Voluminous, but manageable. That's a fitting description of the latest acquisition to my library: the 2016 edition of 現代用語の 基礎知識 (Gendai Yōgo no Kiso Chishiki) from publisher Jiyukokuminsha. This 1,444-page compendium is brimming with cutting-edge terminology about practically everything people in Japan said, read and bought during the previous 12 months, making it well worth its price tag of ¥2,900 (plus tax).
While its Japanese title remains unchanged, I note that from this year, the English name has been changed to "The Year Book of the Contemporary Society." Formerly it had been called "The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Words."
On Dec. 1, publishers Jiyukokuminsha and U-Can held their annual event to proclaim winners of the 2015 ユーキャン 新語・流行語大賞 (2015 U-Can Shingo/Ryūkōgo Taishō, "New and Trendy Word Grand Prix") — words selected from 50 nominees that ranged from such topics as government economic policies and Kenji Goto — the journalist beheaded by "Jihadi John" — to three sports heroes and a comedian's raunchy punch line.