Will “Shut the F*ck Up” be Japan's Word of 2021?

This Week In Japan

This week we discuss the nominations for Japan's 'Word of the Year' 2021 competition (流行語大賞), JAXA's search for new astronauts for the first time in 13 years, the seemingly positive return to normalcy with low COVID-19 numbers, and how Uber Eats drivers are unhappy with the current state of flexible wages.
Word of the Year Nominations:
うっせえわ！ (usseewa)
ぼったくり男爵 (bottakuri-dan-shoku)
黙食 (moku-shoku)
ピクトグラム (pikutoguramu)
ウマ娘 (uma-musume)
リアル二刀流 (riaru-ni-tou-ryuu)
This episode was recorded on November 26th 2021 in Hiroo, Tokyo.
Join the discussion over on www.facebook.com/thisweekinjapan
Also, check out our "Japan Go!" YouTube Channel at youtube.com/japango