Today (January 14th, 2008) was a National Holiday in Japan. It’s called 「成人の日」(seijin no hi), which literally means, “Adults’ Day,” but is usually translated as, “Coming of Age Day.” In Japan, 20 is the age of adulthood, rather than 21, like in the USA. It is a special day to celebrate the coming of age for young adults who turn 20 years old this year. Young people dress up and attend a special celebration in their honor.
When I got home and turned on the TV, they were interviewing people who have just turned 20. They asked them what wish they would like to receive. They came up with many interesting and funny answers, but the overall three most popular answers overall were:
- Money
- To become pretty
- To be a good person
So what will they make of their lives? And how will they shape the future of Japan? It will be interesting to see.
For more information on Coming of Age Day, check out this Wikipedia Article.
By the way, I had to run a few errands, but I managed to take a few pictures. Here’s a quick slideshow. Most of these are from Asagaya, which is just one stop away from Ogikubo, where I live.
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
on Jan 16th, 2008 at 5:09 am
This is fascinating!
on Jan 17th, 2008 at 12:01 am
Thanks. To be honest, I wasn’t that interested in this holiday, even when I was out. I happened to that picture of the girls in kimonos, but I didn’t really care so much. But when I got home and saw that news feature, it really sparked my interest.
It made me realize that everyone back home might be interested.
At any rate, I am glad to hear that you liked it!