Coming of Age Day
Next: January 11, 2027
Welcome to the grown-up world.
The story
Where it comes from
Coming of Age Day, Seijin no Hi, became a Japanese national holiday in 1948, to congratulate and encourage young people who have become adults. It was first kept on 15 January, and since 2000 it has fallen on the second Monday of January, under the 'Happy Monday' system that joins holidays to weekends. Japan lowered the legal age of adulthood from 20 to 18 in April 2022, but most towns and cities still hold their ceremonies for people turning 20, partly because 18-year-olds are busy with school-leaving exams.
How it's celebrated
Local governments hold coming-of-age ceremonies, seijinshiki, in city halls and civic centres, with speeches, parties and small gifts. Many young women wear furisode, the long-sleeved kimono of a young unmarried woman, often with a thick scarf against the January cold, and young men wear suits or hakama. For many it is the first time they may wear a furisode, and the ceremony is held in the late morning so there is time to dress.
Did you know
- Some towns now call the event a 'gathering' or 'ceremony for 20-year-olds', because 20 is no longer the age of adulthood in law.
- At 18, young people in Japan can now sign contracts for a phone or a flat without a parent, but the age for drinking and smoking stays at 20.
- Kitakyushu is famous for its new adults' flamboyant outfits, such as one young man's golden artificial roses draped across his shoulders.
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