It was a cold winter day, but here was a spring-like pomp of the new adults who reached the age of 20. ( January 10th was Coming-of-Age Day.)
Do you remember the day when you reached the age of 20? I smiled like them and believed dreams would come true.
Coming-of-Age Day is a national holiday held on the second Monday of January - January 10th, this year. Local governments hold large-scale ceremonies for all the young men and women who have turned 20 in the previous year. At the age of 20, they get the right to vote, smoke, drink and marry without their parents' permission. Most of women wear formal kimono with long sleeves, while majority of men are dressed in suits. This is the day when all over Japan are filled with myriad of colors of kimono.
The number of the people who came of age in 2010 is about 1.24 million and is less than 1 percent of the total population.
The new adults were born in 1990 when in Japan the bubble economy was going to burst and in the world Iraq invaded Kuwait to lead to the Gulf War.
Japan has been going through many difficulties and they are the generation who are to shoulder the burden of the country such as the huge national debt, the increasing pension premiums, medical costs, aging population, and more. I feel very sorry for them but it is impossible to choose the time to be born.
Let's stop seeing the negative side. Standing just at the threshold of the adulthood, how thoroughly delighted they are! They are the Japan's future smiling, brimming with hope!! I'm sure they will courageously confront the issues.
They are also the generation who are always tapping on their mobile phones and updating the information in their social network. They have the amazing ability to make free use of IT or digital devices. People, my age never catch up with them.
The new adults are interviewed by a reporter of a newspaper company.
Bon voyage! May their smiles and happiness last for a long long time!
