[2026] Modern graduation songs: Reiwa-era staples and new tracks you should know

Waiting for flowersKihara Rui

Rui Kihara / Waiting for Flowers Official Music Video

Written and composed by singer-songwriter Atsu Mizuno, this piece is a ballad distinguished by its warm melody.

It captures the loneliness of parting and a wish to meet again, offering comfort to those standing at the major milestone of graduation.

Released as a single in March 2025, it was also included on the first album, “REPLAY,” released the same year.

It’s a perfect song for spring, a season of new beginnings.

To you, my best friend in the worldHakoniiwa Ririi

To You, My Best Friend in the World / Haconiiwa Lily [Music Video]

A bittersweet yet forward-looking youth pop song that portrays the resolve to finally confess hidden feelings on graduation day.

Haconiwa Lily is a vocal duo featuring Hanon, with her powerful voice, and Kotoha, whose vocals are full of clarity.

This track is included on their major-label debut album, “Lily’s Plage,” released in September 2022.

Set to a gentle, folk-tinged melody, it delicately weaves a story of budding love for someone once thought of as just a friend, and the inner turmoil as the moment of parting draws near.

The duo’s layered harmonies convey both the intimacy forged over a long time together and the beautiful resonance of feelings left unspoken.

It’s a song that gently gives you a push to take that next step forward.

PasswordAina ji Endo

Aina the End – Aikotoba [Official Music Video] (TV Anime “The Apothecary Diaries” Ending Theme)

A song whose vocals, blending transience and resolve, seep deep into the heart.

This medium-tempo ballad by Aina the End—who has continued to shine in many fields after her time with BiSH, including starring in the film “Kyrie no Uta”—was released digitally in October 2023 and used as the ending theme for the anime “The Apothecary Diaries.” Written by singer-songwriter Huey Ishizaki, its expansive melody and prayer-like lyrics are profoundly moving.

The track was later included on the album “RUBY POP,” released in November the following year, and has become a signature song that holds an important place in her live shows.

It’s perfect for anyone looking back on days spent with friends while preparing to take a new step forward.

In those moments when you set off carrying feelings you can’t quite put into words, this song will gently stay by your side.

YuiriMurayama Yuiri

[MV full] Yuiri / Sayaka Murayama [Official]

Ayaka Murayama, who has appeared in over 1,000 AKB48 theater performances and has long been beloved by fans as the “Goddess of the Theater.” Created to coincide with her graduation from the group, this work bears her nickname in its title and is a moving ballad that conveys gratitude while she looks at herself as an idol with an objective eye.

As it reflects on her journey so far, her vocals, filled with determination to move forward into the future, are impossible to listen to without tears.

It’s a coupling track included on the limited first edition TYPE-A of the single “Masaka no Confession,” released in April 2025, with lyrics by Yasushi Akimoto.

It’s a gentle masterpiece that will resonate with anyone embarking on a new chapter from a place they’ve spent many years, or parting ways with cherished companions.

Embrace the presentsatō moka

Satomoka – Embrace the Now (Music Video)

A ballad by Moka Sato that makes you want to gently embrace the “now” we tend to lose sight of during busy days and the season of graduations and farewells.

Released as a single in November 2025, it’s a work that lays bare unadorned feelings.

What really hits home is how it portrays the will to move forward, even while carrying loneliness, through everyday details like familiar rooms and scenery.

It’s a song that sinks into the heart when you’re tucking away precious memories and heading toward a new place.

When it shinesHitsuji Bungaku

Hitsujibungaku – When It Shines (Official Music Video) [TV Anime “The Heike Story” Opening Theme]

Hitsujibungaku is a rock band that captures listeners’ hearts with story-driven songs.

The track they released in January 2022 was written specifically as the opening theme for the TV anime The Heike Story.

Vocalist and guitarist Moeka Shiotsuka reportedly immersed herself in the script and crafted the song to honor the human and beautiful sides of the Heike people.

The band’s sound—delicate yet powerful—melds with words that resemble a prayer, leaving a striking impression of eyes fixed on the light while still carrying pain.

Growing in popularity as a new graduation song, it’s a number meant for everyone who, at the milestone of graduation, experiences loss or parting yet wishes to keep moving forward.

If I had been living aloneSUPER BEAVER

SUPER BEAVER "If I Had Lived Alone" MV

I am who I am today because I’ve walked alongside someone else.

This song delivers that simple yet easily forgotten truth straight to the heart.

It’s included on the four-piece rock band SUPER BEAVER’s 12th single, released in June 2020, and was chosen as the theme song for the film “Water’s Edge Flight.” The frustrations and joys you could never have experienced alone, and the encounters with those who became precious to you—these feelings that only arise through connections with others surge to the fore alongside a powerful rock sound.

The structure is superb too, building gradually from a quiet opening into growing heat, and by the time it ends your heart will naturally feel warm.

It’s the perfect number for those who, at the milestone of graduation, want to savor their gratitude for the friends they spent time with and the people who supported them.