Not Your Ordinary Graduation Gown: How The Kanazawa College of Art Celebrates

Typically, graduation ceremonies in Japan follow a rather formal dress code. While most students (particularly men) usually wear a formal black suit, women sometimes go for ceremonial hakama (a traditional type of wide skirt-like pants), worn over a kimono designed to match the colours and patterns of the hakama.

Although this is the norm for most Japanese graduations, this art college in the Ishikawa Prefecture has decided to go against the grain with its own unique tradition.

Instead of the usual graduation gown, students that graduate from the college's programmes are instructed to wear whatever they want. That's right - anything goes for the graduation ceremony. 

This doesn't mean simply replacing the formal gowns with casualwear. Fresh graduates are known to go above and beyond with high-effort costumes, ranging from intricate cosplays of their favourite characters to inanimate objects.

Some students dress up like their favourite animals or put on carefully-crafted suits of armour. They wear wigs, masks or sometimes full bodysuits. 

Some of them even dress up as musical instruments like pianos or violins.

The annual ceremony has become quite popular in the region, as every year there are large numbers of photographers, reporters or TV cameras that cover the ceremony's unique atmosphere.

Why choose this unusual graduation tradition?

We can all agree that the graduation traditions of the Kanazawa College of Art make for a fun, festive atmosphere, but where does this tradition come from?

While it's hard to tell when exactly this tradition started, the reason it is still in place is because it is a celebration of the students' unique personalities and identities. 

Graduations are perhaps some of the biggest milestones in any student's lives.

As an art college, the institution makes sure that each student gets the opportunity to celebrate in the way that best represents them, whether that is wearing a traditional Japanese kimono or an Iron man suit. 

Not only that, but the college prefers a fun, colourful atmosphere to the usual formal feel of graduations. While Irish people are definitely used to celebrating using the usual formal academic regalia, we can definitely understand the appeal of celebrating one’s uniqueness with these types of unusual traditions.

The Kanazawa College of Art is not the only place that strays from the traditional graduation attire found in most European countries. Let's have a look at some other graduation traditions around the world - some may surprise you:

1. Finland  

While Finnish students typically wear the same traditional graduation attire, there is one thing that sets them apart. Most commonly at PhD ceremonies, Finnish students are known to bring real swords as part of their attire. It is said that the sword represents the fight for uncovering the truth, as a symbol of respect for PhD graduates' fruitful efforts. 

2. Italy

Italy takes a very different approach to most other countries. Although the ceremony stays quite formal, soon after participants engage is the fun tradition of 'trashing' - that is, throwing various things such as glitter, confetti, or even eggs and flour at the fresh graduates. 

In recent years, Italian universities have implemented a rule stating that anything thrown must be biodegradable, so that the fun can continue in a sustainable way.

3. China

Chinese universities follow a similar tradition to the Kanazawa College of Art. Here, students get to dress up in various costumes such as brides or pirates - a fun and joyful way to celebrate the end of academic life before entering the overly formal world of work.