Examine individual changes

'{{short description|Japanese holiday}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}} {{Infobox holiday <!--THE "AGE OF MATURITY" WILL NOT CHANGE UNTIL 2022, for now it remains as 20 years old--> |holiday_name = Coming of Age Day |type = national |image = Young ladies at Harajuku.jpg |imagesize = 300px |caption = |official_name = |nickname = |observedby = Japan |litcolor = |longtype = National |significance = Congratulates and encourages all those who have reached the [[Coming of age|age of maturity]] (20 years old) over the past year and celebrates adulthood |week_ordinal = second |weekday = Monday |month = January |celebrations = |duration = 1 day |scheduling = nth weekday of the month |frequency = annual |observances = |relatedto = }} [[File:Seijin no Hi - tokyo - 2009.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=3|(video) Young people, dressed up for Coming of Age Day, walk in front of a shrine just before twilight.]] {{nihongo|'''Coming of Age Day'''|成人の日|Seijin no Hi}} is a [[Japanese holiday]] held annually on the second Monday of January. It is held in order to congratulate and encourage all those who have reached or will reach the [[Coming of age|age of maturity]] (20 years old) between April 2 of the previous year and April 1 of the current year, and to help them realize that they have become [[adult]]s. Festivities include {{nihongo|'''coming of age ceremonies'''|成人式|seijin-shiki}} held at local and [[prefecture|prefectural]] offices, as well as after-parties among family and friends. ==History== [[Coming of age]] ceremonies have been celebrated in [[Japan]] since at least 714 CE, when a young prince donned new robes and a hairstyle to mark his passage into [[adulthood]].<ref name=ss>{{cite news|url=http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=19733|title=Coming of Age Day, a big event for Japanese youths, is steeped in tradition |last=Allen|first=David|author2=Sumida, Chiyomi|date=January 9, 2004|work=[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]]}}</ref> The holiday was first established in 1948, to be held every year on January 15.<ref>{{cite book|last=Araiso|first=Yoshiyuki|title=Currents: 100 essential expressions for understanding changing Japan|publisher=Japan Echo Inc. in cooperation with the Foreign Press Center|page=150|date=1988|isbn=978-4-915226-03-8}}</ref> In 2000, as a result of the [[Happy Monday System]], Coming of Age Day was changed to the second Monday in January.<ref name=ss /><ref>{{cite book|last=Kyōkai|first=Nihon Rōdō|title=Japan labor bulletin, Volume 39|publisher=Japan Institute of Labour|date=2000|page=3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/japan-coming-age-day-2015-facts-about-japanese-holiday-celebrating-young-people-1775200|title=Japan Coming of Age Day 2015: Facts About Japanese Holiday Celebrating Young People [PHOTOS]|date=January 11, 2015|publisher=[[International Business Times]]|last=Glum|first=Julia}}</ref> Japan's [[Demography of Japan|low birth rate and shrinking percentage of young people]], coupled with disruptions to some ceremonies in recent years (such as an incident in [[Naha]] in 2002, when drunken Japanese youths tried to disrupt the festivities) and a general increase in the number of 20-year-olds who do not feel themselves to be adults have led to decreased attendance of the ceremonies, which has caused some concern among older Japanese.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/1381592/Drunken-Japanese-youths-ruin-coming-of-age-rituals.html|title=Drunken Japanese youths ruin coming of age rituals|last=Joyce|first=Colin|date=January 15, 2002|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}</ref> In 2012, the decline continued for the fifth year in a row, with a total of 1.22&nbsp;million adults celebrating the holiday in 2012 – under half of the participants seen at its peak in 1976, when 2.76&nbsp;million adults attended ceremonies. This was the first time it has declined below the 50% threshold.