![Memories Come Flooding Back: Tearjerker Graduation Songs. Moving, Tear-Inducing Ballads [2026]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/xefpHEg5UIA/maxresdefault.webp)
Memories Come Flooding Back: Tearjerker Graduation Songs. Moving, Tear-Inducing Ballads [2026]
As graduation approaches, there are moments when your chest suddenly tightens, aren’t there? The days spent in the classroom, the friends you laughed with, and the mix of anxiety and hope as you step onto a new path.
Perhaps it’s the power of tear-jerking graduation songs that gently embraces those complicated feelings.
In this article, we’ve gathered moving songs perfect for graduation season—from the latest hits of the Reiwa era to timeless classics passed down across generations.
Each song is one that will bring back memories the moment you listen and naturally bring tears to your eyes.
As you face farewells with those dear to you, you’re sure to find a song that stays close to your heart.
[Memories Come Flooding Back] Tear-Jerking Graduation Songs: Moving Tearful Ballads [2026] (1–10)
About meMrs. GREEN APPLE
An epic ballad that sings of both the beauty and harshness of life, stirring the hearts of its listeners.
This work by Mrs.
GREEN APPLE is their eighth single, released in January 2019, and was created as the support song for the 97th All Japan High School Soccer Tournament.
The lyrics focus not only on the winners but also on those who lose, reflecting vocalist Motoki Omori’s wish that “life be one in which even your defeats can be affirmed.” In 2023, an orchestral version was featured in a Calorie Mate commercial, encouraging many students preparing for exams.
It’s a song you’ll want to hear especially when you’re struggling through difficult days and feel like stopping.
At the milestone of graduation, it may give you the chance to fully accept the person you’ve been up to now.
spring melancholyMrs. GREEN APPLE
The title Harushuu, as the characters suggest, refers to that faintly melancholy mood of drifting into thought during the gentle spring season.
Perfectly matching that title, this song by Mrs.
GREEN APPLE is a graduation song created by vocalist Omori in connection with his own graduation.
Everyone has times when they feel down—those hazy feelings that don’t quite turn into words are tightly packed into the lyrics, and the expressiveness is so striking it’s eye-opening, making it a tear-jerker of a track.
On the Day of DepartureGasshou Kyoku
It’s a classic that many people sang at their school graduation, practically synonymous with graduation songs.
The lyrics, which express gratitude and determination for the future, never fail to stir the heart each time you listen.
In fact, it’s a choral piece created in 1991 by teachers at a public junior high school in Saitama Prefecture.
Born from the wish to “make a school filled with singing voices,” it was first performed by the faculty about a week after it was completed at an event to send off the third-year students.
Sung by SMAP and featured in commercials, it has crossed beyond the pages of textbooks to be loved widely.
Perfect not only for graduation ceremonies but also as an anthem cheering on those setting out on a new path, this song brings back vivid memories when heard again as an adult—and may even move you to tears.
Sakura: To You Who Couldn’t GraduateHanzaki Yoshiko
A tear-jerking ballad sung by Hokkaido-born singer-songwriter Yoshiko Hanzaki.
It’s her signature work, created after 17 years of paying her dues before making her major debut, and its lyrics—based on a friend’s real experience—strike a deep chord.
Her gentle voice, which embraces both the ache of missing someone important at graduation and the preciousness of being alive, pairs with Seiji Kameda’s arrangement to tug at the heartstrings.
Included on the mini-album “Utaben,” released in April 2017, the song was later issued as a single and led to her winning the New Artist Award at the 50th Japan Cable Radio Awards.
Also chosen as the ending theme for a radio program, this piece quietly stays by the side of anyone living with treasured memories—not only in the season of farewells.
365 Days’ Paper AirplaneAKB48
Many people remember it as a morning staple since it was chosen as the theme song for the NHK morning drama series “Asa ga Kita.” AKB48’s “365 Nichi no Kamihikōki” (“365-Day Paper Airplane”) was included as the B-side of the single “Kuchibiru ni Be My Baby,” released in December 2015.
It’s a folk-style song with a soothing acoustic guitar sound, carrying a warm message that the process of continuing to fly in your own way matters more than the outcome.
It also drew attention for having Sayaka Yamamoto as the center.
With lyrics that encourage you to move forward at your own pace, it’s perfect for graduation season when stepping onto a new path.
A touching song beloved across generations.