Coming of Age (Seijin no Hi) in Tokyo 2012

What is Seijin no Hi? Seijin no Hi (Coming of Age Day) is a time for families and friends to celebrate the transition from childhood to adulthood of young Japanese men and women who have reached their 20th birthday within the last year. Coming of Age Day starts with “official” ceremonies at local government offices all over Japan. After that, many 20-year-olds visit a shrine with their families. The day usually ends in a more relaxed manner with young people gathering together to party with friends.

Beautiful girls and gorgeous boys in Shibuya celebrating Sijin no Hi. Ooh...the furisode kimono are very astonishing!

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of “Seijin no Hi” to fans of Japanese fashion is that it’s one of the few days of the year when you can see young people walking the streets of Japan in traditional dress. Young Japanese women celebrating Coming of Age Day dress up in beautiful furisode kimono and visit salons to have their hair and makeup done for the ceremonies. FYI, furisode is the most formal kimono for unmarried woman. It has long sleeves and the patterns are gorgeous and fancy. In between events, and after they are done with the official ceremonies, you can see groups of 20-year-old girls walking all over Tokyo dressed in colorful kimono. Guys celebrating Coming of Age Day dress up as well – but in suits, not kimono. Of course, the young men look handsome, but it’s the kimono-wearing young women who turn heads all over Japan on Coming of Age Day.

Because of the beauty of the kimonos – and because it’s so rare to see so many young people wearing them on the same day – we go out every year on Coming of Age Day to take photos. Our usual place to take pictures (and one that we can recommend if you are ever in Tokyo on Coming of Age Day yourself and looking for kimono) is Meiji Shine in Harajuku. Many young women and their families make a pilgrimage to Meiji Jingu on “Seijin no Hi”.























































Source: http://tokyofashion.com/kimono-pictures-coming-of-age-day-tokyo-2012/