Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Japan Marks Coming of Age Day as Traditions Endure Beyond Legal Shift to 18

Local ceremonies still honor 20-year-olds despite the legal threshold moving to 18.

Overview

  • Nationwide observances on Monday featured shrine visits and municipal ceremonies as young people marked the transition to adulthood.
  • In Tokyo, new adults visited Meiji Shrine to pray for health and prosperity and to take commemorative photographs with family.
  • In Yokohama, participants gathered at Yokohama Arena for a ceremony for 20-year-olds that included the national anthem, the city song, and phone lights illuminating the hall.
  • Japan lowered the legal age of adulthood from 20 to 18 through an April 2022 Civil Code revision, with the holiday observed under this change since 2023.
  • Traditional attire dominated the scenes, with women in long-sleeved kimonos with obi and fur collars and men in suits or hakama and haori, and many ceremonies lasted under an hour and attracted foreign visitors.