Draped in dazzling kimonos, thousands of expensively made-up young Japanese women marked their entry into adulthood on Monday – with many planning a night on the booze to celebrate. Formal “Coming of Age” ceremonies, which began as a rite of ancient samurai families, were held nationwide for Japan’s 20-year-olds, reminding them of their responsibilities after becoming old enough to legally drink and smoke. As they fidgeted with mobile phones and stifled yawns during the speeches, the contrast in financial outlay between the sexes was obvious, with most males opting for the kind of plain business suit they will wear as future “salarymen”. “I’m happy I can finally drink alcohol and go clubbing,” college student Rumiko Matsumoto said while getting a US$100 manicure in Tokyo’s trendy Shibuya district ahead of the ceremony. “When my nails are dry, I have to get my eyelash extensions done, do my hair and get fitted for my kimono. “I’m very nervous,” she added. “It’s a special day, the first step towards being an adult. “My parents told me I have to take responsibility for my own actions now. But first I want to celebrate by going drinking.” As more than four thousand gathered at Tokyo’s Toshima-en amusement park on Monday, the fog of hairspray used to fix exquisitely coiffured perms hung in the cold air as young women queued for a roller-coaster ride.
