Kanji of the year

I learned recently in my kanji class that a kanji (Japanese character) is selected at the end of each year to represent the year that has come to past. The kanji is chosen through a national ballot and then announced on December 12 (Kanji Day) at Kiyomizu Temple. (I didn't even know there was a Kanji Day).

So the kanji chosen for the year 2011 is..... (drumroll) : Kizuna, which means the bonds between people. Here is a picture:

 
On Wikipedia, if you're interested, look up "Kanji of the year" and you get a list of all the characters that have been selected so far and a little explanation as to why that specific character was chosen.

For this year, I think you already must have a good idea why kizuna was chosen. With the earthquake and tsunami, the Japanese rediscovered the importance of bonds between friends and family. It could also represent the bonds between Japan and other countries. After the earthquake and tsunami, other countries offered their help and support to Japan (I'm just extrapolating here). On Wikipedia's page, it also mentions that kizuna represents the bonds and teamwork between the members of Japan's women's national football team (Nadeshiko Japan) who won the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.

After kizuna, wazawai (disaster) and shin (tremor) came in second and third place respectively. I find it amazing that even though the past year was very difficult for Japan (and they're not out of the woods yet), a positive kanji such as kizuna was chosen. It just goes to show that even during times of hardship, some good comes out of it.

In class, we were also asked to choose our own kanji of the year to represent our own life. I chose the kanji shin, which means "new".

I chose it because 2011 has been a year of new beginnings for me. I began a new life here in Japan, I met a lot of new people and made many new friends. For the first time I'm living alone and I'm doing a lot of new things I never would have imagined I'd be doing. And I know there's still a lot more to come. : ) I really like this "kanji of the year" concept so I think that from now on, I'll be choosing a kanji every year.