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120109p2g00m0dm076000c.html|title=Record-low number of new adults mark Coming-of-Age Day|date=January 9, 2012|work=[[Mainichi Daily News]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120109191853/http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120109p2g00m0dm076000c.html|archive-date=January 9, 2012}}</ref> Japan lowered the age of adulthood in 2018 from 20 years of age to 18 which is set to take effect in 2022. This change has caused confusion on the status of the holiday, and raised concerns among the [[kimono]] industry which profits from the garments worn during the ceremonies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/14/japan-lowers-age-adulthood-20-to-18|title=Credit cards, but no sake: Japan lowers age of adulthood from 20 to 18|author=Justin McCurry|publisher=The Guardian|date=June 14, 2018|access-date=June 14, 2018}}</ref> ==Ceremonies== {{nihongo|Coming of age ceremonies|成人式|Seijin-shiki}} mark one's coming of age (age of maturity), which reflects both the expanded rights but also increased responsibilities expected of new adults. The ceremonies are generally held in the morning at local city offices throughout Japan. All young adults who turned or will turn 20 between April 2 of the previous year and April 1 of the current one and who maintain [[Jūminhyō|residency]] in the area are invited to attend. Government officials give speeches, and small presents are handed out to the newly recognized adults.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://elaws.e-gov.go.jp/search/elawsSearch/elaws_search/lsg0500/detail?lawId=129AC0000000089#13|title=e-Gov法令検索|website=elaws.e-gov.go.jp|access-date=September 28, 2019}}</ref> Many women celebrate this day by wearing ''[[furisode]]'', a style of ''kimono'' with long sleeves that hang down, and ''[[zōri]]'' sandals. Since most are unable to put on a ''kimono'' by themselves due to the intricacies involved, many choose to visit a beauty salon to dress and to set their hair. A full set of formal clothing is expensive, so it is usually either borrowed from a relative or rented rather than bought especially for the occasion. Men sometimes also wear traditional dress (e.g. dark ''kimono'' with ''[[hakama]]''), but nowadays many men wear formal Western clothes such as a suit and tie more often than the traditional ''hakama''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Robertson|first=Jennifer Ellen|title=A companion to the anthropology of Japan|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|date=2005|pages=158|isbn=978-0-631-22955-1}}</ref> After the ceremony, the young adults often celebrate in groups by going to parties or going out drinking.<ref name=ss/> The ceremony often take place in the city hall or school's gyms. There are some special cases such as the ceremony having been held at [[Tokyo Disneyland]] since 2002.{{cn|date=January 2020}} == Definition of new adult == New adults are the ones who will welcome their birthdays during the year between the next day of the last coming of age day and the next coming of age day. Citizens were initially asked to take place in the ceremony held after the 20th birthday. It changed to the school-age method since the Happy Monday System was released due to an issue of younger individuals who participated in the ceremony with other strangers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=13 Amazing Coming of Age Traditions From Around the World|url=https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/13-amazing-coming-of-age-traditions-from-around-th/|access-date=August 13, 2020|website=Global Citizen|language=en}}</ref> == Problems == === Delay of redefinition === The original purpose of this study is that "new adults are aware of the fact that adults have become adults." However, according to the survey of citizens' consciousness conducted by the Yokohama<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/kyoiku/shingikai/seijinshiki|title=これからの「成人の日」記念行事のあり方について（提言）|date=September 2004|website=横浜市「成人の日」記念行事あり方検討委員会}}</ref> board of education in March 2004, 20 to 30 percent of younger adults, the new adults, think that "coming of age day is more likely to be a reunion." Besides, 20 percent of women below 20s said that "the event is just for new adults meeting in the hall with suits." The original purpose of the event tends to disappear along with the younger generations.{{cn|date=January 2021}} In the survey, the percentage of students who answered "want to participate coming of age day" was 82.7% and those who answered "don't want to participate" were the remaining 17.2%.{{cn|date=January 2021}} ==See also== * [[Genpuku]] * [[Secular coming-of-age ceremony]] == References == {{Reflist}} {{-}} {{Japan Holidays}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Coming Of Age Day}} [[Category:Festivals in Japan]] [[Category:January observances]] [[Category:Japanese society]] [[Category:Public holidays in Japan]] [[Category:Rites of passage]] [[Category:Holidays and observances by scheduling (nth weekday of the month)]] [[Category:Annual events in Japan]] [[Category:Articles containing video clips]]'