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Crazy clothes, car accidents, and bungie jumping: The 2016 “Coming of Age Day” round-up

Preston Phro Jan 12, 2016
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Coming of Age day is a huge deal for young adults in Japan, which means insane clothes, cars, and…bungie jumping?

Though the ages and rites may differ, it is common across numerous cultures to celebrate “coming of age,” when youngsters are officially considered adults. In Japan, coming of age is celebrated communally, with everyone who turns 20 in a given year gathering at some government building or other for speeches, much like a graduation ceremony. Unlike a graduation ceremony, though, the new adults tend to dress up in extravagant or flashy clothes, often making national news with wild haircuts, over-the-top kimono, and obnoxiously loud cars.

This year’s Coming of Age day is no different with headlines about fashion, cars, fights, and bungie jumping! So get ready, because this is our “Coming of Age Day 2016” round-up!

■ Okinawa

Okinawa almost invariably ends up in the headlines on Seijinshiki no Hi (the Japanese name for “Coming of Age Day”) thanks to the locals’ apparent affinity for loud, tricked-out cars with way, way too many people in them.

▼ They also look like they just drove out of 1985.

https://twitter.com/okinawaggirl/status/686006247141715968

But despite all the racket and honking, there were also a lot of new adults out cleaning up the streets too.

▼ Without even worrying about getting their gorgeous clothes dirty!

https://twitter.com/kimiomotodoke/status/529137869089026049

▼ Only in Okinawa could they make picking up trash a fun way to celebrate adulthood.

清掃活動をする沖縄の新成人。見た目はいつも通りなのにw pic.twitter.com/BdLuUlgt

— モバイルプリンス (@mobileprince_PR) January 14, 2013

■ Kita-kyushu

Moving closer to the main island of Japan, Kita-kyushu also regularly makes the news for their fashion — particularly the pompadour hairstyle that was popular with yanki (basically, the “bad kids”) in the 80s! How it has managed to stay popular even today, we have no idea. But we admire their dedication!

Twitter/@sinobu6542

Of course, not everyone stands out in Kita-kyushu. In fact, the crazy haircuts and flashy clothes are often mixed with a sea of black suits.

https://twitter.com/O_taxi_/status/686005064452841472

▼ And then there’s this guy…

堕天使 pic.twitter.com/q2sOdf6VAG

— おなす (@risichou) January 10, 2016

When you get a lot of young, rowdy people in the same area, it’s probably not a surprise that a fight would break out…and that’s exactly what happened in Kita-kyushu.

ガチの殴り合い始まりました pic.twitter.com/C1LUME1FZU

— おなす (@risichou) January 10, 2016

But it’s not just the guys who putting on their flashiest clothes. Some of the gyaru of Kita-kyushu pulled out all the stops with the largest hair we’ve seen in quite some time!

成人式の振袖こんなかんじ♡
ミニ花魁ʕ•̫͡•ʔ♡ʕ•̫͡• pic.twitter.com/Vbbhsm1Iq1

— はるたむ (@harutamusama) January 12, 2014

https://twitter.com/richusama/status/422165331080003584

Other women in Kita-kyushu dressed in the style of oiran, the colorful, sexy, high-class courtesans of the Edo Period.

Twitter/@merasoku

Twitter/@Sankei_news

■ Car crash

Of course, not everything was big hair and fancy kimono—in fact, quite a few new adults got themselves in trouble with the law. But one story in particular stands out for its irony.

▼ “This year’s famous event is…”

https://twitter.com/fujitama_koto/status/686105120623341568

According to Yomiuri Shinbun, a 20-year-old man was drifting his car in the parking area of a multipurpose hall when he struck another car driven by an elderly couple, who apparently suffered broken bones and other injuries as a result. The young man, his friends who were riding as passengers, and the elderly couple were all at the hall to attend a seijinshki event, though the 20-year-old driver was the only one arrested. Internet commenters couldn’t help pointing out that he would have to be charged as an adult. Not exactly the best way to start a new phase of life…

■ Bungie Jumping

Finally, we’ve saved the best for last: Bungie jumping in kimono!

In Hitachiota City, Ibaraki Prefecture, about 140 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, new adults lined up in suits and kimono to go bungie jumping, leaping off Ryujin Suspension Bridge, the highest bridge in Japan, to celebrate becoming adults. Although, we have to admit that we’re not sure which is scarier — falling off a bridge or dealing with being an adult…

Now, we’re just waiting for a video of the AKB48-singing mayor from Kumamoto to make it on YouTube. It will be hard to top his performance of “Flying Get” in 2012!

Sources: Hamusoku (1, 2), Danshi Hack, Yomiuri Shinbun, Okinawa Times, TV Asahi
Featured image: Twitter/@okinawaggirl, Twitter/@sinobu6542, Twitter/@harutamusama