I list up the “words of the year” in every yearend based on what I experienced in that year.

The words of the year for 2001: getting a flat within the Tokyo metropolitan area, a position change at the office, and Soarer.
The words of the year for 2002: America.
The words of the year for 2003: the airplane and the musical.
The words of the year for 2004: the blog, Asian countries (Singapore and Hong Kong), and the GSM mobile phone.
The words of the year for 2005: darts, the GSM and WCDMA mobile phone, and visiting Hong Kong again.
The words of the year for 2006: the US stock and the mutual fund.
The words of the year for 2007: changing my car and visiting Hawaii.
The words of the year for 2008: England and Fukagawa.
The words of the year for 2009: office position change, MacBook Pro and JR Seishun 18 Ticket.
The words of the year for 2010: Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia; iPhone; and the credit card.
The words of the year for 2011: the car, the British culture and China.
The words of the year for 2012: Oji, the mahjong, the flight attendant and Facebook.

Now the words of the year for 2013 are: Ayurveda, Korea, high school alumni and Tsuyoshi Takashiro.

Ayurveda is, as I wrote in the previous entry, what I have done monthly at a clinic in Kawagoe to maintain my physical condition.

Korea is the place I visited in October to see the Paju English Village. Back in January, I went to the Korean Embassy in Tokyo with Mrinalini Ghosh and her friends to experience Korean culture in the Lunar New Year. For years, I’ve watched Korean TV dramas broadcast on TV Tokyo, such as the Great Queen Seon Deok, Lee San, Gyebaek, and God of War. A Korean coworker came to my office, and I received a lot of information from him.

A high school alumni party was held for the first time in 21 years. I saw plenty of good old friends I studied with in high school. Since the party, our relationships have started again. I’ve made friends with some of them on Facebook, and sometimes I drink with them.

Tsuyoshi Takashiro is one of the most inspiring people for me. He predicts what the world will become and offers advice through books and zines on what we should do and how we should live in an unstable future. Ayurveda is the one that I’m involved in by his advice.

Serendipity, or an encounter with something new, is the real pleasure of life. By meeting new people and experiencing new things, you can continue to grow no matter how old you are. I wonder what I can see next year.
Have a happy holiday season and a happy New Year!