The Taste Of Freedom

Coming of age in Japan has evolved from an ancient rite of passage to a raucous festival

- Alex Campbell

Every year, groups of young Japanese men clad in designer business suits and women donning traditional furisode (kimonos worn by single women) gather to celebrate their coming of age through a riotous – and opulent – day of celebration. Held annually on the second Monday in January, the Coming of Age Day – Seijin-no-Hi – allows those who turned 20 in the previous year (or who will do so before March 31 in the current year) to celebrate as they are officially declared “adults”, with the right to drink, smoke and gamble. (The age of adulthood was lowered from 20 to 18 on April 1, 2022. However, the legal age for drinking, smoking, and gambling remains 20, so most Japanese municipalities continue to host the event for 20-year-olds.)

The certified age marking adulthood has varied at different stages of Japanese history. During the Edo period (1603–1868), for example, boys became men in a ceremony called genpuku at age 15, and girls during the