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To bring a little more culture and sophistication to the school, we’ve commissioned a series of paintings that are now hanging in the entrance at GenkiJACS. These pictures were painted by a quite famous local artist, Sekirai Tanaka, born 1943, known for the logo of the Ippudou ramen chain. Each picture represents one of the 12 animals of the Chinese astrological calendar. The pictures are oils on paper, and the frames are also handmade by the artist, using recycled materials in keeping with his motto of もったいない (mottainai, don’t waste). Each animal corresponds to a year, and it is common in Japan to carry items featuring the animal of the year you were born. Some people also think that the animal defines your personality! 2008 is the year of the rat, and according to one source, “those born in the Year of the Rat are clever, ambitious, creative, hard-working, fastidious, charming and sociable, but can be a bit stingy when it comes to sharing their wealth or possessions.”
If you look carefully, you’ll notice there are only 11 pictures – the tiger is missing! Hopefully that doesn’t bode badly for 2010, the next year of the tiger…
