Hello everyone,

Welcome back to school! It is 2023 so we have a new zodiac animal for this year. In English we say “2023 is the year of the ~”. So, do you know this year’s animal? Of course, “2023 is the year of the rabbit!”

The zodiac calendar came to Japan from China a long time ago. The same animals are used in both countries, with one difference. In China they use a pig, while in Japan we use a boar. What is a boar? Well, if you have watched my favorite Ghibli movie, you know the answer.

Boars are common in Japan, so I imagine the change was made to better relate to Japanese people. Many times when culture is introduced from one place to a new place, it changes to match the local customs or environment.

Maybe that is why we eat turkey for Christmas in Canada, and in Japan people eat KFC! Have a great year.

relate to: check this in your dictionary, it is a good one to remember!