Aging with grace: Japan’s Respect for the Aged Day Sept. 16 (2024)

Aging with grace: Japan’s Respect for the Aged Day Sept. 16 (1)

(File photo)

Respect for the Aged Day may call to mind Japan’s rapidly aging population, but that only underscores this national holiday’s emphasis on honoring and appreciating the contributions senior citizens have made to society.

Celebrating this year on Sept.16, this holiday traces its origins back to 1947 when a farming village in Hyogo Prefecture proclaimed Sept.15 as “Day for the Elderly,” or Toshiyori-no-Hi. They held a meeting to honor seniors and listened to them speak in order to benefit from their words of wisdoms. The idea spread throughout the prefecture, then spread nationwide.

“Respect for the Aged Day (Keiro-no-Hi) was legislated in 1966 according to the National Holidays Act,” said Yukihiro Miura from the holiday section of the National Cabinet Office’s General Affairs Division. “The purpose of this holiday is to express respect for the elderly in our communities and wish them longevity.”

“I think sometime after Japanese society started recovering from the devastation of the war, people began to think of how they could appreciate the elderly who had contributed so much to society, and how to glean from their wisdom,” Miura added.

Although the holiday was originally observed on Sep. 15, the National Holidays Act was amended in 2003, introducing the so-called Happy Monday system which moved several holidays to Mondays to create three-day weekends. Respect for the Aged Day has been celebrated on the third Monday of September ever since.

On this day, many communities honor the elderly with parties or ceremonies and present them with gifts. TV stations usually air senior-related programs such as features on the number of elderly in Japan or the oldest people in the country.

And school children often visit facilities for the elderly to entertain them with song and dance.

How will you honor the elderly in your community on Respect for the Aged Day?

Aging with grace: Japan’s Respect for the Aged Day Sept. 16 (2)

(Stripes Japan)

Aging with grace: Japan’s Respect for the Aged Day Sept. 16 (3)

(Stripes Japan)

Aging with grace: Japan’s Respect for the Aged Day Sept. 16 (4)

(Stripes Japan)

Western ways changing Okinawa longevity

Okinawa Prefecture was once long recognized for having the highest longevity rate out of all 47 prefectures in Japan. But times have changed according to a Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare study conducted every five years. Apparently, nothing really does last forever.

While a 1995 survey showed that overall there were 22 centenarians for every 100,000 persons in Okinawa – 3.8 times the national average at the time – survey figures show longevity has been declining in Okinawa ever since. By 2005, male Okinawans had dropped from first to 25th place.

Most recently, in 2020, Okinawan women dropped to sixteenth place in the survey with a life expectancy of 87.88 years, slightly higher than the ministry’s national average of 87.60. Okinawan men, however, plummeted to 43rd place at 80.73 years, just shy of the national life expectancy for males of 81.49 years. The results are no surprise to Dr. Makoko Suzuki who predicted the trend a decade ago in an interview with Stars and Stripes in 2013.

Suzuki, now a retired medical doctor, Ryukyu University professor emeritus and co-author of the best-selling “The Okinawa Program: How the World’s Longest Lived People Achieved Everlasting Health,” conducted a 25-year study of the traditional Okinawa diet. He said the prefecture’s claim as a haven for centenarians (once the most per capita in the world) came from an old island lifestyle that literally has been dying out. This has opened the door to diseases associated with obesity – once rare on Okinawa – like diabetes, heart failure and strokes that are now becoming all too common.

“The chief factor is diet,” he said in 2004, pointing a finger at ubiquitous fast-food chains like A&W, McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken. “Their (younger Okinawans’) eating habits are more westernized, which raises their cholesterol.”

While older Okinawans still take walks, he added, their younger counterparts, “have the tendency to hop into a car.”

“The last two factors are the loss of the Okinawan culture and tradition in our everyday lives,” Suzuki said. “Traditionally, Okinawans were more involved with their community and religious activities, which kept them active.”

Silver Week glitters like gold

You may have heard of Golden Week, Japan’s string of four consecutive holidays from late April to early May, but you probably didn’t know that there is also a “Silver Week” which occurs once every few years in September. Here’s how it works:

Autumnal Equinox Day is a national holiday that falls on Sept. 23 (Sept. 22 during leap years). Japan’s National Holiday Act dictates that when Respect for the Aged Day, celebrated the third Monday in September, falls on Sept. 21, and it is not a leap year, the day between the two holidays becomes another holiday – National People’s Day.

Combined with the weekend that precedes the Monday holiday, you get the five-day aptly named, Silver Week. The last Silver Week occurred in 2015 after 2009. The next Silver Week will be in 2026. In the year 2024, Autumnal Equinox Day is celebrated on Sept. 22. Respect for the Aged Day falls on Sept. 16. It’s a shame that we don’t get a five-day off this year. But it can be named a “Bronze Week”, can’t it?

Aging with grace: Japan’s Respect for the Aged Day Sept. 16 (2024)

FAQs

Aging with grace: Japan’s Respect for the Aged Day Sept. 16? ›

Today, we celebrate Respect for the Aged Day in Japan, observed every third Monday of September. This holiday is a tribute to the elderly, acknowledging their contributions to society. The holiday was first celebrated in 1966. It was initially observed in a small village before becoming a national holiday in 1966.

