"Survey on the annual end-of-year awards" T members make big predictions about the annual "end-of-year awards" and "Hakone Ekiden"! This year's kanji is "sen" (war), and the New Word/Buzzword of the Year is "Don't worry, I'm wearing it.""

2015.11.27 Press Releases
Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd.

-The opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, the registration of Gunkanjima and the Yawata Steel Works as World Heritage sites, the heatwaves, the passage of the security bill, etc.-

Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce that it has conducted an online survey called the "T Survey" regarding its annual year-end awards, targeting 1,412 T members, both male and female, aged 18 to 69, who use T cards.

■ Annual end-of-year awards survey digest
●Predictions for the "New Words and Popular Phrase Awards"! The most popular answer was...
　Yasumura-san is always cheerful: "Don't worry, I'm wearing them. 』
●Predictions for "Kanji of the Year"! The most popular answer was...
　Security-related bills passed, including the Islamic State issue: "War"
●Predictions for the "Best Dressed Award"! The most popular answer was...
　Ayumu Goromaru, who led the success of the Japanese national rugby team
●Predictions for the Japan Record Awards! The most popular answer was...
　Extremely popular among young people! "No one else is me" / Gesu no Kiwami Otome. 』
●Predictions for the Hakone Ekiden! The most popular answer was...
　Following last year, the overall winner was Aoyama Gakuin University

*Company names and product/service names mentioned in this press release are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies.
*The survey will be conducted before the nominations for the New Word and Buzzword Award and the Japan Record Award are announced.

●Predictions for the "New Words and Popular Phrase Awards"! The most popular answer was...
　　Yasumura-san is always cheerful: "Don't worry, I'm wearing them. 』
　　*Survey conducted before announcing the nominated words

There is only one month left in 2015. Looking back on this year, the opening of the Tohoku Shinkansen, the registration of Gunkanjima and the Yawata Steel Works as World Heritage Sites, and the Abe Cabinet's promotion of "regional revitalization" have all brought increased attention to the food, culture, and tourist destinations of all parts of Japan. The year also saw many other events, including inbound tourism, the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, the passage of bills related to the security treaty, extreme heat, and the success of the Japanese national rugby team. We conducted a survey of 1,412 T members to ask them to make their big predictions about the annual end-of-year awards that will determine 2015, and which university will be the overall winner of the Hakone Ekiden.
First, the "U-CAN New Words and Buzzwords Awards" (this survey was conducted before the nominations were announced, so some words were not included). When asked to predict which word they thought would win the grand prize in this year's U-CAN New Word and Buzzword Award, the answer was Yasumura's signature pose and line, "Don't worry, I'm wearing them," which has recently become increasingly popular overseas. ” (19.6%) was chosen as the number one choice. Coming in second place was the popular "Goromaru Pose" (15.2%), a routine that is popular before kicking a rugby ball, and in third place was the 8.6 Seconds Bazooka's "Rassun Gorerai" (9.8%), a catchy song that is hard to get out of your head once you hear it. In fourth place was the phrase "Bakugai" (explosive buying) (6.7%), which symbolizes the shopping style of visitors to Japan, which is at an all-time high, and in fifth place was "Atatakai Nandakaraa" (It's Warm, It's So Warm) by Kumamushi (6.2%), a popular comedy skit that has now been developed into a song.

●Predictions for "Kanji of the Year"! The most popular answer was...
　　Security-related bills passed, etc. "War"

The "Kanji of the Year" is chosen every year on December 12th, Kanji Day, at Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto as the character that best represents the state of affairs that year. When asked to predict which kanji would be chosen for 2015, "sen" (war) (6.2%) came in first, perhaps reflecting the growing awareness of "war" in Japanese society following the passage of security-related legislation in September of this year, as well as the problems posed by the extremist group Islamic State (IS). In second place was "fake" (fake) (5.6%), which is associated with the Tokyo Olympic emblem issue and the problem of tilting apartment buildings, and in third place was the single character "baku" (explosion) (5.2%), which is representative of the shopping spree of foreign visitors to Japan. In fourth place was "An" (3.7%), the initials of the security-related bills and Prime Minister Abe, and in fifth place was "Ran" (2.5%), possibly influenced by the various reactions in society leading up to the passage of the security-related bills.

