The last day of each year is when I look back at what happened, what I encountered, and what impressed me the most throughout the year. Then I summarize them into some words as “the words of the year.” For example, the words of the year 2020 were Synapusyu, the handgun, and computer programming. The words of the year 2019 were Hokkaido, Mercari, and Grand Cherokee.

Sadly, I haven’t experienced very many things that impressed me this year. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, a state of emergency was declared nationwide for most months. As a result, I could do nothing but stay home all day long, go out shopping at the nearest supermarkets, or drive a car just a few miles away from my house. 

Even on such monotonous days, I did something new. Summarizing this year, the words of the year 2021 were Google Maps, Yurie Omi’s resignation, Tokyo Games, and death games.