Here is to a Hopping New Year! 新年快乐! 恭喜发财!

Happy Lunar New Year! The new year of the Water Rabbit ushering in harmony and hope. The Spring Festival of good fortune and prosperity.

The gentle rabbit, the fourth of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs, is kind, elegant and patient and is a symbol of hope and longevity. The water element associated with this year makes it a Black Rabbit year, for in traditional Chinese culture, the water is thought to be black. Water also means fortune. And with a leap month added to the lunar calendar, 2023 is considered a year of double fortune. So this year will bring about hope, peace, calmness, prosperity, and a chance for us to take a step back and calmly realign ourselves with our goals and carefully plan for the steps required to achieve them. After all, “goals are dreams with deadlines,” and this year happens to be an opportune time for making our dreams happen.

Luckily, the year of the Water Rabbit is expected to be favourable for most zodiac signs. And to cash in on all that luck, we must celebrate and do things that gain us extra fortune credits. Deck the halls in red, oranges and bunnies, dress in red or your lucky colours, feast on lucky foods, and don’t forget to share the love with red packets. Let’s all have an auspicious Lunar New Year!

The roaring Tiger is here to rule! 新年快乐! 恭喜发财!

Happy Lunar New Year of the Water Tiger! A year of change and taking confident, daring actions!

Today we ring in the year of the new brave water zodiac and with it the year of new directions and bold actions. Water is a powerful force of nature, conquering obstacles and changing its path without losing its way. And the Tiger, the king of all beasts in Chinese culture, is a symbol of strength, courage and big undertakings. But Tiger is also temperamental. While it is kind and adventurous, it can also be aggressive and short-tempered. So with the Water Tiger taking charge for the next twelve months, be ready for a capricious year ahead of us, and with it many new daring and exciting exploits to come.

Now don’t put off putting on your best hear-me-roar outfit, and go on and celebrate the new year! There is still time, as the festivities last till February 15th. So if you have a rad red outfit, dress up and party! Especially if you are a tiger yourself, it means extra good luck for you in your birth year.

Happy New ‘22 Year to You!

The brand spanking new year is here! With the new year come new resolutions, new goals, and new ambitions, which hopefully lead to new milestones, new success stories, and unforgettable experiences.

Here is hoping 2022 will be good to me and you!

Happy New Year!!! Cheers!

Fun fact: In Japanese 22, which can be pronounced as ni ni (にに, two two), sounds close to nyan nyan (にゃんにゃん) — a sound that a cat makes (meow meow) in Japanese. And thus, 22 is often associated with cats. In fact, in Japan, February 22nd (2/22 or にゃんにゃんにゃん, nyan nyan nyan) is considered to be a 猫の日 (neko no hi, Cat Day). So, this nyan nyan year also happens to be the year of the tiger! What are the chances?! Yeah, I am feline good that this could be a purr-fect new year. 😻

Interested in learning more about the big New Year or Oshogatsu celebration in the land of the rising sun? Then head on over here to fuel your knowledge for all things New Year in Japan.

Happy Ho Ho Ho to You!

Today is the day! The fun ugly sweater weather extravaganza. (If it’s cold where you are. If not, fun ugly tank tops?) Stretchy pants for dinner attire. The cheesy songs about snow, jolly old Saint Nick, his flying reindeer, and O Christmas tree. You know, all the fa-la-la-la-la and such. It’s finally the time to let go, be silly, happy, and generous with gifts! And maybe be a little naughty with all that cookie dough...😏

Here is to a very merry Christmas from our PICA family to yours! Cheers!

Oh, and if you are here because of a deep desire to know if Japan celebrates Christmas, then head on over here to fuel your need for knowledge on all Japanese things ho ho ho.

The Ox has moo-ved in! 新年快乐! 恭喜发财!

Happy 牛 Year! Happy Spring Festival and Lunar New Year! Dress in red and celebrate, for today marks the beginning of the year of the gentle and good-natured Golden Ox.

