[Heartfelt] A Collection of Japanese Graduation Songs to Sing and Play on Guitar [2026]
Graduation is a special season, and there’s a warmth in singing a graduation song with just a guitar that seeps right into the heart.
Unlike karaoke, it’s the sound and voice spun from your own fingertips.
That resonance reaches the listener’s heart quietly, yet unmistakably.
Many of you may feel, “I want to express my gratitude through my own performance,” or “I want to create a special moment for a farewell with someone important.” In this article, we’ve gathered standout graduation songs by Japanese artists that you’ll want to perform with just a guitar and your voice.
From songs with relatively simple chords to those worth the challenge, we’ll introduce a wide range.
Find the one song that carries your feelings.
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[Heartfelt] A Compilation of Japanese Graduation Songs to Play and Sing on Guitar [2026] (81–90)
Graduation Daynamu abedabutsu
Graduation Day is a graduation song by the rock band Namu Abedabutsu, who debuted as an active high school band.
It was their first single, released in 2021, and its rugged, no-frills punk rock sound is seriously cool.
The straightforward, true-to-life lyrics sung by the members, who had just graduated from high school, resonated with a wide range of generations.
When you think of singing with a guitar, you might picture an acoustic, but doing a sing-and-play performance with a distorted electric guitar could be interesting too.
To the skyYamazaki Masayoshi
When you think of Masayoshi Yamazaki, he’s known for his image as an artist who performs solo with an acoustic guitar.
His 2016 single “Sora e” (To the Sky) is a perfect ballad for graduation season, teaching us that time is what eases the pain of parting.
It was written as the theme song for the film Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan 2016, released the same year.
The original features many barre chords that take some getting used to, so you might want to use a capo to change the key and make it easier to play.
Gazing up, the sky is blueHata Motohiro
This is a song whose warm vocals and melody gently resonate with the graduation season.
Written specifically for a commercial, it was released in March 2019.
Motohiro Hata’s gentle voice pairs exquisitely with the guitar’s timbre.
The lyrics convey both the sadness of parting and the anticipation of a new beginning, tenderly embracing the listener’s heart.
The act of gazing up at the blue sky is impressively portrayed as a symbol of hope and a forward-looking spirit.
It’s recommended not only for students about to graduate, but also for anyone stepping into a new stage of life.
Why not try performing it with just your voice and a guitar, as a way to express gratitude to someone special?
Because we’re friends.Ochiai Wataru
Wataru Ochiai’s graduation song “Tomodachi Yakarane” resonates with a gentle, uplifting melody and lyrics that warmly send off graduates.
Sung in casual Osaka dialect, the track feels packed with youthful memories.
Ochiai, a singer-songwriter from Osaka who began his career in 2015, places great importance on his lyrics.
“Tomodachi Yakarane” is filled with episodes that bring back the time spent with friends and the many memories you shared.
It’s a perfect graduation song for the season of new beginnings, capturing the unassuming moments of student life.
That paper airplane breaks through the cloudy sky.19
The story of entrusting one’s dreams to a paper airplane really touches the heart.
It’s the signature work of the folk duo 19, released in March 1999.
This folk-flavored number weaves pure feelings and hope for the future into its lyrics.
Chosen as a TBS campaign song, it drew major attention and peaked at No.
6 on the Oricon weekly chart.
As a staple graduation song that can be performed with just a single guitar, it has been cherished for many years.
Before the cherry blossoms bloomkinoko teikoku
Despite receiving high praise for their musicality from both professionals and amateurs, the three-piece rock band Kinoko Teikoku has been on hiatus since 2019 due to a member’s departure.
Their second single, “Before the Cherry Blossoms Bloom,” which marked their major-label debut, lingers in the ear with a nostalgic sound that carries a touch of melancholy.
Although the song features many F chord shapes—often considered a hurdle for beginners—and includes challenging chords like Bmaj7 and C#sus4, the tempo is quite relaxed, so with practice you can learn to fret each chord one by one and play it.
It’s a perfect number for graduation season, stirring the heart all the more for those who have many happy memories from their youth.
[Heartwarming] A Collection of Japanese Graduation Songs to Sing and Play on Guitar [2026] (91–100)
If I can laughUrufuruzu
This is the 24th single by Ulfuls, a rock band from Osaka that stands out with their one-of-a-kind presence—funky, soulful vocals overlaid on their sound and lyrics that are both straightforward and comical.
The song was used as the ending theme for the TV drama “Ginza no Koi,” which also featured the band’s vocalist, Tortoise Matsumoto.
Its lyrics look back on the days of growth brought about by meeting someone important—feelings that many graduates are sure to relate to.
While it features many barre chords and includes chords like B7 and diminished, which might be challenging for beginner guitarists, it’s packed with a message perfect for graduates, making it a number you’ll want to challenge yourself to sing and play.