Coming-of-age
I attended a 'Coming-of-age ceremony' also known as 'Seijin Shiki', which was held by the local government over twenty-five years ago! Just the thought of it makes me jolt. I feel so old right now.
In my country, Japan, since 1948, the age of majority has been 20 in the second Monday of January (used to be 15th January). The government plans to change the age of the majority to 18 in 2021, the same age as suffrage (which came into effect in 2016).
On my coming-of-age-day it was a cold snowy day. I went to the beauty salon to have make-up, setting the hair and dressing up in traditional furisode kimono. Some people wear expensive kimono (their parents buy to their daughter) or rent a set of kimono, or select a nice suit or dress. Mine was my cousin's hand-me-downs and a red-ish beautiful kimono. I attended the ceremony with my friends, but I can't remember what the ceremony itself was. Probably it was boring. I just remember it was a nice opportunity to see some old friends and it was hard to walk under the snow.
Coming-of-age ceremonies are always troublesome. Because some coming-of-age yobs and yobettes drink and make big trouble with the police every year. According to my mother, there was another unprecedented terrible event happened this year that a renting business company became bankrupt and ran away on the day with all kimono subscribers' money. Some people paid 600,000 yen (approx. 4,000 pounds) for set of kimono etc, some people couldn't attend the ceremony, some couldn't wear kimono. The company messed the young people's memorial day up. Definitely it's unforgivable.
In my country, Japan, since 1948, the age of majority has been 20 in the second Monday of January (used to be 15th January). The government plans to change the age of the majority to 18 in 2021, the same age as suffrage (which came into effect in 2016).
On my coming-of-age-day it was a cold snowy day. I went to the beauty salon to have make-up, setting the hair and dressing up in traditional furisode kimono. Some people wear expensive kimono (their parents buy to their daughter) or rent a set of kimono, or select a nice suit or dress. Mine was my cousin's hand-me-downs and a red-ish beautiful kimono. I attended the ceremony with my friends, but I can't remember what the ceremony itself was. Probably it was boring. I just remember it was a nice opportunity to see some old friends and it was hard to walk under the snow.
Coming-of-age ceremonies are always troublesome. Because some coming-of-age yobs and yobettes drink and make big trouble with the police every year. According to my mother, there was another unprecedented terrible event happened this year that a renting business company became bankrupt and ran away on the day with all kimono subscribers' money. Some people paid 600,000 yen (approx. 4,000 pounds) for set of kimono etc, some people couldn't attend the ceremony, some couldn't wear kimono. The company messed the young people's memorial day up. Definitely it's unforgivable.
