COMING OF AGE!
Mari writes:
"On January 11, I attended the ceremony of 'Coming of Age' wearing 'KIMONO'. The ceremony was held at the gym of junior high school from where we graduated. In Hamamatsu City. The ceremonies of 'Coming of Age' are held by the community and made by ourselves. At the ceremony, the Mayor of Hamamatsu City and our former teachers complimented us. And a representative from us spoke for us as an adult. Moreover, we gathered round a bass drum, which is used at the festival called 'HAMAMATSU MATSURI', and my friends beat it timing to our handclaps. After that, we talked with good old friends over tea and took pictures. The ceremony was held at 13:00 and ended at 15:00. After the ceremony, from 18:00, we gathered at a bar and talked over drinks remembering old memories, forgetting time passing. Everything was wonderful to me and I will never forget the day."
Saori writes:
"I wore 'furisode' on the day. Furisode
is a kind of kimono, but it is a bit different. Furisode has long
sleeves. And only single women can wear it. Furisode are expensive.
So, I wore the one which my mother wore when she was twenty.
I participated in the city ceremony. But it was not really a ceremony,
I think. It was a party, because recently Coming of Age ceremonies
have many problems like at Ito in Shizuoka. So, Coming of Age
ceremonies are changing.
We took many pictures with our friends from junior high school.
I enjoyed meeting many friends who I had not met since we graduated
from junior high school. I was surprised at their change."