Seijin no Hi or Coming of Age Day is a public holiday to celebrate Japanese teenagers who have turned 20 between April 2 the previous year and April 1 next year.
The women dress in kimono and the men dress in Western suits, with some heading to Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo.
But Sensoji is also one of the biggest and most popular temples in Tokyo and besides the crowd coming to celebrate Seijin no Hi, there is the crowd of tourists and Japanese who have come to pray, celebrate the new year or to see the temple.
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- Two women return from Sensoji on the Tokyo Metro.
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- Crowds pass through the gate at Sensoji towards the main temple. One the way, some stop at a small shrine (centre frame) to fan smoke onto themselves as a cleansing ritual.
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- Women dressed in kimonos are a great photo opportunity for any photographer, with many women who attend constantly asked to pose for photos. Some take it well, and some don’t; likewise some photographers refuse to be told ‘no’, with one seen still asking two women even after they waved him away.
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- A security guard directs the crowd towards the temple.
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- A woman fixes her daughter’s kimono.
All photos are the authors and are not to be used without permission.
