Girls in Kimonos at Meiji Jingu, Seijin No Hi

January 10 was Seijin No Hi, or Coming of Age Day. All over Japan 20 year olds attend various ceremonies recognizing them as adult members of society. Many of the girls dress in kimonos and form moving displays of color on commuter trains and in the places where they gather. Many head for Shinto shrines with their families, boyfriends, or in groups with their friends. So for the second year in a row I went to Meiji Jingu in Harajuku for a photo frenzy. Like last year, hundreds of photographers descended on the crowd and gathered in packs around any girls who paused for a moment. I happily joined them. Most of the time in Japan I feel out of place pointing my camera at strangers, but on days like this there are no barriers. My family had a taste of this. I went with my wife and three kids. Last year my three year old daughter attracted some photographers, but that was nothing compared to the attention garnered by my twins this year. Anytime we stopped the strollers a semi-circle of photographers gathered around -- at least 20 people at a time -- and shot pictures constantly until we moved again. I'm sure thousands of pictures of my kids have been printed in Tokyo, with runny noses and stuffing their faces with onigiri. Rice with seaweed and snot anyone?

I'm really not into Shinto shrines, and I don't think I'm a "Japanophile" (whatever that is), but I love to see Japanese people relaxed, not working, enjoying each other, eating good food, dressed in colorful clothing and celebrating traditions. The girls in kimonos radiate such youth and potential; they are symbols of future hope. Personally, I wish they had more days like this ahead; but adulthood in Japan is more oriented toward work, duty and depression (and, in the face of Japan's rapidly aging population, many Japanese leaders are terribly concerned about the huge number of young women saying they don't want to get married or ever have children). So it's hope for a day. Hmm, okay, back on track.

Seijin No Hi falls within the New Year celebrations, and many people visit Shinto shrines during that period to pick up the arrow shaped charms in the picture above. By purchasing a charm they hope to obtain good fortune for the coming year. The majority of Japanese don't have "faith" in Shinto or Buddhism, but they will visit a temple or shrine at certain times to observe a tradition and perhaps improve their luck. In addition to the arrow charms, people also bought fortunes and tossed money into a large bin and bowed for a moment to utter a prayer (most will pray some variation of, "Let this be a good and successful year"). A line of people also formed to receive a ritual cup of Sake from a shrine worker (see the gallery link at the end of this post for those shots).

Two unexpected interruptions momentarily diverted everyone's attention. At one point, a group of high school boys formed a circle and danced around in the center of the crowd shouting out a school chant. I'm pretty sure the same group was there last year. The photographers gladly clicked away at them for awhile, and afterwards they posed for a group picture (see my detail above). Sometime after that, I sensed a hush from the crowd and saw two large parasols coming our way. My wife whispered that it was a Shinto wedding party, and I was glad for a chance to shoot the picture above. I assume that's the bride and her father -- or the groom. They cut a path through the center of the main gathering area of the shrine and disappeared somewhere to our left, after sharing a brief, private moment with all of us.

Just to be clear, not all 20 year old Japanese girls wear a kimono on this day, mainly because many cannot afford to. A new kimono costs a small fortune (thousands of dollars), and I imagine rentals will set you back quite a bit. Don't confuse the "kimono" with "yukata". For summer festivals Japanese women and girls wear Yukata -- colorful, light cotton outfits somewhat similar to kimonos (but the opposite in cost). Here's a site with more Kimono information.

On a final note, I learned something that came as a mild surprise. Meiji Jingu is devoted to the Meiji Emperor and Empress who died in 1912 and 1914 respectively. Although their son declared that he was not a god after World War II had ended, that doesn't seem to have affected the perceived deity of his parents, at least to the caretakers of this shrine. The prayers of the people at Meiji Jingu are directed to them. At least the prayers of the devout. As I said before, I don't think most people think much about their prayers in such a concrete sense.

To see more pictures, visit my Seijin No Hi 2005 gallery.

Thanks for coming, and I appreciate your comments! I will put up another post in a couple of days summing up this past month, including some follow up on my last post.

Posted by jw at February 1, 2005 10:45 PM