The annual event called Seijin no Hi (Coming of Age Day) is held in Japan on the second Monday of every January to congratulate and encourage all those who have turned 20 — the country's official age of majority.
Official ceremonies are held in the morning at local city offices throughout Japan, with government officials giving speeches and small presents being handed out to the participants. After that, the newly-recognized young adults hold after-parties among family and friends.
Adolescents-turned-adults wearing kimonos ride a carousel after the Coming of Age Day ceremony at the Toshimaen amusement park in Tokyo, Japan, on January 8, 2018.
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© AP Photo / Shizuo Kambayashi
It is believed that this rite has been held since at least 714 AD, when a young prince donned new robes and a hairstyle to mark his own entry into adulthood. The national holiday was officially established in 1948. Photo: Participants clad in Japanese kimono walk together following the Coming of Age ceremony in Tokyo, on January 8, 2018.
Japanese women wearing kimonos attend the Coming of Age Day ceremony in Tokyo on January 8, 2018.
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© AP Photo / Shizuo Kambayashi
A Japanese participant clad in a Japanese kimono poses for a photo following a Coming of Age ceremony in Tokyo on January 8, 2018.
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© AP Photo / Shizuo Kambayashi
On this day, many women wear a furisode, a formal-style kimono with long sleeves that hang down. Photo: Japanese women attend the Coming of Age Day celebration ceremony in Tokyo on January 8, 2018.
They go to beauty salons for makeup and fancy hairdos. Photo: A Japanese woman wearing a flower decoration in her hair attends the Coming of Age Day celebration ceremony in Tokyo on January 8, 2018.
Sometimes men also wear traditional outfits, but nowadays they more often opt for usual suits and ties. Photo: Japanese 20-year-olds pose for a selfie following the Coming of Age ceremony in Tokyo on January 8, 2018.
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© AP Photo / Shizuo Kambayashi
Newly-recognized adults in Japanese kimonos attend the Coming of Age ceremony at Toshimaen amusement park in Tokyo on January 8, 2018.
Japanese women wearing kimonos ride an escalator at a subway station after attending the Coming of Age Day ceremony in Tokyo on January 8, 2018.
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© AP Photo / Shizuo Kambayashi
Young Japanese women pose for a selfie following the Coming of Age ceremony at Toshimaen amusement park in Tokyo on January 8, 2018.
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© AP Photo / Shizuo Kambayashi
Participants wearing kimonos walk together after the Coming of Age ceremony in Tokyo on January 8, 2018.
Japanese women attend the Coming of Age Day celebration ceremony in Tokyo on January 8, 2018.
