KIDPROJ MCC: Coming-of-Age Day // Seijin-no-hi

A Page From the KIDPROJ Multi-Cultural Calendar
Coming-of-Age Day // Seijin-no-hi - Japan
by Dave McLane

15 January

"Coming of Age Day"

Coming of Age Day, or "Seijin-no-hi" on January 15, is a national holiday in honor of all those who have their twentieth birthday in the year up to and including this day. In Japan, the age of twenty is regarded as the age at which young people attain the responsibility and status of adulthood, and they are allowed to smoke, drink, and vote after reaching this age. Cities, towns and villages hold special celebrations which the new adults attend dressed in their best, the men in suits and the women in kimono called "furisode".

Sounds OK, I guess, but doesn't really capture the flavor. For example, many of the young women are accompanied by their already-of-age boyfriends. The women wear million yen kimono, 50,000 yen shoes and bag, and have spend three hours at the beauty shop having their hair done, makeup put on, and the kimono arrange (ordinary people can't put on kimono), this costs another 50,000 yen ... then there is the obligatory formal portrait (yet another 50,000 yen), the taxi's, the feather boa, and so on. Total cost is getting about $10,000. The boyfriend is usually dressed in dirty jeans and run over shoes. Very curious.

Two of my English Conversation students came of age this year and they came over to take their picture with me. She was very tired as it is not possible to sit back due to the large bow in the back so she'd been sitting/standing for about 12 hours. Very tired...

Dave McLane                             Internet: <davidg@aegis.org>
Nagaokakyoshi, Kyoto Japan Tel: +81-75-951-1168 Fax: +81-75-957-1087

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