• More than 5 million people have watched Sumire Morino, 20, shred the slopes in a red kimono.
  • Morino wore a long-sleeved furisode kimono to mark Coming of Age Day in Japan.
  • Her fashion decision marks a modern take on a longstanding tradition in Japan.

The internet is going wild for a video of a young Japanese woman snowboarding in a red kimono. A a 20-second clip she posted on January 9 has already been viewed over 5 million times.

Sumire Morino, 20, told Insider that in the video, she's wearing a furisode kimono that she bought for 20,000 Japanese yen, or $153. The furisode is worn by unmarried women in formal settings. The term refers to the outfit's long "swinging sleeves."

"In Japan, there is a culture of women wearing a special long-sleeved kimono, furisode, for the coming-of-age ceremony, and I wanted to wear one at least once," Morino said.

Coming of Age Day is a public holiday in Japan held to celebrate teenagers turning 20, who are crossing into the next phase of their lives: adulthood. But Morino told Insider she did not want to participate in a traditional ceremony that would involve meeting all her classmates from elementary school, junior high, and high school. 

Instead, Morino opted to go to the Banshogahara Ski Resort in Nagano to celebrate, combining her high school hobby, snowboarding, with a slice of tradition.

Morino — now a college student in Kyoto specializing in traditional Japanese crafts — told Insider she was initially afraid the long furisode sleeves would get caught under the snowboard. But her worries were for naught, as evidenced by the video of her tearing down the slopes, long sleeves flying in the winter wind.

"The kimono looks so good on you! Congratulations on becoming an adult," read one comment on Morino's video. 

"This is ridiculously cool, please marry me," another comment read.

Morino also posted pictures of herself wearing the kimono on the slopes and on a snow lift. She told Insider she had to readjust the outfit several times, because the wind was blowing "really violently" and messing up her outfit. 

 

"For me, Coming of Age Day was just an ordinary day," Morino said. "But many people celebrated with me and it became a very memorable day."

At least one million people celebrated Coming of Age Day this year on January 9. The act of putting on new, "adult" clothes to mark a rite of passage is thought to date back to the eighth century.

Women often wear furisode kimonos on Coming of Age Day, while men often wear suits or pleated hakamatrousers. Japanese youths are often seen visiting temples to ask for blessings with their family and friends, or participating in seijinshiki, ceremonies held at local city halls. It's also the first day many youths are legally allowed to drink and smoke, so the festivities can get rowdy.

Morino isn't the only youth in Japan who's found a modern way to celebrate the day of tradition.

Two girls in Japan's Shizuoka city recreated a viral photo of themselves in school uniform with Mt. Fuji in the background. But this time, the duo was older — and celebrating Coming of Age Day together. 

Over in Kita-Kyushu, some youths opted for gaudy, non-traditional outfits to mark the day with their friends — a rare sight in Japan, but one that has become something of a local tradition.

 

The next Coming of Age Day will next be celebrated on January 8, 2024.

Read the original article on Insider