Everywhere you look: kimonos, kimonos, kimonos
Yesterday was Seijin Shiki. It was a special day for everybody who turns 20 this year - young people officially become adults. The city organizes a ceremony for them, where the girls dress up in kimonos and the guys in suits. Their seriousness of dressing up reminds me of high school prom. All the girls had spent lots of time and thought on choosing and renting the perfect kimono as wel as getting their hair and make-up done at the hair salon.
On that day the young people come back to their hometowns. After highschool many have moved out to go to university or pursue a job or apprenticeship. Many visit their grandparents' house before the day of the ceremony. So this event is important for them, also because they get a chance to see their old friends again, catch up, party, talk. 20 is the age when they can officially drink. I am sure, for most of them it will not be their first alcoholic beverage. Nevertheless, they all go out to have their drinking parties on this day.
We went to the Oita Castle because there had been a ceremony, which we missed, unfortunately. But as I heard, it is pretty boring, some people hold a speech and everybody listens, no big deal. But the fascinating part for us was to see so many young girls dressed up in kimonos! (They guys were pretty boring, all wearing black suits, but if you watch the video, look at their crazy hairstyles!) And it has seemingly become fashion to wear a white furry thing around the neck. Nobody could tell me for sure if this is traditional or only latest fashion. Everywhere you could hear excited chit chat, high pitched voices, girls screaming "おひさしぶり!" at the sight of their old high school friends... And there were no parents, no adults, no family! So this ceremony belonged only to them, they could catch up with their friends and plan their drinking parties or whatever.
Oita Castle
Friends seeing each other again
Taking pictures, creating memories
Working my way through the kimono-suits-forest looked like this:
Wow! A really nice tradition!
ReplyDeleteI think Kyoto organize often those days, and anyone in Kimono could take public transport at this time without paying...
I got same feeling as I was in Munich 2 years ago, at Oktoberfest. Nice Maedels in Dirndl... Pretty! Simply pretty!