Next month, communities around Japan will hold Coming of Age Day ceremonies to welcome young men and women into adulthood. However, some soon-to-be adults are sweating bullets after a dressmaker in Okinawa disappeared with people’s money.
Coming of Age Day (成人の日; seijin no hi) traditionally honors young people becoming adults on their 20th birthdays. Celebrations are held in the form of a Coming of Age Ceremony (成人式; seijinshiki) by municipalities.
The celebrations have changed somewhat in recent years due to Japan lowering the age of adulthood from 20 to 18, with many localities rebranding the ceremony as 20-Year Assemblies (二十歳の集い; hatachi no tsudoi). Others have expanded the ceremony to include 18- and 19-year-olds.
One thing is still commonplace: young people showing up to the ceremonies in flashy versions of celebratory clothing (晴れの衣装; hare no ishou). Pics of the flashy event abound on social media on Coming of Age Day, which in 2025 lands on January 13th.
That tradition, however, might be ruined for some in Okinawa.
Smiley, a clothing rental company in Naha, says that it has a number of made-to-order requests for furisode (women’s long-sleeves kimono) and hakama (men’s traditional dress) with a manufacturer in Nago, Okinawa. However, it says it hasn’t heard from the manufacturer since September.
Smiley’s CEO, Higa Motoki, says he confirmed that the company collected money for around 130 orders. However, the money was never sent to his company’s account. The orders come out to a total of 7.3 million yen (USD $46,400).
Higa says the company is now scrambling to get the dresses made by a Chinese manufacturer before Coming of Age Day.
Other businesses are stepping in to help out too. Furisode gram, a clothing rental shop in Okinawa City, says it’ll provide free furisode as well as picture-taking services to young women who might not have a dress in time.
The service is open to anyone 19 or 20 years old who sent money to the AWOL dress manufacturer. gram says it can also ship dresses from its Hokkaido and Niigata stores to fill the gap.
Company representative Nagahama Akino said the store has staff who are having their Coming of Age this year themselves, and that staff are committed to making sure everyone can enjoy the ceremony.
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