They just don't care

In less than an month, I am turning 40.  That is a four followed by a zero.  Although I try to pretend it isn't a big deal, it really is.

For me, turning forty is a rite of passage.  It is something that I've been looking forward to for a while now.  Forty is a way of saying "I've lived a lot, but I have a lot more to live."  In fact, I have lived an interesting life thus far with many chapters that are so diverse that most would not expect one chapter to lead into the next.  But here I am, turning another page in the book of life. 

I don't think anything will happen at the magical moment of turning the calendar from 39 to 40, but if I was in the US, I would probably celebrate in some way.  Maybe I'd have an evening out with my girlfriends or a party at my house.  But no matter how I chose to celebrate, when I told people it was my 40th birthday, they would make a fuss over it.  It is just what one does.  Any time someone changes that first digit of their age it is considered a big deal.  In Japan, people couldn't care less.

They will kindly say happy birthday, but going from 29 to 30 or 39 to 40 and so forth simply is not a big deal here.  For the most part, Japanese people do not celebrate birthdays after childhood beyond eating cake. 

There are, however, a few exceptions.  The year a child turns 3, 5, and 7, they attend a special festival called shichi-go-san at the local shrine honoring their birth.  When a Japanese person turns 20, they officially become an adult. 

The next biggest birthday isn't until the person turns 60!  Known as Kanreki, the 60th birthday is considered a rebirth because they person has completed 5 cycles of the Chinese zodiac (jikan junishi).  The celebrant wears red, has a party, eats a special cake, and is gifted presents featuring the symbolic red color.  This is perhaps the most celebrated birthday in a Japanese person's life.

The last three big birthdays are special because the kanji (Chinese writing system) is written in a way that has multiple meanings.  Turning 77 is known as "happy age."  Eleven years later the kanji brings attention to the 88th birthday which is known as "rice age."  Finally, the 99th birthday is the "white age."

It sounds as if I am having a bit of a pity party.  I guess I am just a little bit.  After all, for me, turning 40 is a big deal.  It is something I want to celebrate.  And yet, I fear, it will just be another holiday that is special to me and not to anyone else on this continent (with the exception of my husband and son).