Let's read about the origins of the zodiac!
How is everyone spending the New Year?
This year is the year of the horse.
That's right, this year's animal is the horse!
Do you remember what animal it was last year?
Last year it was a snake!
In this way, each year has an animal that represents that year.
How did these animals come to be?
Today I would like to share that story with you.
There are a total of 12 animals, which are called the twelve zodiac signs.
Now, let's read the story "The Origin of the Zodiac"!
This story has already been posted on our JLS blog, but this time we have made it a little easier so that people with beginner to intermediate Japanese levels can enjoy it!
Please enjoy.
Today's Menu
"The Origin of the Zodiac"
Once upon a time, there was a god who lived on a mountain.
God put up this piece of paper at the bottom of the mountain.
"All the animals of the forest, on the morning of January 1st, come to my house at the top of the mountain. The first 12 animals to come will be chosen in order of their year, and will be crowned the king of the animals for that year. The order will be first come, first served on the morning of January 1st. Remember that."
All the animals in the forest were amazed to see this.
Animals: "If we get to God's house first on January 1st, we'll become the king of the animals! Great! We'll definitely be number one!"
Everyone is looking forward to the New Year.
However, the cat has forgotten when to go up the mountain.
So the cat went to the mouse and asked him:
Cat: "Mouse, when are we going to God's house?"
Mouse: "Oh, Cat. It's January 2nd."
Cat: "Oh, I see. It's January 2nd!"
The mouse lied on purpose.
And finally, New Year's Eve arrived.
New Year's Eve is December 31st, the last day of the year.
At night, the cow slowly rose to its feet.
Cow: "I'm a slow walker, so if I don't leave now I won't make it."
The cows began to walk towards the top of the mountain.
When the mouse saw this, he thought to himself:
Mouse: (Oh! Cow, you're leaving already! That's early. I'll ride on your back.)
The mouse jumped onto the cow's back and decided to sleep on it until they reached the mountain.
Around 5am, the other animals also started getting ready.
Rabbit: "I'm the fastest runner!"
The rabbit ran off hopping along.
But from behind,
Tiger: "I'm the best!!"
The rabbit chased after him at such a fast speed that he was surprised and fell a little behind.
The dragon was also excited,
Ryu: "I'll be going from above the clouds, so I'll definitely be the first to arrive!"
and began flying towards the mountain.
Seeing this, the snake also began to slither along the ground.
Snake: "I can't lose either!!!"
The horses and sheep also started running.
Horse: "I'm the best!"
Sheep: "I'm the fastest!"
At first the dog and the monkey ran together, but along the way they started fighting over who would be first.
Dog: "I'm definitely faster than you!"
Monkey: "I can even get up the tree!"
By chance, a chicken happened to be passing by.
Chicken: "Hey, hey! Stop it, you two!"
So he got in between the dog and the monkey and the three of them went up into the mountains together.
So, who came out on top?
The first thing to arrive at God's house was the cow, which had been prepared the day before.
However, when the cow reached the gate of God's house, the mouse on its back woke up, hopped off, and reached the finish line first.
Cow: "Oh? There's a mouse on board. I didn't notice."
The cow was surprised but not angry.
After that came a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a sheep, a monkey, a chicken, and a dog.
Just as the god was about to close the gate, the twelfth boar came flying into the garden of the god's house with dizzying speed.
Boar: "Ah! I made it in time! Thank goodness!"
God: "Oh, everyone. Welcome, welcome."
The god said with satisfaction, and thus the king of the animals for that year was decided.
The next day, the cat came to the top of the mountain and knocked on the gate of God's house.
God: "Hmm? What's going on? The king of the animals has already been decided."
Cat: "What?!"
The cat realized that the mouse had tricked him, but it was too late.
From then on, whenever the cat saw a mouse, it would chase it.
summary
How was it?
Did you know all the animals featured here?
If you didn't know, please try to remember it.
And try to remember what animal you were born in!
I'm sure you'll love the animal even more!
Well, today I introduced you to the story of "The Origin of the Zodiac."
I hope you enjoyed it.
We also have other stories and grammar explanations that will be useful for learning Japanese, so please take a look.
