On January 8th, Aomori City's Minami Junior High School (Midori 2, Aomori City) held the 2022 Aomori City Coming-of-Age Ceremony Hatachi no Tsudoi.

The coming-of-age ceremony hosted by Aomori City targets 2,345 people born between April 2, 2002 and April 1, 2003. It was held at 20 venues, mainly junior high schools, and 153 new adults gathered at the school. Due to the lowering of the age of adulthood, the coming-of-age ceremony will be renamed "Hatachi no Tsudoi" from 2022.

The theme of the ceremony is "Bon Voyage!" which means "Have a nice trip" in French. Mayor Akihiko Onodera delivered a congratulatory message via video letter saying, "I hope that everyone who turns 20 will boldly open up the journey of life and enjoy a wonderful life."

Keisuke Komatsu and Shiori Naraoka, representatives of new adults, said, "I am grateful that we were able to hold the 'Hatachi no Tsudoi.' I want to fight through these difficult times and make Aomori City and society as a whole better," he said in his vow.

As an attraction, a "congratulatory message" from the teachers at the time was projected on the screen, and the new adults felt nostalgic for their school life at the time and smiled.

The chorus club of the same school presented the students with songs such as "Thread" written and composed by Miyuki Nakajima, and the ceremony was concluded to celebrate the new beginnings of the new adults.