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Wed 11 Nov
|Japan House London
Tradition/Rebellion: Coming-of-Age Style in Kitakyushu, Japan (まつろわぬ二十歳)
A free Japan House London exhibition on the flamboyant coming-of-age fashion of Kitakyushu, where 20-year-olds swap formal kimono for fur trims, wild colour and gravity-defying hair. It follows eight 'new adults' from first fitting to ceremony, with the outfits, tactile displays and video interviews. Great for fashion lovers and anyone curious about youth culture in Japan.
Time & Location
11 Nov 2026, 10:00 – 18 Apr 2027, 18:00
Japan House London, Japan House London, 101-111 Kensington High Street, London W8 5SA, UK
About the event
From fur-trimmed kimono to gravity-defying hair, Tradition/Rebellion is a world of colour and creativity. It celebrates the eclectic and flamboyant fashion worn by 20-year-olds in the Japanese city of Kitakyushu as they mark their entry into adulthood.
Every January, coming-of-age ceremonies take place across Japan, usually marked by formal kimono and speeches. In Kitakyushu, an industrial port city on the southern island of Kyushu, they do things a little differently. Here, a counterculture of one-upmanship among the city’s young citizens has helped shape an array of extreme and deeply personal fashions, all in the name of demonstrating individuality.
Tradition/Rebellion follows eight of Kitakyushu’s ‘new adults’, from the first fitting to the ceremony itself. Each look is made possible by a bustling local industry: kimono renters, fashion designers, hairdressers and photographers, all working round the clock to transform their clients. See the outfits for yourselves in this exhibition, along with tactile displays and video interviews with the city’s residents.
Co-curated by fashion director Yamaguchi Souta and Japan House London’s Simon Wright, with the people of Kitakyushu, Tradition/Rebellion is an original Japan House London exhibition built over several years. It shines a light on one city’s most extraordinary day and asks what it really means to come of age.
11 November 2026 – 18 April 2027, The Gallery, Japan House London, 101-111 Kensington High Street, London W8 5SA.
This exhibition is open 10:00-20:00 on weekdays and Saturdays and 12:00-18:00 on Sundays.
Admission free | Booking guarantees you entry at busy times
Find out more info or book your tickets on japanhouselondon.uk/whats-on/traditionrebellion-coming-of-age-style-in-kitakyushu-japan
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