毎年一月の第二月曜日は、「成人の日」と呼ばれる祝日です。この日には、二十歳になった若者の成長を祝うために、全国の市町村で「成人式」と呼ばれる式典が行われます。
The second Monday of January each year is a national holiday called "Coming of Age Day." On this day, ceremonies known as seijinshiki are held in cities and towns across the country to celebrate the growth of young people who have turned twenty.
戦後の混乱した時代に、若者を励まそうという思いから始まったのが成人式のきっかけだと言われています。当時は十一月に行われていましたが、その後、新しい年を迎える時期に合わせて一月に変更されました。今では新成人にとって、人生で最大のイベントの一つになっています。
It is said that the ceremony got its start in the chaotic years after the war, born from a wish to encourage the country's young people. It was originally held in November, but was later moved to January so that it would coincide with the start of the new year. Today, it has become one of the biggest events in the lives of those reaching adulthood.
成人式の主役と言えば、何といっても新成人たちの華やかな服装です。女性は振袖と呼ばれる長い袖の着物を着ることが多く、髪型やメイクにもこだわります。男性はスーツを着る人が一般的ですが、最近では袴を選ぶ人も少なくありません。
If anyone is the star of the day, it is the new adults in their splendid outfits. Many women wear a long-sleeved kimono called a furisode, and they put real care into their hair and makeup as well. Men generally come in suits, but recently quite a few have been choosing to wear hakama.
振袖は値段が非常に高いため、レンタルにする人が増えています。半年から一年前に予約しないと、好きなデザインが選べないこともあります。美容院や写真スタジオの予約も早い者勝ちになりがちで、当日の朝四時から準備を始めるという話さえ聞きます。
Because furisode are extremely expensive, more and more people rent rather than buy. Unless you reserve six months to a year in advance, you may not be able to choose the design you want. Bookings at hair salons and photo studios also tend to be first-come-first-served, and you even hear stories of people starting to get ready at four in the morning on the day itself.
成人式の前後には、写真スタジオで記念写真を撮るのも定番になっています。家族と一緒に写ったり、振袖姿で一人で撮ったりと、人生の大切な思い出として残されます。最近では、夏ごろから「前撮り」をする人も多く、SNSに投稿するためにこだわって撮影する若者も増えてきました。
Taking commemorative photos at a studio before and after the ceremony has also become a standard part of the day. Some shots are taken with the whole family, others as solo portraits in furisode, and they remain as treasured memories of an important moment in life. Recently, many people do a "pre-shoot" as early as summer, and more young people put real thought into the shots in order to post them on social media.
式典の会場では、市長や来賓のスピーチを聞いたり、子どもの頃の恩師に挨拶をしたりします。久しぶりに会う友達と写真を撮ったり、思い出話で盛り上がったりするのも、この日の大きな楽しみです。同窓会のような雰囲気がある一方で、式そのものは退屈に感じる若者もいるようです。
At the ceremony venue, attendees listen to speeches by the mayor and other guests and greet former teachers from their childhood. Taking photos with friends they have not seen for a while and sharing memories of the past is also one of the great pleasures of the day. The atmosphere is rather like a class reunion, although there are also young people who find the ceremony itself a bit dull.
近年では、成人式で騒いでしまう若者がニュースになることもあり、問題視されています。式の途中で大声を出したり、ステージに上がったりするケースが報道されているのです。ただし、こうした行為はごく一部に過ぎず、ほとんどの新成人は静かに参加しています。
In recent years, young people causing a disturbance at coming-of-age ceremonies have sometimes made the news, and the issue has come to be seen as a problem. Cases of attendees shouting in the middle of the ceremony or even climbing onto the stage have been reported. That said, such behavior is only a tiny minority, and most new adults take part quietly.
二〇二二年からは、法律上の成人年齢が十八歳に引き下げられました。しかし、進学や就職で忙しい十八歳ではなく、これまで通り二十歳で式を行う自治体がほとんどです。地域によっては、名前を「二十歳のつどい」に変えたところもあるとのことです。
Since 2022, the legal age of adulthood has been lowered to eighteen. Even so, most municipalities still hold the ceremony at age twenty rather than putting the burden on eighteen-year-olds who are busy with school or job hunting. In some regions, the event has even been renamed "Hatachi no Tsudoi" — "Gathering of Twenty-Year-Olds."
成人の日は、大人になったことを自覚するきっかけになる大切な日です。お世話になった家族への感謝を改めて感じるとともに、これからの人生について考える時間にもなります。式典が終わって家に帰った夜には、なんとなく階段を一つ上がったような気持ちになるかもしれません。
Coming of Age Day is an important moment for becoming aware that one has stepped into adulthood. Along with feeling renewed gratitude to the family that raised them, the new adults also use it as a time to think about the road ahead. On the night they get home after the ceremony, they may feel that, in some quiet way, they have climbed one step further up.