Registration for new SEIJINs is here!
General admission is now closed.
<日本語情報はこちら＞
Experience Japanese culture and celebrate your coming-of-age with your fellow SEIJINs in Bellevue, WA !
★Eligibility for New SEIJIN 2025 ★
Anyone born between 2003 and 2005
regardless of their nationality, ethnicity or Japanese language proficiency.
It’s a 3-day weekend, coinciding with Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. Why not plan a trip to Bellevue, WA and join us in person to celebrate your coming-of-age with your fellow new SEIJINs!
★ Sneak peak of the 6th SEIJIN-shiki USA ★
MC: Natalie Akane Newcomb
Speeches from new SEIJINs
Sofia Nayuko Palermo
University of Washington
Kai Ichiro Itoh
Seattle University
SENPAI Messages
Lisa Maria d’Aquila
Japan-America Society of the State of Washington
Lisa has combined her two loves – Japan and music – into a career that has focused on inspiring young people. As a musician, she has been teaching piano and accompanying in the Puget Sound region for over 30 years. And in 2011, after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, she teamed up with two Japanese women and co-founded of Songs of Hope, a group of musicians in the Seattle area who started fundraising and benefit events to support survivors. In September of that year she spent three weeks in the Tohoku region actively participating in recovery efforts.
For the past 20 years she has been lead presenter and volunteer trainer for “Japan In the Schools”, the signature educational program of the Japan-America Society of the State of Washington.
Junichi Sumi
Deputy Consul General
Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle
Mr. Sumi is a Japanese diplomat and Middle East expert, especially on Farsi / Iran. He served as a Japanese-Persian interpreter for the then-Emperor, Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and others. In addition to being trained in London and serving multiple positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Tokyo, he has served at diplomatic missions in Iran (twice), Afghanistan, Iraq, and New York (Permanent Mission to the United Nations). He began his current position at the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle in March 2023.
Live Performance
Hatsune Matsudaira
Cornish College of Arts
Shiho Kurauchi
Koto no WA
University of Washington Taiko Kai
Kimono Talk
SEIJIN Recognition
New SEIJINs Group Photo
You don’t need to wear KIMONO to attend the SEIJIN-shiki USA. Please wear what makes you feel the best to be stepping into adulthood in!
Free Gifts for New SEIJINs 2025
The first 100 New SEIJIN who arrive will receive a complimentary bag!
★ 20 year reflection video
★ Connect with fellow SEIJIN 2025 !!!
……and much more!
Date: January 19, 2025
Doors open at 2:00 pm/stage program starts at 3:00 pm
Venue: Meydenbauer Center Theatre
11100 NE 6th St. Bellevue, WA 98004
6th SEIJIN-shiki USA
Slogan “Embrace Your Journey Ahead”
★How to participate ★
・New SEIJINs・
Free to attend (pre-registration is required), Space is limited to the first 150 registrants.
Please register here!
・General Public・
<CLOSED> Tickets are $10 per person.
Don’t miss out on this special celebration.
*We will be hosting SEIJIN-shiki USA every other year starting in 2025.
No SEIJIN-shiki USA in 2026! The 7th SEIJIN-shiki USA will take place in 2027.
SEIJIN-shiki USA is made possible through the dedicated efforts of volunteers and the support of individual and business donations and grants. Our fundraising goal for the 6th SEIJIN-shiki USA is $8000 to cover the event’s costs. We kindly ask for your support in celebrating SEIJIN 2025’s journey into adulthood together. More information is here.
