Welcome back to our New Years 2024 celebration! Today, I'll be talking about the Japanese zodiac for this year. I suppose it is the Asian zodiac in general, though I'm not as aware of things in the rest of Asia so I can't say for sure. One difference, anyway, is that Japan starts the Zodiac year on the first of January whereas many other Asian countries wait till Lunar New Year (which I believe is Feb 10th this year).

Anyway, this year, 2024, is the year of the Wood Dragon.

The dragon is the most powerful of the zodiac animals. He is also the most noble and honorable and is thought to be very kind. But what of the wood dragon? Well...

Enter the Wood Dragon

You see, the Asian zodiac is not just the twelve animals but also five elements, and this year the animal up is Dragon and the element is Wood, giving us the Wood Dragon. The last wood dragon was sixty years ago in 1964.

1964.... several big things happened in that year.

• Civil Rights Movement in the USA: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. This landmark legislation outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and was a major achievement of the civil rights movement.
• Tokyo Olympics: The 1964 Summer Olympics were held in Tokyo. It was the first time the Olympics were held in Asia and marked a significant moment of post-war recovery and international recognition for Japan. That's putting it mildly. This was a huge deal in Japan and is still remembered very fondly.
• British Invasion in Music: The Beatles made their first appearances in the United States, sparking the "British Invasion" in music and a significant cultural impact worldwide.
• Vietnam War Escalation: The Gulf of Tonkin Incident led to the U.S. Congress passing the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which significantly escalated U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. So it goes.
• Nelson Mandela's Imprisonment: Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison, drawing international attention to the apartheid system.
• China's First Nuclear Test: China conducted its first successful nuclear test, becoming the world's fifth nuclear power. Incidentally, the test occurred six days into the Tokyo summer Olympics (mentioned above). Naturally Japan was very concerned, with worries of the potential for radiation fallout gripping the nation.

All in all, a pretty eventful year. Will 2024 see any repeats of these events?

Nothing too dramatic happened in the stock market that year. 1964 was the last year for silver in coins in the US (with the exception of the half-dollar, which was reduced to 40%) due to the rising price of silver. Japan would keep silver in the ¥100 coin until 1967, but the writing was on the wall. I think other developed countries also started taking the silver out either in this year or soon after.

What to Expect for 2024

As mentioned above, the dragon is one of the most auspicious and powerful signs in the Asian zodiac. When we add in wood, which is associated with growth, vitality, and renewal, the wood dragon adds traits of creativity, innovation, and persistence. A Wood Dragon year is thus seen as a time of growth and potential. Hmm... I like the sound of that. BTC moon??

For general luck, it's considered to be an auspicious year for new beginnings, big projects, and taking bold steps. This is one year where big and bold risks are thought to pay off significantly.

More broadly, wood dragon years are seen as indicative of major change and significant events on the global scale, symbolized by the Dragon's powerful and transformative nature. As shown above, 60 years ago we had some pretty big events. Nothing I would consider major, but pretty big. Will this particular fortune come true again this year?

I don't know how well that lines up with the astrological forecast, but I do remember a few days about @opidia was mentioning a rough time at least for the beginning of the year. And so far in Japan we had a pretty big earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture, and then the very next day a plane crash at Haneda airport. Not a good start so far...

Fortunes

Anyone born in a year of the dragon, which is every 12 years prior to this one (so 2012, 2000, etc) will have good luck. The year of your animal year is always seen as a time of opportunity.

Traditionally the Dragon is said to get on well with the Monkey and the Rat. Why? Well, both the Dragon and Monkey are seen as intelligent. The Monkey is especially seen as clever which compliments the Dragon's nobility. The Rat is viewed as resourceful and adaptable, which is also seen as going well with the Dragon. So if you were born in a Monkey or a Rat year, you might also expect some luck.

Further, the Tiger and Rabbit are said to resonate well with the element wood, so they might also expect some degree of luck. I'm not quite sure why. Maybe tigers and rabbits just like wood?

The hour of the dragon is 7 to 9 am, so if you are a Dragon, that hour might be especially lucky for you this year.

How much luck and in what parts of life? I haven't the foggiest. I just look into this stuff for fun during my reading of Japan and haiku history; I don't get far enough into it to know all the details though. I know the professional Asian astrologers require a birth chart for personalized readings. Month, day, and hours all have different zodiac animals associated with them, after all, and you need to know your animal element for a more precise fortune. I know there is something about a inner or secret animal too, but I've not read enough to know exactly what that is.

Anyway, there is all the general info I know or have written down in my notes over the years. Hope you find it interesting. Most of the finer details are beyond my knowledge, so we'll just end things here. I don't know of any Asian zodiac experts on Hive, but if you do, feel free to leave their info in the comments.

Good luck this year!

David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Twitter or Mastodon.