What is respect for the aged day in Japan? ›

Respect for the Aged Day is a Japanese public holiday, celebrated on the third Monday of September. The holiday is a time for people to reflect upon the contributions the older generations have made to society and family life.

What is Japan's aging policy? ›

The Japanese Government proposed the ideas of a Smart Platinum Society in 2015, referred as an “age-free society” which encourages its citizens to live a fruitful “hundred-year life. ” Japan also has a vision for its future coined as Society 5.0, where older persons are not considered senior citizens but are encouraged ...

What holiday is on September 15 in Japan? ›

Respect for the Aged Day (敬老の日, Keirō no Hi) is a public holiday in Japan celebrated annually to honor elderly citizens. It started in 1966 as a national holiday and was held on every September 15.

How does the Japanese culture view aging? ›

The image of the older person as a sen-nin (wise sage) is common in popular Japanese culture. Finally, the pervasive Confucian norm of filial piety, in which children should honor their parents, promotes the importance of continued respect and care of elderly parents (Hwang, 1999).

How to wish respect for the aged day? ›

Ask them to give you their best life advice, or to help you learn a new skill that they are accomplished in. Write them a sweet card to show your appreciation. Send them an arrangement of beautiful Keirō no Hi flowers or a delicious hamper.

What happens on coming of age day in Japan? ›

Festivities include coming of age ceremonies (成人式, seijin-shiki) held at local and prefectural offices, as well as after-parties among family and friends. Duration: 12 seconds. 0:12 Young people, dressed up for Coming of Age Day, walk in front of a shrine just before twilight (video).

What age is considered elderly in Japan? ›

According to figures released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the proportion of Japan's elderly, defined as age 65 and above, is also at a record high, comprising 29.1% of the population – the highest rate in the world.

Why is Japan's life expectancy so high? ›

Japanese life expectancy

This low mortality is mainly attributable to a low rate of obesity, low consumption of red meat, and high consumption of fish and plant foods such as soybeans and tea. In Japan, the obesity rate is low (4.8% for men and 3.7% for women).

Does Japan take care of their elderly? ›

Public assistance for long-term care for the elderly began to be carried out as “welfare” under the Act on Social Welfare for the Elderly, which was enacted in 1963. However, once the Long-Term Care Insurance Actcame into effect in 2000, care for the elderly was incorporated into the social insurance system.

What happens on girls day in Japan? ›

Hinamatsuri (also known as Doll's Day or Girls' Day) is an annual festival in Japan to celebrate the health and happiness of young girls. We celebrate this special day by decorating with hina dolls and enjoying festive foods, such as chirashi sushi, clam soup, and strawberry daifuku.

What to wear in Japan in late September? ›

If you are visiting in the first half of autumn, a light shirt or a dress is best, especially in the morning. But nights can be cold and breezy, so have a jacket or scarf ready. The latter half of the season can be cold, so make sure to have a jacket, sweater or coat and layer your clothing to keep you warm.

What happens in Japan in September? ›

Tokyo's summer heat continues into early September, with high temperatures and humidity. But later in the month the heat gradually relents, and the weather is often very pleasant. The average temperature is 26.7℃ (80.0℉), with highs of 31.2℃ (88.2℉) and lows of 23.6℃ (74.5℉).

What is the Japanese secret to aging? ›

​​Dietary routine​

The Japanese diet is low in processed foods and added sugars and high in fresh vegetables, seafood, soy products, and rice. This diet is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids, which help fight oxidative stress and inflammation, two major causes of aging.

What age do Japanese retire? ›

Average Retirement Age in Japan

Employers who do choose a mandatory retirement age of under 65 still have to take some measures to secure stable employment for their workers. This generally means offering them continued employment until they reach 65. Roughly 94% of Japanese employers have a retirement age of 60.

What is the aging problem in Japan? ›

Japan's population is aging faster than any other country on the planet. The population of those 65 years or older roughly doubled in 24 years, from 7.1% of the population in 1970 to 14.1% in 1994. The same increase took 61 years in Italy, 85 years in Sweden, and 115 years in France.

How do Japanese show respect to elders? ›

When speaking with elders, they usually bow as a sign of respect. They are many social hierarchies in the Japanese culture are respected and as one moves up the ladder, they get to speak less and less formally and access more and more respect and politeness in the ways that others that to them.

What do people wear on coming of age day in Japan? ›

Coming-of-age Ceremony, Furisode and Montsuki Haori Hakama

Women wear furisode and men wear montsuki haori hakama. At the beginning, montsuki haori hakama was the most formal dress combining a family-crested haori coat with a hakama skirt.

Do Japanese take care of the elderly? ›

In today's Japan, the young and middle-aged are consumed by caring for the old, and small-town resources are overstretched. In some places, family gravesites lack descendants to tend them, and sacred festivals carried on for generations are in danger of dying out.

What is the Japanese culture of respect? ›

Omotenashi means "to treat others with respect without expecting anything in return” and "to serve others wholeheartedly” and it is a concept unique to Japan and a tradition that continues to this day. Omotenashi is characterized by the fact that the giver and the receiver are equal.

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