Coming of age day

Coming of Age Day (成人の日 / Seijin no Hi) is one of Japan’s most vibrant and meaningful national holidays, celebrated every year on the second Monday of January. It honors young people who have come of age. It is a national public holiday in Japan.

Traditionally 20 years old was seen as the beginning of adulthood in Japan. But they changed the legal age to 18 on April 1st 2022. From my understanding, the main impetus was so that more people could vote. However, they didn't change the age for alcohol, smoking and gambling, which remain 20 years old. Moreover, the change really messed up the coming of age day!

Now in some areas 18 year olds celebrate coming of age day. But in my town it is still 20 years old. Even though they are legally adults two years by the time they celebrate coming-of-age. And they will have peers from second and third level education, who are from different towns or cities, that celebrate two years in advance of them.

On or about this day, municipalities across the nation host Coming of Age Ceremonies (成人式 / seijinshiki), inviting new adults to gather, reflect, and celebrate their transition into society. In our town, they always hold the event on the Sunday, so that the participants have a day to recover before going back to college or work!

Young women often wear furisode, a long‑sleeved kimono reserved for special occasions, while men appear in hakama or formal suits. These colorful outfits fill city halls, shrines, and public spaces with a festive atmosphere. Often, people go to a shrine too. Although that maybe down before or after the day.

Last year I met a group of women at a shrine, dressed in furisode, to get photos for their coming-of-age day. They very kindly gave me permission to take their photo, but because Google Lens is broken, I can not find my photos from that day! So instead, I had to use a photo of the backs of kimono I had for this post! One day in the future, I will have photos galore, as I have four children who will eventually get to celebrate coming-of-age day in Japan.