Kanji Day is observed in Japan every December 12, celebrating the kanji character of the year, which is announced during a special ceremony. This character is selected through a national ballot organized by the Japanese Kanji Proficiency Society and typically reflects significant events from the past year. The tradition of choosing a kanji of the year has been in place since 1995. The announcement ceremony takes place at Kiyomizu-dera, a renowned Buddhist temple in Kyoto. Kanji, which are logographic characters adopted from Chinese, form a crucial part of the Japanese writing system alongside kana. While there are over 50,000 kanji characters, only about 2,000 to 3,000 are commonly used in daily life. The kanji of the year serves as a cultural reflection of contemporary Japanese society.