Happy new year of the Metal Rat!
It’s not a new cyberpunk novel, but the exact name of 2020 according to the Chinese/Japanese zodiac ;-).
In China, the new year will begin on January the 25th, but not in Japan, which follows the same calendar as in the West.
Here a few information about this calendar:
The Chinese/Japanese zodiac and calendar are based on a 12-year cycle, each year associated with an animal.
Each sign is also associated with one of the five following elements: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal.
That means that for example the year of the Metal Rat repeats itself every 60 years.
I, Fukuchan, was born on the year of the Water Rat, so how old am I?
Everyone who answers correctly will receive a €100 voucher on a Japan trip booked with Fukuchan Ryoko* :-).
*This offer is valid until the end of the year 2020, for a trip (min. value of €1,000/person) booked with Fukuchan Ryoko.
All information and pictures for this post are based on Wikipedia & ThoughCo articles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_(zodiac)
https://www.thoughtco.com/japanese-zodiac-overview-2028019