Coming of Age Day

Yesterday, as I went out to buy some groceries, I saw many girls clad in their elegant and seemingly heavy kimono, scattered around the park, waiting for something. Then I learned from a friend that yesterday was the Coming of Age Day, or Seijin no Hi.

This day, as Japan Guide puts it,

The Coming of Age festival is celebrated on the second Monday of January (it used to be celebrated always on January 15 until the year 1999). Its Japanese name is Seijin no hi. All young people who turn twenty years old in that year are celebrated on Seijin no hi. Twenty is the age considered as the beginning of adulthood. It is also the minimum legal age for voting, drinking, and smoking.

Celebrations are held nationwide in every town with most of the people turning 20 participating in formal dresses. Seijin no hi is a national holiday.

Quite surprising for me to learn that the kimono these young adults wear are so expensive one could already buy a standard car (according to my friend). Renting is the only option, which means spending about 200,000yen for wearing a complete set of kimono for ONE DAY.

But more than the elegant attire is the spirit with which this day is held -- to become adults not only in terms of age, but more importantly, to THINK, ACT and BEHAVE as ADULTS should.

Read more about Coming of Age here (written in 1998).

Image source: dougcoutts.com