Today (the second Monday of January) is one of the first holiday’s of the new year (after the New Year’s period called O-shougatsu, of course). Known as “Coming of Age Day” (成人の日, Seijin no Hi), it celebrates those who become adults between 2 April of last year and 1 April of this year. As it is an important time in one’s life (like a Quincinera or a Sweet 16 party), many festivities and celebrations are held across the country.

History and Significance

Rituals and mass celebrations that commemorate becoming an adult reach back to at least 714 CE. In 1948, the “National Holidays Act” established many of the national holidays that modern Japan uses, including Coming of Age Day. It is meant to “celebrate and encourage young people who are aware of becoming adults and are trying to live their own lives”. Across Japan, most city, town, and village has some kind of celebration to welcome the new “citizens” to adult life. Those that do not (usually due to heavy snowfall, such as in Hokkaido) will instead host a replacement ceremony during long holiday periods, such as Obon in August.

Until 1999 this holiday was held every year on 15 January, which was chosen because it is the “Little New Year”, which is based on the original calendar Japan used before the Chinese Lunar one was adopted. It specifically looked forward to the new year by trying to predict harvests of silkworms and other, important crops. There are still regional variations of this tradition that have survived across Japan.

In 2000 a new holiday system was introduced in which Mondays were usually used for holidays, creating three-day weekends. Apart from Coming of Age Day, Marine Day (July), Respect for the Aged Day (September), and Sports Day (October) also started to operate under the “xxth Monday of xx month” system.

In 2023, the age was changed from 20-year-olds to 18-to-20-year-olds due to stresses of modern life. Most participants are those in their final year of high school – many of whom are focused on finding jobs or going into higher education. As the school year ends in March, many third-years do not have time to participate in this kind of celebration. As a result, due to the rule changes, younger students are starting to participate instead.

Coming of Age Day Celebrations

Originally from the Nara Period, a celebration known as Genpuku (元服) was performed. It involved presenting a (usually male) child (usually from a noble family, but also later by artisans and craftsmen) who had matured in society. It involved exchanging a childhood name for an adult one and swapping the children’s versions of clothes, hairstyles, and responsibilities for their adult counterparts. Male participants also wore a ceremonial cap (hence the name genpuku, or “head wearing”).

This tradition survived until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Today’s celebration comes from 1946, when Warabi Town created a Youth Festival. The aim was to raise the spirits of young people after Japan’s defeat in World War II; at the time, it seemed that young people had no prospects. They organised a school festival that included an “Adulthood Ceremony”, which quickly spread to the rest of the country.

The ceremony celebrates the expanded rights and responsibilities of adults. Participants wear traditional formal kimonos, many of which are family heirlooms with elegant patterns (especially for women). During the ceremony, which often occurs in school halls or government buildings, many speeches, guest lectures, and small gifts are presented to participants.

In more prosperous times, participants also reunite with friends (who are usually the same age) and have nice meals as well as do other activities, all while wearing their kimonos.

Coming of Age Day Today

Even with the change in age rules, “Coming of Age Day” faces several issues. The largest one is Japan’s rapidly declining birth rate. Over the past couple of years, births have dropped to under one million per year, meaning that the number of participants will also continue to decrease over at least the next twenty years.

There is also a shift in how participants view the ceremony, with surveys showing that many younger people view the ceremony as a reunion with friends in nice clothing. Their expectations are not the same as the purpose of the event.

Finally, the number of people who want to participate in the ceremony also decreases every year, with many uninterested in the festivities’ contents (e.g. the “endless” number of speeches) being the main reason for their lack of interest. Survey respondents wanted celebrities and singers at the ceremony rather than politicians, seeing the latter group as unnecessary, making the ceremony too long and lowering its value.

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