Coming of Age Day is a Japanese
holiday held annually on the second Monday of January. It is held
in order to congratulate and encourage all those who have reached the
age of majority (20 years old) over the past year, and to help them
realize that they have become adults. Festivities include coming
of age ceremonies held at local and prefectural offices, as well as
after parties amongst family and friends.
Coming of age ceremonies have been celebrated in Japan since at least 714 AD, when a young prince donned new robes and a hairstyle to mark his passage into adulthood. The holiday was first established in 1948, to be held every year on January 15. In 2000, as a result of the Happy Monday System,Coming of Age Day was changed to the second Monday in January.
Coming of age ceremonies are generally held in the morning at local city offices.
All young adults who turned or will turn 20 between April 1st of the previous year and March 31st of the current one and who maintain residency in the area are invited to attend. Government officials give speeches, and small presents are handed out to the newly-recognized adults.
Many women celebrate this day by wearing furisode and "zori" sandals. Since most are unable to put on a kimono by themselves due to the intricacies involved in putting one on, many choose to visit a beauty salon to dress and to set their hair. A full set of formal clothing is expensive, so it is usually either borrowed from a relative or rented rather than being bought especially for the occasion.
Men sometimes also wear traditional dress, but nowadays many men wear formal Western clothes such as a suit and tie more often than the traditional hakama. After the ceremony, the young adults often celebrate in groups by going to parties or going out drinking.
The celebration of one's coming of age reflects both the expanded rights but also increased responsibilities of new adults. However, disruptions to some ceremonies in recent years and a general increase in the number of 20-year-olds who do not feel themselves to be adults have caused some
concern among older Japanese.
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