Annual End-Year Events
One month left until the year is over.
During this time of year, people start talking about the “Word of the Year” and the “Character of the Year.”
This year’s “Word of the Year” was “Kamitteru.” The literal translation for this is, “God-like.” This word actually beat the world-famous “PPAP.”
Coach Ogata from the professional baseball team, Hiroshima Carp, first started using the phrase, and it later proliferated nation-wide, even to non-baseball fans.
On the 15th of December, the annual “Character of the Year” will be announced at Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto.
Last year, the character was “安” “ann.” The connotations for this character are, “peace,” “calm,” and “safe.”
According to Wikipedia, this character was chosen for the following reason.
Safety (安全) issues concerning explosion in Yasukuni Shrine, terrorist attack on Paris, and the public outcry at the new State Secrecy Law devised by prime minister Shinzo Abe (安倍晋三)
What will the character for this year be…?
The events of 2016 that come to my mind are mostly sports related.
After all, Japan achieved high levels of performance in the Rio Olympics.
The men’s 400m relay team won a silver medal, and the men’s gymnastics team captured a gold medal!
I remember watching the games speechless and deeply moved. The memories of Japan’s medal-rush is still fresh in our minds.
Moreover, (this is about baseball) the final games for the Japan series championship between Hiroshima Carp and Nippon Ham was exciting. Those of you who are not that into baseball, might not know what I am talking about. However, Nippon Ham’s pitcher Shohei Otani and Carp’s pitcher Hiroki Kuroda outdid themselves. I almost shed manly tears!
Not all events this year were bright.
From the beginning of the year, many affairs between celebrities were exposed.
Yuriko Koike was elected as Governor of Tokyo, however, the focus then shifted to serious issues such as the design flaws of the Tokyo Olympic Stadium and the safety of Toyosu Market. These problems are most likely to drag onto 2017.
The break-up of Japan’s most famous boy band, SMAP, surfaced the conflict between their label and manager.
Meanwhile, our neighbor Korea dealt with presidential scandals.
There was a clear “lack of morals” (“倫理の欠如”) this year, so I personally think the character “倫” would be suitable.
Either way, I hope for cheerful news before the year ends.
