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[Moving] Heartfelt Japanese Songs Recommended for Graduation Season [2026]
Have you ever had tears well up when a song suddenly started playing on your way home from graduation after parting with your friends? The graduation season that arrives with the coming of spring is a special time when joy and bittersweet feelings mingle.
The songs that gently embrace those emotions are graduation songs that stay close to the heart.
This time, we’ll introduce a wide range of Japanese tracks—from timeless classics that have been loved for years to the latest hits.
They’re perfect for reminiscing about memories with friends or listening as you set your resolve for a new beginning.
You’re sure to find a song that will accompany your most precious moments.
[Touching] Recommended Japanese songs that resonate with the heart for graduation season [2026] (1–10)
FanfareTamaki Kōji
With a driving melody and a soul-stirring, overwhelming vocal, this song Koji Tamaki released in November 2025 is an anthem written as the theme for TBS’s Sunday drama “The Royal Family.” Layering in memories from his childhood in Hokkaido, it sings not of winning or losing, but of the importance of moving forward in your own way.
Filled with encouragement for those who keep living for what matters, even while getting hurt, this piece is perfect for graduates about to embark on a new path.
It will gently nudge the backs of those feeling uncertain or alone.
Us Again (Brass Band ver.)SG
Singer-songwriter SG’s song is a moving piece that captures the bittersweet emotions of graduation and parting, while expressing the hope of meeting again.
In the wind ensemble version, a collaboration with the Hanazono Tokuei High School Wind Ensemble, it transforms into a youthful, refreshingly vibrant sound of adolescence.
Released in November 2024, the song was also featured in Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s Calorie Mate commercial supporting exam-takers.
With the rich resonance of wind instruments and a melody full of hope, this piece touches the heart—perfect for those facing life’s milestones such as graduation or entrance exams.
It’s a song that gives you the courage to take a new step forward.
Even though it’s springKashiwabara Yoshie
This is a poignant, emotionally rich song that conjures up scenes from a graduation ceremony.
Released by Yoshie Kashiwabara in January 1983 as her 14th single, the song was written and composed by Miyuki Nakajima.
While those around her are thrilled by the arrival of spring, the lyrics delicately portray—through a restrained vocal delivery—the feeling of being left behind.
It peaked at No.
6 on the Oricon charts and won the Gold Prize at the 25th Japan Record Awards.
The song also led to her first appearance on NHK’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
Rather than relying on flashy climaxes, this ballad draws you in with the spaces between the words and the shadows in its melody, making it perfect for the walk home after a graduation ceremony or for quietly gathering your thoughts before a new beginning.
spring melancholyMrs. GREEN APPLE
Mrs.
GREEN APPLE’s tear-jerking graduation song “Shunshuu.” This track expresses the complex emotions felt before graduation, and many listeners are sure to relate to its lyrics.
No wonder—it was written by vocalist Motoki Omori the day after his high school graduation ceremony, which is why such raw feelings are embedded in the song.
Let this track help you feel the bittersweetness of graduation.
The season of farewellSHISHAMO
Even after the graduation ceremony ends, the feelings that won’t quite settle and the regret over words left unsaid… SHISHAMO’s song gives voice to that bittersweetness everyone has felt.
It’s the closing track on their album “SHISHAMO 2,” released in March 2015, and centers on an unrequited love for an upperclassman who’s graduating first.
The lyrics carefully trace the protagonist’s heart as they face parting without ever confessing their feelings.
When the music video was released, it drew significant attention, including being selected as SPACE SHOWER TV’s “POWER PUSH!” for March 2015.
It’s a song that gently stays by the side of those who are parting from someone important due to moving on to further studies or work, or who still haven’t managed to express their feelings.