This coming Monday will be a holiday called seijin no hi (成人の日). Seijin no hi (成人の日), when translated into English, is called ‘coming of age day.’ Seijin no hi (成人の日) is a day where individuals who are twenty years old become adults. In the U.S., when you turn 18, you’re no longer considered a minor. In contrast, age 20 is the age when you’re no longer considered a minor in Japan. The ceremony in which youngsters turn into adults is called seijin shiki (成人式). Seijin shiki (成人式) is a ceremony that almost every twenty year old attends. It’s like a rite of passage and many twenty year olds get dressed up at the seijin shiki (成人式).
The seijin shiki (成人式) takes place in the local town or city hall. The current governing official will usually make a speech where they will: 1) congradulate the youths and 2) give the youth advice for the future. You’ll see many women at the seijin shiki (成人式) wear something called a furisode (振袖). A furisode (振袖) is a kimono with long sleeves. The furisodes (振袖) have intricate designs and will often cost somewhere around 10,000 to 20,000 U.S. dollars. Since this day only comes once in a lifetime, parents are often willing to splurge on a furisode (振袖).
In addition to the furisode (振袖), women will wear what’s called a zoori (草履). A zoori (草履) is a thick soled shoe made of plastic. A zoori (草履) looks a lot like a western sandal, but unlike the sandal, a zoori (草履) has some height on its soles. In addition to the zoori (草履), special socks called tabi (足袋) are worn on this occasion. A tabi (足袋) is a sock that is divided into two compartments. The big toe gets its own compartment while the rest of the toes share the same compartment.
Men will also wear a special outfit on seijin no hi (成人の日). They either wear a western style suit or a hakama (袴) with a haori (羽織). Hakamas (袴) are baggy pants while haoris (羽織) are long jackets that are tied at the waist.
Seijin no hi (成人の日) is a day of liberty for most twenty year olds. They stay up way past curfew, drink and smoke to celebrate their new found freedom. In Japan, minors are not allowed to walk outside after 12 am. The police patrol the area to make sure no minors are out on curfew and they check I.Ds as well.
Ok, that’s it for today, Happy seijin no hi (成人の日) everyone!
On the eight of Janurary there is a tradition practiced in Tookyoo (とうきょ) called dondo yaki (どんどやき). A dondo yaki (どんどやき) is a tall tepee-like structure made of straw. The dondo yaki (どんどやき) is lit with a fire and all the New Year’s decorations are burned along with the dondo yaki (どんどやき). It’s a time to say good-bye to the old year and to any old, emotional attachments that might have held you back on a personal or professional level.
Some of the typical New Year’s decorations include the kadomatusu (
The shimenawa (
Lastly, let’s not forget the daruma (
Along with rice, nanakusu gayu (
Another herb in nanakusu gayu (
Have you ever heard of gogyoo (ごごよう)? Gogyoo (ごごよう) is called cudweed in English. It looks like a flower, but it’s definetely an edible herb. You might see caterpillars munching on gogyoo (ごごよう), for gogyoo (ごごよう) is their staple diet.
Hakobera (はこべら) is called chickweed in English. It’s considered a weed in the U.S., and you’ll see a lot of pesticides being used to get rid of hakobera (はこべら).
Hotokenoza (ほとけのざ) is called nipplewart in English. (I know, isn’t the name hilarious?!) Hotokenoza (ほとけのざ) is often used in salads in Japan.
Here’s a herb you might of heard of, it’s called suzuna (すずな). Suzuna (すずな) is a turnip leaf high in vitamin C.
Another common herb in Japan is suzushiro (すずしろ). Suzushiro (すずしろ) is a radish leaf or the leaf from the radish’s stem.
Let me explain more about what I mean by mentioning the game called fukuwarai (
Now if you’ve ever played a board game before, then you’re going to know how to play a game called sugoroku (
The next game is something close to playing a sport. If you’ve played badminton before and you liked it, then you’ll like this game. The game I’m referring to is hanetsuki (羽根突き). Hanestuki (羽根突き) consists of a paddle board, like the one you use in ping pong and a shuttlecock. The paddle board is wooden and called hagoita (羽子板). The hagoita (羽子板) is brightly colored and decorated. Sometimes people just buy the hagoita (羽子板) as a decorative piece than to play hanetsuki (羽根突き). Some hagoitas (羽子板) are so beautifully designed it seems a waste to use it as a paddle. Since the object of the game is to keep the shuttlecock in the air as long as possible, the hagoitas (羽子板) take a brutal beating from the many desperate attempts to whack it before it falls to the ground.