Step inside a bizarre Japanese 'Coming of Age' ceremony - featuring lots of booze and Mickey Mouse
Welcome to Seijin no Hi, or 'Coming of Age Day.' Grab your brightest kimono, longest eyelashes, and a bottle of something strong and take a look inside.
Historically, youths that took part in the Coming of Age ceremonies were of noble descent. Dating back to the eighth century, children were not officially gendered until after the rite of passage, then known as Genpuku.
When a child underwent Genpuku they were considered socially responsible, which for certain facets of society meant it was time for them to work. If a child died before this age they weren't even given funerary rights.
Source: "The Red Thread: Buddhist Approaches to Sexuality", Bernard Faure.
Traditional ceremony dictates that male adolescents have their hair cut to identify their gender and they can choose an adult name. Now, the occasion is marked rather differently.
Source: "The Red Thread: Buddhist Approaches to Sexuality", Bernard Faure.
A speech is usually given by a local government official, after which the festivities can commence.
"I’m happy I can finally drink alcohol and go clubbing," one college girl attending the ceremony told AFP. Today, the ceremony seems to revolve as much around drunken debauchery as it does around a symbolic milestone.
Source: Japan Today.
It's also about the outfits. Some women book appointments at beauty parlours a year in advance in anticipation of the annual inundation. By 5 a.m., 500 young women have arrived at Sugano Ogimi's photo studio, beauty parlour and formalwear shop in Okinawa — "It's like in a war," she says.
Source: The Japan Times.
Many Japanese people are concerned with the level of degradation in today's Coming of Age ceremonies, irked by young women wearing looser fitting kimonos similar to the style of 'oiran,' the high-class prostitutes of the Edo Period.
The southern city of Kitakyushu launched a website last year urging new men and women to dress appropriately for Seijin no Hi. "The coming-of-age ceremony is supposed to be a serious event where you demonstrate your recognition that you have become an independent adult," said a city official.
Source: The Japan Times.
The message doesn't seem to have been widely received — revellers in Okinawa this year scuffled with police as their cars were seized for dangerous driving.
Source: Russia Today.
It's also hard to reflect your imminent ascent to the adult world while simultaneously reaching for another selfie with Mickey Mouse.
The day of celebration bears a dark reminder, however, of Japan's shrinking population. This year, just 1.2 million people became new adults compared to 1970's peak of 2.46 million.
Source: Japan Today.
Popular Right Now
Advertisement