Photos of 20-year-olds at a Coming of Age Day ceremony in Japan
Young adults leave a venue after celebrating the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Young women in brightly colored long-sleeved kimonos and young men in formal and traditional wear celebrated Japan’s Coming of Age Day on Monday for people who have turned 20.
Coming of Age Day is a widely observed public rite of passage in Japan. Before and after the brief ceremonies, the young adults greeted friends on sidewalks and nearby train stations. Smartphones were raised repeatedly as they took selfies and photos of each other.
Among the many men wearing black and navy suits, a large number chose traditional hakama trousers and haori jackets.
Young adults leave a venue after celebrating the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults leave a venue after celebrating the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults arrive at a venue to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults arrive at a venue to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Kimono-clad women are checked at a security checkpoint as they arrive to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Kimono-clad women are checked at a security checkpoint as they arrive to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A young adult with hair ornament takes a photo, during a ceremony of the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A young adult with hair ornament takes a photo, during a ceremony of the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults walk at a venue to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults walk at a venue to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Two young men stand side by side, one wearing traditional zori sandals and tabi socks and the other in dress shoes, chat before celebrating the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday making the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Two young men stand side by side, one wearing traditional zori sandals and tabi socks and the other in dress shoes, chat before celebrating the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday making the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults pause after marking the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults pause after marking the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults attend the ceremony to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko).
Young adults attend the ceremony to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko).
Young adults leave a venue after celebrating the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults leave a venue after celebrating the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults arrive at a venue to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults arrive at a venue to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults with kimono walk to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults with kimono walk to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults arrive to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults arrive to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults leave a venue after marking the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults leave a venue after marking the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults hold up their lighted mobile phones to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults hold up their lighted mobile phones to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults arrive at a venue to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Young adults arrive at a venue to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A security person controls the flow of the young adults celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A security person controls the flow of the young adults celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Adulthood legally begins in Japan at 18 after the Civil Code was revised in 2022. Even so, most local governments continue to hold Coming of Age ceremonies for 20-year-olds.
Inside Yokohama Arena, participants stood for the national anthem, then sang Yokohama’s city song together. Many then switched on the lights of their mobile phones, illuminating the hall.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
