成人の日 - Seiji no Hi

"Seijin no Hi," called Coming-Of-Age Day in English is a celebration in Japan of the crossing from youth in adulthood. Officially this happens when one turns 20 years old, so on January 10th all the 20-year-olds in Japan don nice kimonos with long sleeves for the unmarried women and dark suits for the guys. They head back to their hometowns (an increasing logistical difficulty since so many travel away to university these days) for an official ceremony and then reunion parties with their high school classmates and friends.

This year Seijin no Hi was moved to the 10th from the traditional 15th as part of the "Happy Monday" policy to make more long weekends and make national holidays more convenient. The number of people, according to the news, is roughly 1,240,000, the lowest number on record.

Here was Google's header today:


Having no immediately accessible pics from this or past years, here are some stock photos plucked from the InterWebs to give you an idea of what it looks like...

traditional dress:


traditional displays of archery in some areas of Japan:


photo op:


what the look city ceremonies look like:


Kimonos on a roller coaster?! Weeeeeeeeeeee!




Symian is: feeling a bit old and cold.
Currently Reading: Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn (re-reading)
Currently Listening: "Life" by Keith Richards &James Fox / Audiobook Narrated by Johnny Depp & Joe Hurley
Kanji of the Day: 成人の日／せいじんのひ／"seijin no-hi"/ Coming-of-Age Day