[Showa-Era Graduation Songs] Nostalgic? Emotive? A curated selection of timeless classics loved across generations
Graduation songs are ones you start hearing everywhere from around February.
Every year, numerous tracks related to graduation are released.
And many people can vividly remember the songs that were hits when they graduated.
In this article, we’ve gathered graduation songs that were released during the Showa era and became hits.
Among these classics are songs that are still beloved decades after their release, as well as tracks experiencing revival hits on social media.
If you’re from the Showa generation, enjoy the nostalgia; if not, discover them with fresh ears and enjoy these Showa hit songs.
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[Showa-Era Graduation Songs] Nostalgic? Emo? Carefully Selected Timeless Classics Loved Across Generations (21–30)
A Lonely Graduation CeremonyAsaka Yui
Yui Asaka’s “Hitoribocchi no Sotsugyoushiki” is a moving song worthy of being called a graduation classic.
Her fresh, emotionally resonant vocals gently accompany the major life milestone of graduation, heightening the song’s sentimental mood.
The delicately drawn lyrics convey both the sorrow of parting and hope for the future, capturing listeners’ hearts.
That’s why this song has been loved by so many people for years.
In particular, those who spent their youth in the 1980s may find their feelings from that time vividly revived.
And those about to graduate will surely discover new emotion in the song’s universal message.
Smiling Backkyandīzu
Candy’s effectively final single, released in February 1978.
With their breakup approaching, the trio poured into this song the sentiment of “giving back with a smile,” making it a culmination of farewell and gratitude.
Lyrics by Yoko Aki, composition and arrangement by Yuyo Oguchi.
The lyrics naturally weave in titles of their past hits, creating a structure that poignantly retraces the journey they walked with their fans.
Beginning with a moving scene of relocation, the everyday-life imagery heightens the poignancy while maintaining an unwaveringly forward-looking tone that never sinks into sorrow.
The single reached No.
1 on the Oricon Weekly Chart, becoming Candy’s only chart-topping single.
It also hit No.
1 on the TV program The Best Ten, becoming a phenomenon that encapsulated the fervor leading up to their breakup.
A timeless classic especially recommended for those facing graduation or a new departure, or anyone wishing to convey heartfelt thanks to someone special.
[Showa-Era Graduation Songs] Nostalgic? Emotional? A Curated Selection of Timeless Classics Loved Across Generations (31–40)
A Lonely Graduation CeremonyMita Hiroko
Released in January 1983, Hiroko Mita’s fourth single is a breakup song that overlays the end of a romantic relationship with the word “graduation.” Rather than a school ceremony, it strikingly portrays the resolve to cut ties with a partner.
Instead of collapsing in tears, the lyrics bid farewell with a touch of irony and stubborn pride, exuding a mature wit that was unusual for idol pop of the time.
Lyrics are by Yoko Aki, and the composition by Akira Mitake—also known in the technopop sphere—features an urban sound that pairs a kayōkyoku-style melody with prominent synthesizers.
It’s an ambitious work that presents a slightly edgy portrayal of a young woman, not just pure sweetness.
The single peaked at No.
58 on the Oricon charts and was included in the 2017 release GOLDEN☆BEST Complete Singles.
It’s a recommended track for those who want to look back on the bittersweet end of a romance at the start of spring.
Goodbye, helloItō Tsukasa
A graduation ceremony marks a turning point in life, etched as a special memory in everyone’s heart.
Sung by Tsukasa Ito, this song is a delicate youth anthem that folds both parting and reunion into a single word.
The lyrics and composition are by Taeko Onuki, with arrangement by Nobuyuki Shimizu.
It portrays the unspoken feeling of “I love you” and the first-love memories that suddenly resurface with time, building them through small everyday scenes.
Included on the 1982 album “Sayonara Konnichiwa,” it drew attention at the time for featuring a star-studded lineup of creators, including Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi.
Its urbane sound, infused with a New Wave sensibility, is refreshingly restrained, never overly sentimental.
It’s a perfect pick for quietly reflecting on memories during graduation season, or for anyone who wants to enjoy pop music that offers a different flavor from Showa-era idol kayō.
Until we meet againOzaki Kiyohiko
Released in 1971, this song was issued as Kiyohiko Ozaki’s second solo single.
The golden duo of Yū Aku (lyrics) and Kyōhei Tsutsumi (composition and arrangement) handled its creation.
Interestingly, the melody was originally written as a candidate for a commercial jingle, but after various twists and turns it was reborn as a song about parting and reunion.
Ozaki’s performance—marked by a resonant, powerful voice and rich vibrato—conveys a sense of forward momentum even amid sorrow.
In the same year, it won both the 13th Japan Record Award and the 2nd Japan Kayō Grand Prize, and in 1972 it was selected as the entrance march for the Spring National High School Baseball Tournament.
Its uplifting quality makes it perfectly suited to occasions of new beginnings and explains its enduring popularity in sports and ceremonies.
It’s a song I especially recommend listening to during graduation season, when many are taking their first steps forward.
Goodbye for today.Moriyama Ryoko
One of Ryoko Moriyama’s signature songs, included as the B-side to the 1967 single “Love Is Blue.” It was originally written to be sung at farewells among volunteers in the field, a background that imbues its melody and lyrics with a warm resolve—rather than sinking into sorrow, they look ahead with faith in a future reunion.
Its simple tune, well-suited to rounds and choral singing, has been passed down in many settings, from campfires to graduation ceremonies.
In 1974 it was featured on NHK’s “Minna no Uta,” and in 2007 it was selected for the “100 Best Japanese Songs.” In 2018 it was adopted as the train approach melody at Shibasaki Station on the Keio Line, linking it to local memory as well.
This is a song that gently supports not only those graduating but anyone sending off someone dear.
Our JourneyNakamura Masatoshi
This single was released in October 1975 as the theme song for the TV drama “Our Journey,” starring Masatoshi Nakamura, who enjoyed immense popularity from the very start of his acting career.
The lyrics and music were written by Kei Ogura, who likens the long life ahead to a journey, vividly portraying both the hopes of young people pursuing their dreams and the moments of sudden loneliness and melancholy.
Capturing the hearts of the youth of its time, it became a long-running hit, staying on the Oricon charts for 45 weeks.
Nakamura’s warm, enveloping voice seems to gently nudge you forward, even when you’re filled with uncertainty.
It’s an unfading classic that we hope those taking a new step at graduation—and those who wish to reminisce about their youthful days—will listen to.