A Collection of Moving Graduation Songs You’ll Want to Sing at Karaoke! [Farewells, Friendship, and Fight Songs]

TOMORROWMayo Okamoto

TOMORROW

With its uplifting lyrics and buoyant piano melody, this is a pep song that gives courage to listeners.

Singer-songwriter Mayo Okamoto’s debut single “TOMORROW,” released in May 1995, was chosen as the theme song for the TV drama “Second Chance” and became a massive hit, achieving Double Platinum status.

Its message—that strength lies beyond the tears—will surely give a powerful push to graduates embarking on a new world.

Beloved enough to be selected as the entrance march for the National High School Baseball Tournament in March 1996, this song is widely cherished.

Sing it with friends at a reunion, and your memories of youth are sure to come vividly rushing back.

Thank youikimonogakari

Ikimonogakari 'Arigatou' Music Video

Feelings of gratitude that are too embarrassing to express on ordinary days might be easier to convey honestly at graduation.

This song, which portrays the warmth of holding someone’s hand, the happiness of everyday life, and the resolve to walk toward the future, is truly a classic befitting a new beginning.

Ikimono-gakari’s single “Arigatou,” released in May 2010, was widely loved as the theme song for the NHK morning drama Gegege no Nyōbō.

Thanks to its universal appeal, it was also selected as the entrance march for the 2011 National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament.

The words woven by Yoshiki Mizuno and the vocals of Kiyoe Yoshioka gently resonate with listeners’ hearts.

Why not listen to this perfect piece for expressing gratitude to parents and teachers at graduation and find the courage to take your next step?

When I turn around…Janne Da Arc

Janne Da Arc – If I Turn Around…

If you’re in your 30s or older, you probably know this as a classic graduation song: released in February 2006 as Janne Da Arc’s 25th single.

It was chosen as the theme song for the film HIRAKATA, in which the band members also appeared, and has the story of being officially recorded and released in response to passionate fan requests—a renowned ballad.

The song expresses the pain of parting with dear friends and a forward-looking message of meeting again with a smile someday, resulting in a nostalgic and grand rock number.

Yasu’s expansive vocals and the heart-stirring melody are sure to bring listeners to tears.

It’s a song you’ll want to sing with all your heart as you look back on memories together during the season of farewells!

I won’t let you say goodbye.B’z

I won't let you say goodbye.

This is the song that blows away the sadness of farewells during graduation season and fills you with a positive spirit.

Though it’s not a single but an album track by the nationally beloved B’z, it has remained a cherished classic among fans for many years.

The lyrics, which refuse to make parting eternal and convey a strong will that “we’ll meet again,” resonate deeply through Tak Matsumoto’s melodies and Koshi Inaba’s powerful vocals.

Included on the album RUN released in October 1992, it even ranked 8th in the 2008 fan-voted best-of list—proof of its unquestionable popularity.

It’s not just for quiet reflection; it’s perfect for the moment when you want to move on to the next stage with your friends, smiling—so belt it out with all your heart!

Just a little longer until graduationGLAY

Just a little longer until graduation

A mid-tempo ballad from GLAY, the four-piece rock band from Hakodate, Hokkaido, that gently seeps into the heart.

Based on TAKURO’s own experiences, the lyrics delicately capture the bittersweet everyday atmosphere that precedes parting—distinct from the exhilaration of a graduation ceremony.

Originally released to the world in February 2002 as the B-side to the single “Way of Difference,” the song was later included on the album “UNITY ROOTS & FAMILY, AWAY.” While the title track became a major hit as the theme song for Fuji TV’s Ainori, this song has also enjoyed enduring popularity among fans.

If you know the unique loneliness that settles in the season before graduation, it’s sure to move you.

Why not revisit it slowly, letting it wash over you as you dwell on memories from that time?

Promise of SunflowersHata Motohiro

Motohiro Hata – “Himawari no Yakusoku” Music Video

A singer-songwriter with a voice of “steel and glass” that resonates in the heart, Motohiro Hata delivers a moving ballad.

Its lyrics, which depict the warmth of those who stay by your side and the unchanging bonds that endure even when you’re apart, gently accompany the season of farewells.

Released as a single in August 2014, this song was created as the theme for the film STAND BY ME Doraemon.

Its messages, which overlap with the film’s story, struck a chord with many people, and by 2015 it had become such a massive hit that it dominated the karaoke charts.

No matter if the paths we walk diverge in the future, our hearts will always remain connected—this is a song that inspires that kind of hope.

Sing it arm-in-arm with friends at graduations or farewell parties as they set off on new journeys, and it will surely become a memory that lasts a lifetime!

Sakura RoadKyūshūdan

Kyushu Man 'Sakura Road' PV (Full ver.)

Singer-songwriter Kusuo, hailing from Nagasaki Prefecture, has reggae roots yet wins broad support with emotive, heart-stirring songs.

Released in March 2009 as his second major-label single, this work is a classic that dramatically portrays springtime partings and new departures.

It was later included on the album “(R).” The single also features a track that served as the ending theme for TBS’s “Sekai Fushigi Hakken! (Discovery of the World),” and at the time, a commercial featuring a professional wrestler from the same hometown became a hot topic.

The lyrics, which balance the bittersweet sorrow of falling cherry blossoms with a resolute stride toward the future, gently give listeners a push forward.

Sung over reggae’s uniquely comfortable groove, it lifts your spirits without becoming overly sentimental.

It’s a perfect pick for karaoke to celebrate new beginnings and get everyone fired up with friends.