●Predictions for the "Best Dressed Award"! The most popular answer was...
　　Ayumu Goromaru, who led the success of the Japanese national rugby team

The Best Dresser Award has been given every December for the past 40 years, and is selected from fields including politics, economics, academia, culture, sports, and entertainment. Among these, we focused on the "Sports and Entertainment" category and asked people to predict who they thought would win the 2015 "Best Dresser Award." The top choice was Goromaru Ayumu (24.9%), who played a major role as a member of the Japanese rugby team at the Rugby World Cup. In second place was professional tennis player Kei Nishikori (5.2%), who has qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals, an event open to only the top eight players of the year, for the second year in a row, and in third place was figure skater Mao Asada (2.9%), who showed off a brilliant performance in her full comeback after a year's break. The top three places were all sportspeople. In fourth place was Masaharu Fukuyama (2.5%), who announced his surprise marriage in September, sparking the phenomenon of "Fukuyama loss (Masha loss)." In fifth place was Satomi Ishihara (2.0%), a popular actress who is in high demand for dramas and TV commercials this year, just like last year.

●Predictions for the Japan Record Awards! The most popular answer was...
　　Extremely popular among young people! "No one else is me" / Gesu no Kiwami Otome. 』　
　　*Survey conducted before announcing the nominated words

Next, we asked people to predict the artist and song they thought would win this year's Record of the Year at the 57th annual Japan Record Awards, a year-end music festival (this survey was conducted before the nominees were announced, so some artists and song titles were excluded).The number one song was "Watashi Igai Watashi Janai no" by Gesu no Kiwami Otome, a hit song by a rock band that is hugely popular among young people and made its major debut last year. 'The result was...'In second place was "Attakain ndakaraa ♪/Kumamushi," which was also nominated for the New Word/Buzzword Award, and in third place was "Torisetsu/Nishino Kana," a song that describes a woman's feelings like an instruction manual. In fourth place was another Nishino Kana song, "Moshimo Unmei no Hito ga Aru Nara/Nishino Kana," and in fifth place was "ANTI-HERO/SEKAI NO OWARI," the theme song for the film "Attack on Titan."

●Predictions for the Hakone Ekiden! The most popular answer was...
　 Continuing from last year... "Aoyama Gakuin University"

The Hakone Ekiden (Tokyo-Hakone Round-Trip College Ekiden Race) is held on January 2nd and 3rd each year and produces many dramatic events every year. When asked to predict which university they think will be the overall winner of the next Hakone Ekiden, which will be the 92nd, the top choice was last year's winner, Aoyama Gakuin University (32.2%), followed by 2014 and 2012 winner Toyo University (15.2%), third place was Komazawa University (12.5%), fourth place was Waseda University (7.9%), and fifth place was Yamanashi Gakuin University (5.3%).

■ Survey Overview
Survey method: Internet (T Survey)
Survey period: November 13th (Friday) to November 18th (Wednesday), 2015
Survey area: Nationwide
Survey subjects: Men and women aged 18 to 69 (T members)
Number of samples:

■What is the T Survey?
This is one of the largest online research services in Japan, with 9 million T Card users registered. All members who complete research and surveys will be rewarded with T Points. In addition, the responses you provide will be processed as statistical information and used by companies and media outlets for product development and service planning. Each and every opinion we receive from our members will be an important key point in creating a bright future for people, companies, and Japan.
CCC offers marketing solutions to companies, from planning surveys through "T Surveys" to compiling and analyzing them as a research program tailored to their needs.

Materials related to this matter

"Survey on the annual end-of-year awards" T members make big predictions about the annual "end-of-year awards" and "Hakone Ekiden"! This year's kanji is "sen" (war), and the New Word/Buzzword of the Year is "Don't worry, I'm wearing it.""

Inquiries regarding this matter
Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd.
Public Relations Officer: Ando
TEL: 03-6800-4464