No Limos, No Tuxedos: Why Doesn’t Japan Have a High School Prom?

The Hollywood High School Dream

If you watch any American coming-of-age movie, the absolute climax of the high school experience is always the Prom. Teenagers spend months planning elaborate “promposals,” renting expensive tuxedos and stretch limousines, buying gorgeous dresses, and dancing the night away in a decorated gymnasium. It is the ultimate American celebration of youth and romance. But when Japanese teenagers watch these Hollywood movies, they are completely fascinated and slightly jealous. Why? Because the concept of a high school “Prom” absolutely does not exist anywhere in Japan!

The Culture of the Collective

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Why doesn’t Japan have a massive senior dance? The biggest reason is the difference in school culture. American schools highly value individualism and couples’ romance. Japanese schools, however, place a massive emphasis on “collective group harmony.” Instead of a single night focused on dating, Japanese students spend months aggressively working together as a team to organize massive, school-wide events like the “Bunkasai” (School Festival) and “Undokai” (Sports Day). These highly organized group festivals—where classes build haunted houses, run food stalls, or perform synchronized dances—act as the true, sweat-filled climax of their high school memories.

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The Second Button Romance

But what about the romance? Without a Prom, how do Japanese students confess their feelings before graduation? They have a subtle, bittersweet, and uniquely Japanese tradition known as “Daini Button” (The Second Button). On graduation day, a girl will approach her crush and bravely ask for the second button from the top of his black school uniform jacket (Gakuran). Why the second button? Because it is the one located physically closest to the heart! Giving away this button is the ultimate romantic confession. It is a quiet, highly emotional moment that perfectly captures the understated beauty of Japanese youth—no limousines required!