Graduation Ceremonies

The first day of March is graduation day for high schools across Japan. As this year was my second time witnessing one, I thought it would be interesting to compare it to America high school graduation.

The first major difference is the atmosphere. I remember when I graduated from high school, everyone was excited and there was a buzz in the air. Finally, we could move on. But in Japan, or at least in my high school, the air is solemn and full of sadness. There is no excitement at all.

So let’s go through this step by step. The ceremony is held in the gym, which is decorated with red and white striped banners that hang on the walls around the entire gym. Guests are seated in one section, teachers in another, PTA members in another, and first and second years in another. Yes, that’s right. First and second year students are required to attend the graduation ceremony for the third years. We even had a practice ceremony the day before so the students could perfect their standing in unison, bowing in unison, and sitting in unison.

When the graduating students come in, they file in led by their homeroom teacher. Pop music, though I believe with a slightly more somber tune, is played as they come in and everyone claps. And you clap the entire time, while all 150 students come in. There’s no shouting or cheering though, and thankfully they aren’t walking in to the American traditional ‘Pomp and Circumstance’.

Once everyone has filed in, the ceremony proper starts. Throughout the entire hour-ish long ceremony, there is no talking or chatter from the guests or the other students. Everything is completely silent. And there are a lot of silent moments to be had. Every person who goes to speak at the podium first stands, bows to the other people on the stage, bows to the stage itself, and then bows to the audience. When they are finished, they do so again. This happens a lot, as the vice principal, the principal, three members of the PTA, the leader of the graduating students, and the leader of the non-graduating students all make speeches.

But before the speeches, the graduating students are recognized. There are no diplomas or handshakes. Instead a classical piece of music plays on repeat (still not Pomp and Circumstance though!) and each student’s name is called. They respond with a firm ‘Yes’ and stand. Once every student’s name has been called, the lead student for the graduating class goes up to the stage and receives an award from the principal. That’s all. The students are not recognized individually in any other way, and there is still no applause or cheering. 

Once that’s done, students who received particularly high mark on exams and achieved awards in sports clubs are called upon and presented with awards. Again, more bowing here and no applause.

Speeches come next, and once those are done every member of the PTA not on stage stands up one by one and offers congratulations. Finally, all of the students stand and sing a traditional song. At the beginning of the ceremony they sing the school song, but at this point it’s a special graduation song. The graduating students sing the first verse, then the first and second year students sing the second verse with harmony. The final verse is sung by all students and teachers together. More bowing happens, and finally the graduating students are dismissed.

At dismissal, again somber pop music plays and people clap as everyone files out. The thing that I find most interesting here is, like I said in the beginning, the sad and somber atmosphere. Maybe a couple students look happy as they leave, but most of them are trying their hardest not to cry. This year the leader of the graduating students gave her speech while barely holding back her tears. It’s all quite sad and has a sense of finality to it. Then the students start crying in the hallway, or some of them make it back to their classrooms before breaking down. Other students are dismissed, then the PTA members leave. As they go, they bow to all the guests and the teachers, who bow in return. Then the third year teachers address the guests and everyone leave. There are goodbyes said in the classrooms and some clubs gather together to say farewell, and the teachers head back to the staff room.

And that is a Japanese high school graduation ceremony. More somber and silent than I’m used to, I often found my eyes closing while I sat near the back (it didn't help that my brain was unwilling to process formal scripted Japanese for over an hour). While to me graduating high school was a big occasion, one meant for celebration and praise at finally moving on, the Japanese ceremony seems to focus on what is being left behind rather than what happens next.

Although I think I prefer the excitement of the American ceremony, at least the Japanese one doesn’t play ‘Pomp and Circumstance’!