Minasan konnichiwa! Chika desu!
Hey guys! It's Chika.
Welcome to the Japanagos Channel!
Today is January 12th, 2015,
and I am at the Coming-of-Age ceremony in Shibuya.
kyo ha Shibuya no seijinshiki ni kiteimasu.
Coming of Age day or seijin no hi （成人の日）
is held every year on the second monday of January,
to celebrate "new adults".
Those who have turned 20,
or are turning 20 in the current school year
gather for seijin shiki, the Coming-of-Age ceremony.
It’s like a graduation.
Graduating childhood and entering adulthood.
but more than anything,
it’s like a modern-day kimono fashion show!
The girls, or women excuse me,
were absolutely gorgeous in their furisode kimonos.
Furisode are kimonos with long sleeves like this,
originally worn by unmarried women.
Nowadays there are no strict rules
so you can be older and or married
and still wear a furisode
but it’s kind of a symbol of Seijin no hi
and a style often worn by younger women.
Back in the edo period (1600s to late 1800s)
we didn’t have wedding rings to show marital status,
we had furisode.
We also had ohaguro,
dying your teeth black after marriage,
and hikimayu, shaving your eyebrows off after marriage,
Thank goodness
we don't have those traditions anymore.
Some girls get a brand new furisode for this event,
but some wear the furisode that their mothers wore
to their seijin shiki.
This is my mom's kimono.
Oh really?
It's so beautiful, even now.
Isn't it?
I love it.
Congratulations!
As for the guys,
most wear suits and ties,
but some take full advantage of this opportunity
to sport a hakama, a pants-style kimono.
Today's the only day I have a chance to wear it.
I wanted to wear it at least once in my lifetime.
So I thought today was the day.
You're looking good!
Thank you!
I personally think all guys should wear it!
I got a press pass
and got to sit in for the first half of the ceremony.
The ceremonies are organized by region or city,
and you go to the one of your hometown
or where you went to middle school.
since most kids commute outside of town for high school.
The orchestra up there is playing Let it Go, of course.
With speeches by the mayor,
members of the ward assembly,
a few representative “new adults"
It’s just like a graduation ceremony
We're finally adults.
From today on,
we will take responsbility of our own actions,
and do what we can to contribute to society.
As we celebrate this day,
I would like to take the opportunity
to thank everyone that has been there for me.
Thank you very much.
So what does becoming an adult entail?
So being 20 here in Japan is a big deal
because now you're legal basically in every aspect.
You can drink, you can smoke,
you can vote,
whether you choose to do those things or not
is up to you, but you have that choice
now that you're an adult and you're legal,
and you're able to make your own decisions.
We need to get on top of things!
Be more responsible.
I can drink now!
Now that you're "adults," any resolutions?
to not change actually.
After the seijin shiki,
many of the new adults or shin seijin （新成人）,
will have reunions with their old classmates,
go drinking with friends,
go drinking with their parents,
or go visit a nearby shrine or temple.
Alright guys, so there you have it!
That is what a Coming-of-Age ceremony is like in Japan
There are lots of ceremonies throughout the country.
So this is just one of them.
I never got to experience seijin shiki
or seijin no hi myself when I was 20 so
I kind of was able to relive the moment
through everyone here.
It was really great! I hope you guys enjoyed it!
and I will see you guys again soon!
What's the legal age in your country?
and do you have celebrations
and ceremonies like this?
Let me know in the comments!
See ya!