In December of every year, publishing house called 自由国民社Jiyuukokuminsha announces the buzzword of the year in Japan. To everyone’s surprise, four buzzwords were chosen this year. This was the first time for the contest to announce multiple buzzwords of the year in its 29-year history.
The four buzzwords of the year are: 今でしょ! Ima desho Why not now!, 倍返し Baigaeshi double payback, おもてなし Omotenashi hospitality spirit, and じぇじぇじぇ Jejeje (a Tohoku dialect of Japanese expressing shock).
今でしょ! Ima desho Why not now!, in response to いつやるか？Itsu yaru ka? When are you going to do it? became a popular phrase after a literature teacher used it in a TV commercial for a prep-school chain.
倍返し Baigaeshi double payback was a signature line in the TV drama 「半沢直樹」 “Hanzawa Naoki” which was a huge summer hit. The drama was about a junior banker out for revenge against a top executive.
おもてなし Omotenashi hospitality spirit was used by a popular newscaster Christel Takigawa during Japan’s final bid presentation for the 2020 Olympic Games.
じぇじぇじぇ Jejeje (a Tohoku dialect of Japanese expressing shock) is an exclamatory phrase in the dialect spoken in Kuji, Iwate Prefecture. It became a popular phrase after being featured heavily in the TV drama あまちゃん “Ama-chan”, which aired from April to september. The drama was about a young female sea-urchin diver in Tohoku who dreams of becoming a pop star in Tokyo.
