JSランゲージスクールブログ | Respect for the aged day
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September 19th is “respect for the aged day” in Japan. I think this holiday is very interesting. We do not have this kind of holiday in the U.S. The only time we have a holiday to celebrate older people is “grandparent’s day”, but this is not a national holiday. It is a day we celebrate in school and our grandparents come to visit us at school and we do activities with them and sing for them.
I think that Asian cultures put more emphasis on respecting elders than Western cultures do. However, in the U.S, people from rural areas put a lot of emphasis on respecting elders. This is something similar between the U.S and Japan. Rural U.S has many of the same manners as Japan.
I think it is interesting that the government used to give silver sake cups to residents of Japan who reach the age of 100. In the U.S, we don’t give anything away when someone becomes 100, but they might appear on local TV. There are so many people in Japan who have become 100, so I think there must be some secret to the Japanese diet or way of living that is very healthy!
Regarding taking care of elders, I also thought it was interesting that in Japan when many parents get old, they live with their children. It is the child’s job to take care of their parents when their parents become too old to do everything by themselves. I know this is changing a little bit, but compared to the U.S, there are still many families in Japan that have this kind of system. In the U.S, most people work so they cannot stay home to care for their parents. In Japan, it is more common for a woman to stay home after becoming a mother so it is easier to take care of parents. However, I think this must be really stressful for women.
In the end, I think having respect for the elderly is a very good thing. I think we should all take some time on the 19th to appreciate our elders and what they have done for us!
