KIMONO HOUSE - NEW YORK

Happy New Year to all! In Japan, one of the few days a full-time worker will get time off is New Years. People who have moved away from home for work take this time to go back to their family homes to spend December 31 to January 4 with their families. This year, because of covid-19, many people were not able to do this out of respect for their families’ well being.  Right on the heels of the New Year's celebrations comes another federal holiday falling on the second Monday of January: Seijin no Hi (成人の日) , or Coming of Age Day.  In the US, when you turn 18, you are a legal adult, but must wait 3 years to legally consume alcohol. In Japan, there is only one age, 20. However, though the federal holiday is January 11, it doesn’t mean that the 20 year olds throughout Japan celebrate the same day. Each area wants the largest number of attendees as possible, so the day can differ depending on the area. For example, Niigata, near the Japan Sea, or Akita, in the north. These regions have