Every year the Japanese people choose one kanji character that represents the society’s sentiment regarding the year that is coming to an end. The most voted character this year has been 絆 (kizuna, きずな), which means “bonds”, normally used when talking about the bonds and collaboration among people, friends, family… In this case it has been chosen to represent how united the Japanese people and the whole world have been when facing what happened 9 months ago in Tohoku.
Once the kanji of the year is chosen it is publicly announced by writing it in Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto.
A monk writing 絆 this morning