Coming of Age

Today is Coming of Age Day (Seijin no hi) in Japan.  Celebrating the right to vote, buy alcohol and cigarettes, and be recognized as an adult by the government, those who turned 20 years old between April 2 of 2012 and April 1 of 2013 are invited to town government centers for festivities and speeches, and continue the celebrations with friends and family through the evening.  There were lots of young women dressed in beautiful furisode (type of kimono with long sleeves) on the trains and streets, hair done beautifully, signifying that they are unmarried and an adult.  I even saw a few young men in hakama.

Coming of Age ceremonies date since the early 8th century but it became an established national holiday in 1948.  Originally celebrated on January 15th, it was moved to the 2nd Monday of January in 2000 as part of the Happy Monday System.  (If you're going to have a Monday System, why not make it Happy?)

It's hard not to stare at these beautiful young women in traditional attire.  There is so much care given to their hair with flowers and jewels, their nails, their beautiful shawls and shoes and the fabric of their attire; even their posture seems to have blossomed and matured from the slumped middle schoolers I see in the Wakuwaku concerts.  And that they should be bestowed with this national holiday where the post office and the like close in their honor.  What responsibility is thus handed to them?  What does society expect in return?

When I came home today I opened the curtain in my practice room to look out onto the playground.  As the sun began to set, I started my Tae Kwon Do workout with jumping jacks and through the window caught the attention of two little girls at the top of the slide.  They stared and started to mimic me, giggling, and I laughed and waived at them as we had a game of copying jumping jacks through my soundproof window.