Coming of Age at Kiyomizu-dera

Today is the Japanese holiday where 20-year-olds mark their passage to adulthood.  On Coming of Age Day, as we sometimes call it in English, shrines and temples are busy with people, including the new adults who commemorate the rite by wearing traditional kimono.

Kiyomizu-dera is another of Japan’s most photographed spots, with its hillside temples that seem to float. They were built without nails. To read more about it, click here.

We were proud to watch our students coming up with strategies, working out logistics, and interviewing some new Japanese adults about their experiences.  Some students even discovered that they could rent a kimono for the day and, well, reach symbolic adulthood along with the others.

Other teams came up with their own findings. Some samples: (1) that the holiday is in some respects more about remembering family than noting adulthood, (2) that for others the holiday provides a chance to express spirituality, and (3) that the traditional expression of the rite may be losing salience with the new generation.

Here was a nice case of experiential learning.

Inkoo Kang and Randall Andersen interview some temple-goers.

After the interview.

Some teammates check a map.

We were graced today with a visit from Dr. Araki's friend, Eiko Takahashi, right, and her sons, Kazuyoshi and Yoshiaki.

Everyone posed for pix.The volunteer photographer was clicking four cameras -- one for each of the girls posing.

Another intrepid team savors the view: Taylor Brownstein, Matt Eydt and Julia Jacobs.

Experiential learners Sarah Zimmerman, Sadie Stafford, May Milkins, and Damion Guy.

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