[2026] Recommended love songs for graduation season: Love songs you’ll want to hear at the graduation ceremony

cherry blossomKetsumeishi

Ketsumeishi “Sakura”

The hip-hop group Ketsumeishi has sung many graduation songs, but among them, the 2005 classic Sakura is especially recommended for couples who are graduating and going their separate ways.

In 2021, a new version of the music video was produced, starring Asahi Ito and Rinka Kumada.

It tells a heartwarming story of a couple who, after being separated following graduation, reunite.

Why not warmly support each other’s paths and goals, and keep improving yourselves until the day you can meet again?

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Hamada Takuya

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Forget-me-notMarushii

Marcy – Forget-me-not (Official Music Video)

Marcy’s “Wasurenagusa” portrays someone dear to you leaving the place you’ve shared to pursue their dreams.

Everyone has their own vision, and for most people, even if they’re in love, that path is something they simply can’t bend.

You want to support the person you love as they take on their challenge, but the fear and loneliness of being apart can feel overwhelming.

This song captures those bittersweet emotions, sung alongside the memories you’ve built together.

Precisely because you love them so much, in the end you find yourself wishing for them to chase their dream.

It’s a song we especially hope those who, at the time of graduation, have made a similarly brave yet lonely decision will listen to.

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SAKI

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Cotton HandkerchiefŌta Hiromi

Cotton Handkerchief (with lyrics) - Song by Hiromi Ohta

After graduation, some of you may move to a distant town to start a job.

With that in mind, I’d like to introduce “Cotton Handkerchief.” This is a song released by Hiromi Ohta in 1975.

The lyrics unfold like a story: it begins with the boyfriend starting a job in a faraway town and follows the couple up to the point where they decide to part ways.

Although the story is quite sad, the message itself is positive.

Also, pay attention to where the handkerchief mentioned in the title makes its appearance.

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yamamoto

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Sakura RabbitKawasaki Takaya

Takanori Kawasaki - Sakura Usagi [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

This song overlays the heartache of unrequited love with the cherry blossom season.

Takaya Kawasaki’s husky voice beautifully captures the delicate feelings of a protagonist who can’t bring themselves to confess their love.

It brings back memories of school days and the complex emotions that well up before graduation.

Kawasaki is said to have woven his own high school experiences into the lyrics for this piece.

It’s a love song that gently gives a push to anyone wanting to express their feelings to someone they like—recommended not only for high school students approaching their graduation ceremony, but also for those standing at life’s turning points.

Feathers of the UniformAKB48

[MV full] The Wings of the Uniform / AKB48 [Official]

You can almost picture that bittersweet scene of a secret crush: watching you run across the schoolyard from the classroom window.

This song, which sings of the hope and heartache of sprouting invisible wings on your uniformed back and taking flight toward the future, will make listeners’ hearts skip a beat.

Included on the single “Kibouteki Refrain Type D,” released in November 2014, this track is a special one for Team 8—their very first music video was made for it! When graduation approaches and you feel anxious about becoming an adult, doesn’t this song gently nudge you forward with a reassuring “It’s going to be okay”?

somedaySaucy Dog

Saucy Dog "Someday" MUSIC VIDEO

A perfect song to listen to during graduation season—the season of farewells—is “Itsuka” by the rock band Saucy Dog, led by guitarist and vocalist Shinya Ishihara.

It’s one of their signature tracks, included on their first mini-album, “Country Road,” released in 2017.

They actually won the Grand Prix at “MASH FIGHT vol.5” in 2016 with this song.

It’s a bittersweet breakup number that brings back memories of a lover, and Ishihara’s emotional vocals really hit home.

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Hamada Takuya

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A bouquet of flowers with loveSuperfly

Superfly “A Bouquet With Love” Music Video

This song, Ai o Komete Hanataba o, is one of Superfly’s signature tracks.

It’s also a staple graduation song and was released in 2008 as Superfly’s fourth single.

It conveys heartfelt gratitude to a beloved person, and its moving, straightforward lyrics capture the listener’s heart.

How about dedicating this song to your special someone, expressing thanks for everything so far and saying, “I look forward to our future together”?

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utatane

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