Japanese Graduation Ceremonies: Why So Emotional? 🎓💕

In Japan, graduation is a BIG DEAL. While many countries celebrate with cheers and parties, Japanese students cry. A lot. But why? Let’s break down Japan’s unique graduation culture, its history, and how it compares to other countries!

1. A Brief History: From Talent Show to Tearjerker 🎭😭

Graduation ceremonies in Japan started in the Meiji era (1870s), but back then, they were more like talent shows—students gave speeches and showed off their skills.

Over time, the focus shifted to emotion and nostalgia. By the Showa era (1926–1989), heartfelt speeches and graduation songs became the norm. Now, it’s all about the tears.

2. How Japan’s Graduation Differs from the Rest of the World 🌍🎩

① Crying is Mandatory

While Western graduations are joyful and fun, Japanese graduations feel like the end of the world. Students, teachers, and even parents sob uncontrollably as they say goodbye.

② The Dress Code: No Caps, No Tossing

• Japan: Uniforms for students, and hakama (traditional skirts) for many university graduates.
• Western Countries: Black gowns and caps (mortarboards), which they dramatically throw into the air.

Japanese students? No cap, no toss. 🎩❌

③ Emotional Farewell Speeches

In Japan, younger students give a farewell speech to graduates, who reply with their own emotional message. This doesn’t happen in most Western countries, where graduations focus only on the graduating class.

3. Recent Changes: The New Face of Graduation 🎭📱

• Online Graduations → Due to COVID, some schools held virtual ceremonies using robots or even Minecraft.
• The "Hakama Boom" → More elementary school girls are wearing hakama, though some schools have banned them.
• The End of the “Second Button” Tradition? 💔 → Boys used to give their second uniform button (symbolizing their heart) to a crush. But with modern blazers, this romantic gesture is fading.
  

4. The Standard Graduation Ceremony Flow 🎶

1. Graduates Enter → Applause!
2. Principal’s Speech → Long, but students endure it.
3. Diploma Ceremony → Walk up, bow, receive.
4. Farewell Speeches → Underclassmen say goodbye; graduates respond.
5. Graduation Song → Cue the waterworks.
6. Closing & Exit → More tears, endless photos.

5. Conclusion: Japan’s Graduation is an Emotional Rollercoaster 🎢

Compared to the celebratory Western style, Japan’s graduations are sentimental and formal. But traditions are evolving, and the future may bring even more changes.

If you ever attend a Japanese graduation, bring tissues. Lots of them. 😭✨