TOKYO -- The Meguro Ward government in Tokyo held a ceremony on Jan. 9, the day ahead of Japan's Coming-of-Age Day, to mark the adulthood of people who were not able to attend the official event in 2021, which was canceled amid a third wave of coronavirus infections.

       Some 400 people attended the afternoon ceremony at a hall in Meguro Ward. The group was split into two to keep the number of attendees below half of the hall's capacity as a measure to prevent the virus's spread. As additional coronavirus countermeasures, people's temperatures were taken at the entrance, and the ward canceled the post-ceremony reception with refreshments that is normally held.

       After the ward called off last year's ceremony, it received many requests for the event to be held on another day, with people pointing out that it was an important milestone in young peoples' lives. The ward decided to hold a replacement ceremony on Jan. 9, a day before the ceremony for the next wave of new adults who have turned or will turn 20 by April 1 this year.

       Addressing the attendees, Meguro Mayor Eiji Aoki stated, "A coming-of-age ceremony comes only once in a person's life, and we wanted people to have this wonderful experience." At the same time, he noted that the number of new infections in the capital topped 1,200 for the first time in four months on Jan. 8, and told participants, "Make sure you do not eat or drink in large numbers after the ceremony, and show moderation in your behavior as adults."

       Moeno Tabata, a 20-year-old third-year university student decked out in a ceremonial kimono who took part in the ceremony with childhood friends, commented, "There were worries that the event might be canceled this year, too, because of the spread of infections." She added, "I felt that the things I'd taken for granted, like meeting friends and going to school, aren't just humdrum stuff. I'll make sure I have the self-awareness that I'm an adult and value the time I have."

       People sit spaced one seat apart at the one-year delayed coming-of-age ceremony in Tokyo's Meguro Ward as a measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, on Jan. 9, 2022. (Mainichi/Kaho Kitayama)

       Second-year university student Koki Amemiya, 20, commented, "There are a lot of friends who I've been able to meet for the first time in ages, and I'm just so thankful they held the event for us. Infections are spreading again, so I'll go straight home after it finishes."

       Many men at the event wore suits, while a notable number of women wore dresses instead of kimonos. One 21-year-old third-year-university student who wore a white dress with a jacket said that last year, she reserved a kimono and made a hair salon booking, but then the ceremony was called off. "I couldn't cancel at the last minute, so I got stuck with a pointless bill. So today I came in a dress I had. I really wanted to participate in ceremonial attire," she said with a tinge of regret.

       A ward employee who had been preparing for the ceremony commented, "Due to the spread of the (coronavirus's) omicron variant, we were worried up until the last minute. It's good that everyone was able to take part and enjoy it."

       (Japanese original by Hitomi Saikawa, City News Department)

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