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週刊NY生活［English Edition］

VOICES From

THE NEW YORKERS“Adulting” inKimonos and Suits
by Kia Cheleen
Japanrecently celeb r a t e d“ Coming ofAge Day,”
where young
adults all overJapan who
have reached
the age of 20
in the past year will be celebrating
their adulthood. Women are dressed incolorful kimonos with beautiful obi
sashes and intricate hair ornaments.
Men were dressed in traditional
Japanese clothing or in Western-stylesuits. They are ready to be celebrated
as adults at their seijin-shiki (Comingof Age ceremony).
When I first went to work inJapan, I had to give a speech at age 22
to a group of 20-year-old Japanese
about “becoming an adult.” What onearth did I know as a young American
about becoming an adult? I had justgraduated from college! It made me
think about the benefits and expectations of “coming of age” in each country. At a certain age, we get the right todrive, vote and consume alcohol,
amongst other things. Our responsibilities increase. Are we ready for more
responsibilities at a certain age, such as
paying bills, feeding ourselves andmaking sure we are going to school orwork on time? Do we have goodenough decision-making abilities orlife experience, for example, to votefor the leaders of our country?
We now have coined the phrase“adulting” when we feel like we aredoing something which is “grown up.”
Who defines what it means to be an
adult versus not an adult? Does putting
on a suit or a kimono suddenly makeus adults? What was your defining
moment when you felt you had
become an adult?
(Kia Cheleen is an intercultural consultant and a Japanese/English writer,translator and interpreter. Visit her atwww.gillespieglobal.net or e-mailkcheleen@gmail.com)

THE

SHUKAN NEW YORK SEIKATSU

JAPAN VOICECOOL JAPAN from New Yorkers’ Viewpoints

Alternating Between Hope and Fear

From left: Mr. Nakajima, Ms. Onuma, Ambassador Yamanouchi and Mr. Yoshimori

Celebrating the New Year Japanese Style in New YorkNew Year’s Business Card Exchange Party
The Consul General of Japan in New York hosted a New Year’s Party at
the Nippon Club on January 10 alongside the Japanese Chamber ofCommerce and Industry of New York, Inc., The Nippon Club and theJapanese American Association of New York. 216 people attended the event.
Following the national anthem, the CEO of each organization made a New
Year’s speech and then made a toast to the New Year. Traditional Japanese
New Year’s food was served and guests enjoyed themselves.
(Ryoichi Miura/Translated by Chikako Iwasaki and shunji Imai)
A Turbulent Relationship
Between Japan and the United States
The second year of the Reiwa
era, 2020, is an important year for us[Japanese]. We have the Tokyo
Olympic/Paralympic Games, and theUnited States has the Presidential
Election. These happenings might
greatly affect the Japanese economy.
Looking back at history, it’s been 60years since New York City andTokyo became sister cities, 60 years
since the Japan-United States
Security Treaty was established and75 years since the war ended. It has
also been 115 years since The Nippon
Club has been established and 500
years since Magellan found the strait
and globalism began.
Finally, it’s been 160 years
since a group of samurai diplomats
arrived in the United States toexchange instruments of ratificationof the Treaty of Amity and Commerce.
They left Yokohama on February 13,
stayed in Washington, D.C. for threeweeks and arrived in New York onJune 16, 1860. This was the beginningof our relationship with the UnitedStates.
There are lots of things that weneed to discuss in the world: NorthKorea, the Taiwan election, the Middle
East and so many other things that aregoing on. To have a good relationshipwith the United States is the core tobuilding peace and prosperity. I’mhoping people who are in New York
City will play a big role to make thisrelationship stronger.
(Ambassador Kanji Yamanouchi,
Consul General of Japan in New York)

Looking back at the year 2019, there
was only a 3% growth in the economycompared to last year, the lowest since thebankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. With a
global business recession causing trade
conflicts, a decrease in investment activities, sensitive situations in developing
countries, high pressure from the economic
situations in Argentina and South America,
the situation in the Middle East, a pricehike on daily use products, inequality ineconomics and citizens protesting corruption, there are so many things going on in
the world. I even had to cancel a businesstrip to Chile due for security reasons. On
the other hand, we can see hope in themanufacturing industry. The economy in
China is getting better, so specialists see abright future in the global economy. If thatis the case, then surely the global economy
will be better. This year will be an exciting
year for us as we have Tokyo Olympic andParalympic Games. We want to continue
to exchange ideas and create a bright
future for Japanese society in this city.
(Katsurao Yoshimori, President of theJapanese Chamber of Commerce andIndustry)
The Year of New Prosperity
There are a lot of big news stories
around the world this New Year’s season,
so I feel this year will be the “Year ofChange.” Last year was the beginning ofthe Reiwa era, a new epoch for Japan
whose name represents beautiful souls
sharing their hearts with each other andfostering cultural exchange. In the Rugby
World Cup, the Japanese team fought very
well, and people of the world understoodthat Japan is a peaceful country with aprinciple of hospitality called omotenashi.
This is the second year of Reiwa, and wewill have the Tokyo Olympic andParalympic Games, so Japan will receive
focus from media all over the world.

2020年（令和2年）1月25日（土）The Nippon Club was established in1905. This year we are celebrating our115 year anniversary. Members areenjoying our programs and fosteringfriendship between Japan and the UnitedStates. Since this year the world will
have its eyes on Japan, we would like tointroduce Japanese traditional culture
through our cultural programs, art galleries and sport events. As you know,
there are a lot of facilities in this building, including a Japanese restaurant. So
please enjoy the delicious taste ofJapanese cuisine like shabu shabu andsuch. 2020 is the year of the rat in theJapanese traditional calendar; it represents prosperity and the beginning andgrowth of new things. I would like tomake the club more enjoyable and contribute to the members. (MasakiNakajima, President of the Nippon Club)Year of the Census
In the Japanese American
Association, which we call JAA, 80% ofthe members are Japanese from Japan,
and 20% are Japanese American. We
have been contributing through our many
activities. This year is the year of thecensus which occurs every 10 years. It isvery important for struggling ethnic
groups to get social welfare from thegovernment. As you know, mostJapanese in the United States keep their
Japanese nationality because Japan does
not permit dual citizenship like theUnited States. Because of that, Japanesenationals do not have voting rights, and itmeans politicians do not care about people who cannot participate in elections ofany kind. However, even if you do nothave American citizenship, you can fillout the census documents as a Japanesein the United States so that you arecounted as part of the “Japanese related
population. ”So please do not throw
away the application form, and please fill
it out. January 31 is Fred KorematsuDay, which is a memorial day of protest
to the President’s Order 9066 in WorldWar II. That order forced JapaneseAmericans to be sent to concentration
camps. I want to highlight JapaneseAmerican history this year and promote
to more young generation members such
as Japanese weekend school graduates.
(Susan Onuma, President of the JapaneseAmerican Association of New York)York)

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