation”).

It’s a quintessentially Kobukuro track with a straightforward, emotionally powerful punch.

Looking back as adults, the three years of junior high and high school feel like they flew by, yet they were truly irreplaceable.

Of course, at the time we weren’t thinking about that as we went about our lives.

This is a graduation song that will deeply move those who are graduating, and even for adults, it’s likely to stir up all kinds of emotions.

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utatane

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Embrace the presentsatō moka

Satomoka – Embrace the Now (Music Video)

A ballad by Moka Sato that makes you want to gently embrace the “now” we tend to lose sight of during busy days and the season of graduations and farewells.

Released as a single in November 2025, it’s a work that lays bare unadorned feelings.

What really hits home is how it portrays the will to move forward, even while carrying loneliness, through everyday details like familiar rooms and scenery.

It’s a song that sinks into the heart when you’re tucking away precious memories and heading toward a new place.

Sky-blue DaysSHISHAMO

SHISHAMO “Sky-Blue Days”

SHISHAMO, who are especially popular among people their age, have many youth and love songs.

Their 2018 single “Mizuiro no Hibi” is packed with wavering emotions—anxieties about a new life to come and all the feelings tied to graduation.

It conveys that inexpressible mix of fear that the ordinary days that once meant nothing might suddenly disappear, and the reluctant understanding that, even though you know it’s true, you’d rather not accept it.

Listening to it is sure to bring some people back to their youth.

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utatane

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Sakura Clear SkiesYuuri

Sakura Clear Skies

Prompted by an email from a fan who was facing graduation without being able to make enough memories during the COVID-19 pandemic, this became Yuuri’s first-ever graduation song.

It was released digitally in February 2021 and was included on the following year’s album, “Ichi.” Set to a gentle arrangement centered on piano and strings, the lyrics express straightforward gratitude to a father, mother, and friends.

Everyday scenes—like the view by the window and the smell of home—are depicted with care, inviting moments that may overlap with each listener’s own memories.

Balancing the sorrow of farewell with hope for a new beginning, the lyrics gently support those whose hearts are full after their graduation ceremony.

It’s a song you’ll want to hear when you want to share feelings that are usually too embarrassing to express, or when you want to look back on precious time with your friends.

On the Day of Departure

[Chorus Song] On the Day of Departure / With Lyrics / Singing Practice / Graduation Song #chorus #classchorus #graduationsong #choruscontest

I’m sure there are a ton of people who’ve sung it.

“Tabidachi no Hi ni,” the ultimate classic graduation song.

It was originally a choral piece born in 1991 at Kagemori Junior High School in Chichibu, Saitama.

From there, it began to be sung at nearby elementary and junior high schools, and was later featured in the music magazine Kyoiku Ongaku.

That’s how it spread across the country as a graduation song.

The lyrics’ message—let’s take off into the ever-expanding sky—moves the heart no matter how old you are.

It’s also recommended for adults who want to reminisce about their school days.

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Araki Jakkan

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