Every Second Monday of January Every Year! Explore Japanese Culture of Seijinshiki

Tokyo Culture

2019.08.31

Seijinshiki is a Japanese culture where people celebrate turning 20, an adult in the Japanese society.

Long history of Japanese Coming of Age Day

Let's take a look at one of the annual events in Japan, the coming of age ceremony【成人式：せいじんしき】.
The annual ceremony, held on the second Monday of January, is literally an event for young adults, mainly in the town hall of their hometown.

The celebration of becoming an adult actually dates back long in history and was part of an initiation.
However, the day that the ceremony began in Japan was not so long ago. The youth festival, held in Warabi City, Saitama, on November 22, 1946, shortly after the war, was the first occasion, and it was held to encourage young people who lost their hope after the war.

Coming-of-age ceremony

Participants in the ceremony are those whose birthdays are between the ceremony of last year and the ceremony of the year.

People usually wear a suit or traditional kimono/hakama when they attend this ceremony.
It's also common to wear kimonos that have been handed down from generation to another, but there are many that just rent for the day as well nowadays.

For women, it's not just the kimono that they have to prepare.
There's the hair setting and make up that comes with it.
And that costs a lot.

Different Venues

The ceremony, as mentioned earlier, is normally held at the local town halls.
Having said that, there are many local councils that carry out the ceremony at different venues these days to attract the young ones.

Theme parks like Disneyland are very popular.

It may be too short in history to call this a tradition, but the day when you see most young people dressed in kimonos and traditional menswear is this day for sure.

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