卒業旅行

• Reading: そつぎょうりょこう
• Romaji: sotsugyou ryokou
• Kanji breakdown: 卒業 (graduation) + 旅行 (travel) → graduation trip
• Pronunciation: /so.tsu.gjoː.ɾjo.koː/

Meaning

Graduation trip — a celebratory trip taken before entering the workforce, typically in February or March of the final university year.

A deeply ingrained tradition in Japanese student culture, 卒業旅行 is often seen as the last hurrah of freedom before the structured life of a company employee begins. Students typically travel with close friends to domestic or international destinations. It carries a bittersweet emotional weight — celebration mixed with the awareness that the carefree days are ending. Budget destinations like Southeast Asia are popular.

Examples

1. 卒業旅行どこ行く？ヨーロッパにしない？ Where are you going for your graduation trip? How about Europe?
2. 卒業旅行の思い出が今でも一番の宝物。 The memories from my graduation trip are still my greatest treasure.
3. バイト頑張って卒業旅行の資金貯めてる。 I've been working hard at my part-time job to save up for my graduation trip.

Usage Guide

Context: university, friends, travel planning

Tone: nostalgic, excited, bittersweet

Do Say

• 卒業旅行は一生の思い出になるよ。 (Your graduation trip will be a memory for a lifetime.)
• 卒業旅行でグアム行ってきた！ (I went to Guam for my graduation trip!)

Don't Say

• 社会人が休暇で旅行するのを「卒業旅行」とは言わない (A working adult taking vacation isn't called a 'graduation trip')

Common Mistakes

• Thinking 卒業旅行 can happen any time after graduation — it specifically refers to the trip before starting work
• Not understanding the emotional weight — it is seen as a farewell to student life, not just a vacation

Origin & History

Compound of 卒業 (graduation) + 旅行 (travel). The tradition became widespread from the 1980s-1990s as international travel became more accessible to Japanese students. It is now a cultural rite of passage for university students.

Cultural Context

Era: 1980s-1990s tradition, still universal

Generation: University students (21-22)

Social background: Universal among university students

Regional notes: Used across Japan. February-March is peak season. Hawaii, Guam, Southeast Asia, and domestic onsen are popular destinations.