This is the Year of the Rabbit according to the Chinese Zodiac. The Chinese Zodiac is followed in China, as well as Japan.
Ayako wrote to me from Japan about the Year of the Rabbit…
We have twelve different signs (animals) in Chinese lunar calender called “干支”.
We call the men of the year “toshi otoko – 年男” and the women of the year “toshi onnna　年女”. We wish for their good luck and health throughout the new year.
I found an article that said starting January 22nd, we can buy an American stamp with a picture of rabbits on it and the letters “U.S.A.”…
In Japanese, “USA” can be read “うさ” in roman Japanese. Those are the first two letters of “うさぎ – rabbit” in Japanese. It’s a kind of “pun” and it’s interesting!
Thanks for writing about this Ayako! If anyone else would like share anything about the Year of the Rabbit or the Chinese New Year in general, please comment below or email me.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
This article was posted on Friday, January 21st, 2011 at 4:12 pm and is filed under China, Chinese New Year, Countries & Cultures, Holidays Around the World, Japan, Japanese, Languages, Mama Lisa, USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
One Response to “The Year of the Rabbit in Japan”
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January 21st, 2011 at 7:00 pm
This is “my year” which means I turn who knows…? 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96 or maybe 108 or 120!