1. Nengajo Japanese New Year cards © NSW Department of Education and Communities, 2013 Funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations through the National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program.

2. Nengajo New Year is a very special holiday in Japan. People visit relatives, neighbours, friends and colleagues – anyone who has done favours for them throughout the year. People also send out postcards, which are all delivered on New Years Day. The cards may include information about what people have been doing and what their new years resolutions are. You may also see the phrase Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu (Happy New Year).

3. Nengajo The cards are decorated with coloured paints, black ink, paper cutouts, etc. Recently, people have started creating cards with their computers, incorporating photographs and other images. Popular images include animals from the Chinese zodiac, which moves in a 12 year cycle.Chinese zodiac

4. Chinese zodiac animals 2010Tiger 2011Rabbit 2012Dragon 2013Snake 2014Horse 2015Sheep 2016Monkey 2017Rooster 2018Dog 2019Pig 2020Rat

5. Activity Look at the nengajo on the following slides. What sort of images and/or information do you see on the postcards? Make a nengajo to send to a classmate next year. Include the appropriate zodiac animal and the phrase Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu! (Happy New Year!) Find out more at http://web- japan.org/kidsweb/explore/calendar/december/neng ajo.htmlhttp://web- japan.org/kidsweb/explore/calendar/december/neng ajo.html

6. nengajo, by James Kilfiger CC BY 2.0James KilfigerCC BY 2.0

7. 2010-nengajyo, courtesy of Renfield Kuroda