Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03) presents WIT Life, a periodic series about aspects of Japanese culture such as art, film, food and language. Stacy starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she offers some interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.
We are at the close of another year as time continues to fly. 今年の漢字 (kotoshi no kanji or Kanji of the Year) as chosen by 12,148 out of 221,971 respondents across Japan was 金 (kin or kane, meaning money or gold). This had been the selection in 2021 as well, and last year’s 税 (zei or tax) was also finance related. The explanations provided for this selection were Japan’s 20 gold medals at the Paris Olympics, the LDP slush fund scandal, the rise in prices, issuing of the first new paper currency in 20 years, robberies linked to illegal part-time jobs, and the designation of the Sado gold mine as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 災 (sai or disaster) came in second with 9772 votes, as 2024 was a year that began with 災い (wazawai or calamity). The Noto earthquake struck on the 1st with a death toll exceeding 500, and the following day a runway collision occurred at Haneda Airport between a JAL flight and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft. The Coast Guard plane was scheduled to deliver relief supplies for the earthquake. All JAL passengers survived, but only the Coast Guard captain did.
Although we at JETAA preserve our annual traditions of 忘年会 (bounenkai or year-end party; literally forget-the-year party) and 新年会 (shinnenkai or New Year’s party), in Japan 忘年会離れ (bounenkai banare or moving away from year-end parties) has recently been occurring. The news conducted people on the street interviews to find out more about this phenomenon. A woman in her 20’s stated that since people can meet up whenever they want to these days, year-end parties are no longer necessary. A man in his 50s shared that he’d rather have time to himself than attend these events. Companies have said that employees increasingly do not want to participate, and from the corporate perspective the possibility of harassment occurring during these heavy drinking occasions has led to shelving them. This trend of abandoning year-end parties started during Covid and has only intensified since then, forcing restaurant operators to rethink their business as this had traditionally been their peak season. Whether you want to forget 2024, revel in its memories or something in between, wishing all readers a happy, healthy 2025! 良いお年を～。
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