Choosing the word of the year for 2011 must not have been easy, but kizuna, meaning bonds or ties, was an excellent choice that will be important in this coming year as well. The Japan Kanji Association announced its choice at Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, a place that for many feels like the spiritual heart of the country.
The annual word-of-the-year started after the Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 as a way to encapsulate, in a single concept, the most important experiences of the past year. But the word will resound just as powerfully through 2012 as in 2011.
The choice of "kizuna" showed how strong the bonds between people were after the catastrophes of last year.