NARA -- With 2021 being the year of the ox according to the Chinese zodiac, people at a support facility for the disabled are busy making papier-mache oxen and other ornaments in Kashiba, Nara Prefecture.
The models are made using a 3D printer that is then covered with Japanese washi paper and newspaper, which is later shaped and colored. The ornaments were designed and made by those who frequent the facility.
There are four types of ornaments, including one that was colored purple like an eggplant -- which is considered good luck in Japan -- and one shaped like a lucky mallet.
About 4,000 will be made at the facility by the end of November.
"I put my heart into making those papier-mache models, so I hope that it brings luck to whoever receives them," a 42-year-old man said.
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