In Japan, certain birthdays aren’t just birthdays — they’re 節目 (fushime, milestones) marked with their own specific celebrations. 今年、父が八十八歳になりました (Kotoshi chichi ga hachijū-hassai ni narimashita, This year, my father turned 88), so my family and I celebrated his 米寿 (beiju, 88th birthday).
One of the first 節目 ages many adults encounter is 還暦 (kanreki), celebrated at 60. Besides hitting the age many consider to be 老後 (谤ō驳辞, old age), 60 happens to mark the completion of one full cycle of the traditional calendar, which follows a 60-year zodiac rotation.
After 還暦 we have 喜寿 (kiju, the 77th birthday), whose name comes from the character 喜 (yorokobu, joy). In 草書体 (蝉ō蝉丑辞迟补颈, cursive script), the kanji appears as ?, resembling a stylized form of 七十七 (苍补苍补-箩ū-苍补苍补, 7-10-7).
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