Young adults arrive for the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday celebrating the milestone from child to adult, in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)
YOKOHAMA, Japan—Japan’s Coming of Age Day is a sure sign of winter, arriving after New Year celebrations and before the cherry blossom parties of early spring.
The national holiday is held on the second Monday of January. People turn out to admire the elaborate outfits young people don to celebrate the transition from child to adult. The age of adulthood has been lowered from 20 to 18, but many of the participants are still 20-year-olds.
Kimono-clad women take a photo after a ceremony to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Young adults arrive for the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Young adults celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Kimono-clad women walk to the venue of a ceremony to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)A Kimono-clad woman wearing tabi socks and zori sandals takes stairs to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Men wearing suits and women wearing kimono arrive for the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Kimono-clad women arrive at a security checkpoint before a ceremony to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Young people sing as they celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)A kimono-clad woman walks as she celebrates the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Kimono-clad women are checked at a security checkpoint as they arrive to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Kimono-clad women celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Young people celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Kimono-clad women run a pedestrian crossing as they arrive to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Kimono-clad women celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Kimono-clad women stand in an empty venue of a ceremony as they celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)A kimono-clad woman is checked at a security point as she arrives to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Kimono-clad women embrace each other as they celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Kimono-clad women take a selfie as they celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Young people leave after a ceremony celebrating the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Young people take a selfie as they celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)A kimono-clad woman celebrates the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)Kimono-clad women with hair ornament celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)
The men usually wear sober black suits, but the women are resplendent in kimonos woven in lustrous patterns—often of flowers—and a bright array of colors, many with elaborately constructed hairdos and fancy handbags.
In photos by chief Tokyo photographer Eugene Hoshiko, throngs of young people milled Monday on the streets of Yokohama, a city that forms part of Greater Tokyo. The women wore fur muffs to keep off the chill. One chatted on her cellphone. There were many wide smiles and self-conscious poses, selfies, and hugs.