Last year’s Rat marked the beginning of the 12 animal Chinese Astrology cycle as it was the first to arrive at the Jade Emperor's place on the back of the Ox. So this year it is Ox’s turn to shine, and hopefully leave us with a much better experience of this new 12-year cycle emerging under the metal element, denoting the next 12 months as the age of ambition and progress.

The Ox is grounded and gentle. It is hardworking, reliable, and valued for its honesty. The Ox is all about positivity. And we definitely could use some of that right now.

On top of that, the Ox is seen as an auspicious animal with the power to grant wishes. So taking advantage of that, this year we would like to wish for all of us to be able to emulate the great Ox by embodying all the exceptional qualities of this year's animal zodiac.

May this year live up to its potential by grounding us, giving us the strength to pursue our ambitions, bringing about progress, and helping us find harmony in loyalty and reliability in each of us.

Cheers to the new year of the mighty Ox!

Welcome, 2021! Happy New Year!

The year 2020 has been a challenging one for everyone. It has turned our world upside down. Yet, it showed us that despite anything we have the power to adapt.

I am sure to all of us last year’s countdown meant more than it ever did before. It was the countdown to starting anew, turning the page on 2020 and hoping for a fresh start as we ring in the brand new year.

So we say, here is to new beginnings, to a chance for a happy year ahead of us, and most importantly to a promising possibility of safe family reunions! May this year be everything we all wish it to be!

Happy New Year! Happy 2021!

Happy Christmas!

The winter holidays are finally here! And we suspect your Christmas trees or your choice of festive dwelling decorations have been up a lot sooner this year than usual. I know ours were! We went all out this year as we wanted to cram in as much ‘joy’ as we could. And we all could use a little bit of joy this year, can't we? We truly hope this winter holiday season you all found your joy under the tree, on your doorstep, in a zoom call, in a letter, Christmas card or a box nicely wrapped and delivered to you by your friendly neighbourhood postman or postwoman.

Wishing you the best this holiday season from our PICA family to yours!

Stay in. Stay safe. Celebrate. Happy Christmas! Happy festivities! Cheers!

The prosperous Rat is here! 新年快乐! 恭喜发财!

Happy Chinese New Year of the Metal Rat! A year of prosperity and new beginnings!

Today is a new day in the new year according to the Chinese zodiac. And what a year to look forward to! The Rat was the first animal to arrive at Jade Emperor’s on the back of the ox only to leap in front of it at the last minute to come first, making it the first sign in the 12 animal Chinese Astrology cycle and marking its year for new beginnings. The Rat is also a symbol for wealth as it loves opulence! Moreover, it is known for its intelligence, success and wisdom, which makes it the best time for all of us to start something new and exciting—a new venture, start-up, or a hobby perhaps.

So don’t put off any more. Refresh your goals (Darumas are great for that!), put on your best attire, and make things happen! If not now, then when?

Oh, and for luck’s sake don’t forget to share the wealth with 红包 (hóng bāo, red pockets) with the young ones!

明けましておめでとう! HNY!

The new decade is in! Let’s welcome the new roaring 20s! Hoping this century’s decade will be just as fun. May it be glorious and full of excitement. May there be new inventions that make our lives easier aplenty. And may there be colour all around us. We’ll make sure to do our part and continue to bring more exciting colourful pop art prints to help you decorate the most out of your walls. That’s our New Year’s resolution.

Cheers!

P.S. What New Year festivities are like in Japan? Well, check it out...

Merry Christmas! Happy Gifting Season!

We are so excited for Christmas this year. This is the first Christmas we get to spend with our new little team member! So we made sure to go all out on the present wrappings for the tree, and turned our flat into a bit of an illumination extravaganza. We played holiday music everyday, almost all day, for a month! Oh and the baking… the baking! Now we get to put our fluffy slippers up and enjoy the highlight of the event: our baby tearing all that wrapping paper to shreds!

We do hope your season was just as jubilant for you as it was for us. Wishing you a Merry Christmas! Amazing holidays! And a joyous gift-giving-gift-receiving-gift-exchanging event of the year!

P.S. What’s it like to spend Christmas in Japan you ask? Well, grab your hot cocoa (don’t forget the marshmallows!) and head on over here...