expression
for the first time in ... years; after ... years
Attaches to a number or duration expression (e.g., 3年ぶり, 10年ぶり) to indicate that something happens after that many years have passed since the last occurrence. Often used with に or の.
彼は3年ぶりに故郷へ帰った。
He returned to his hometown for the first time in three years.
10年ぶりの大雪で交通が混乱した。
The heaviest snow in ten years disrupted traffic.
Compound of 年 (nen, 'year') and ぶり (buri, 'after an interval'). The suffix ぶり derives from the verb 振る (furu, 'to wave; to swing'), implying the passage of time.