Zodiac Snake Ornaments Readied for Shipment in Japan; 55 Designs Prepared to Share New Year Wishes

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:25 JST, September 13, 2024

Ornamental snakes, next year’s zodiac animal, are carefully inspected and packaged before shipment by employees of a ceramic crafts manufacturing company in Seto, Aichi Prefecture, a city known as a major ceramic production center. Chugai Toen Co. has produced 55 different kinds of snake ornaments for the New Year, including a white snake holding a hamaya amulet arrow in its mouth. Many designs feature a snake coiling around treasures as a good-luck object for protecting wealth and fortune. “We’ve made them cute and endearing with a wish for a bright New Year,” the company’s chairman said.

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