January 12th was "Seijin no hi (Coming of Age Day)", which honors young people who have turned, or who will turn, 20 during the current year. In Japan at the age of 20 you are able to smoke, drink alcohol, have the right to vote and get married without one's parent's permission. You can also bet on horse racing, which is quite popular in Japan. I didn't feel anything special when I turned 20. I was in the second year of the University and was enjoying life as a student. There were not many things that I needed to worry about. I think the good thing about being young is that you are fearless and you think anything is possible. I guess I should still try and keep that spirit.
Japanese translation
Seijin no Hi - Things that you can do when you turn 20
By Namiko Abe, About.com GuideJanuary 14, 2009
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Comments
Namiko-san,
I have been using your tools for a couple months and my Japanese has greatly improved.
Thank you very much
With great power comes great responsibility !!!!
Greetings Namiko-san,
About Seijin no Hi, i remember there is supposed to be a special clothing/robe for that celebration, what is it called?
Is it like Bar Mitzvah in Jewish tradition ?
I would be very nice if you could post some pictures of Young People who reached their Seijin No Hi… Thanks…
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