Graduation season is exciting as you set off for a new environment, but it also leaves you feeling a bit sentimental about parting with friends.
Even though you know in your head that graduation doesn’t mean saying goodbye forever, it’s natural to feel lonely or anxious.
In this article, we introduce songs that capture the many feelings you have for the friends you’ve always shared fun times with.
We’ve gathered plenty of heartfelt graduation friendship songs that are perfect for telling your friends, “We’ll always be friends even if we’re apart,” and for expressing your gratitude for everything up to now.
Be sure to find your favorite track and send it to your friends.
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A farewell song to give to a dear friend. A graduation song that conveys gratitude (1–10)
to clear up (weather)Yorushika
Yorushika captivates many listeners with their literary worldview and translucent sound.
This new piece they perform is a number fit for the season of farewells, portraying a crystal-clear hope like the sky after rain.
Released as a single in January 2024, it’s also beloved as the opening theme for the popular TV anime Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.
The lyrics carry a warm message—that even relentless rain will one day clear—gently affirming the loneliness of graduation while giving you the courage to take a new step forward.
It’s a perfect song to send to dear friends who are setting off on different paths, as it makes you feel that even when you’re apart, the sky still connects you.
Daphne (winter daphne)DISH//
DISH// is a four-member dance-rock band whose members are also expanding their careers as actors.
Released in 2021 as their 14th single and used as the theme song for the TV drama “The Winner in February: The Classroom of Guaranteed Success,” this track drew attention as a co-written piece by vocalist Takumi Kitamura and Hattori from Macaroni Empitsu.
The lyrics express gratitude to the important people who always support us and the sense of security that comes from having a place to return to—sentiments that resonate with graduates facing both anxiety and anticipation.
The lively shuffle beat, inspired by a marching song, may give you the courage to take a new step forward.
How about listening to this classic, also included on the album “TRIANGLE,” on the day of your departure?
footprint(s)Little Glee Monster
Little Glee Monster is a vocal group whose overwhelming singing ability moves listeners to the core.
Their 16th single, “Ashiato” (Footprints), released in September 2020, is a grand number penned by the members themselves that gives you the courage to keep moving forward even in times of uncertainty.
Its powerful lyrics, which seem to affirm their own journey, are perfect for looking back on the days spent with friends during graduation season, when everyone sets off on separate paths.
Written as the required piece for the Junior High School division of the NHK All-Japan School Choir Competition and also broadcast on NHK’s “Minna no Uta,” the song has become widely loved as a choral piece.
It’s a moving track we hope you’ll listen to when you want to send thanks and cheers for the future to the dear friends with whom you’ve laughed and supported each other along the way!
Gazing up, the sky is blueHata Motohiro
This heartwarming medium-tempo ballad sung by Motohiro Hata reminds us that parting isn’t an end, but the beginning of new days.
The gentle tones of the acoustic guitar and his clear, “voice of steel and glass” tenderly soothe hearts weighed down by anxiety or loneliness.
One of the song’s greatest charms is how it portrays a strong bond that remains even when people are apart—without ever using the word “goodbye.” It drew attention when it aired from March 2019 as the theme song for SoftBank’s “Graduation” TV commercial, and it was later included on the album Copernicus.
It’s the perfect song to give to a dear friend you’ve spent so much time with, conveying gratitude for the past and a heartfelt “let’s keep walking together” for the future.
March of the PetalsAimer
This is a song where Aimer’s distinctively husky yet warm voice gently wraps the bittersweet feelings of springtime farewells and new beginnings.
Set to a light, march-like rhythm, it evokes scenes of joyful memories with friends and heartfelt gratitude spreading vividly through the heart like scattering petals.
Included on the triple A-side single “I beg you / Hanabira-tachi no March / Sailing,” released in January 2019, the track drew attention for its music video featuring Hinatazaka46’s Mirei Sasaki, which beautifully captured the fleeting nature of graduation season.
Its band sound quietly offers the courage to look ahead even amid loneliness, making it a perfect gift for dear friends embarking on a new path—along with a heartfelt ‘thank you for everything.’
Futabaaimyon
This piece was written for the NHK special program “AIMYON 18 Matsuri” and released for streaming in March 2022.
It’s a moving mid-tempo number that Aimyon created after watching videos of worries and hopes sent in by 1,000 18-year-olds from across the country.
It also opens the album “Hitomi e Ochiruyo Record,” gently singing about reaching toward the sky even while holding onto anxiety.
It’s perfect for telling friends who are graduating and going their separate ways both your gratitude and the feeling that “we’ll be okay even if we’re apart.” Its message—gather strength underground during uncertain times and one day let your own unique flower bloom—gives a quiet push to those setting off on a new journey.
CHARMWANIMA
A three-piece rock band from Kumamoto Prefecture, WANIMA’s song.
It’s a number that, with a driving tempo and powerful choral work, sings about a youth spent together at full throttle despite anxieties and worries.
The track conveys a refreshing sense of friendship, encouraging each other to do our best as we take a brand-new first step forward.
