Japanese people had believed that rabbits are living on the moon in old days. Ancient people thought the shadow shape on the surface of the moon looked like a rabbit making Mochi(sticky rice cake) in a traditional way and thought that was a proof rabbits were on the moon.
Even now many people still say they can see a rabbit shape on the moon's surface. Thus rabbits are often associated with the moon in Japan especially in designs related to "Otstukimi" in fall as in the illustration above.
The zoomed photos of the moon wasn’t my own photos this time, but it was taken by one of my friends last year , at "Otsukimi Night" (luckily last Otsukimi Day was a very clear night and the full moon was very beautiful). Then I layered a drawing showing how Japanese people see a rabbit on the moon on the right hand side photo.
I have heard people in other countries describe the shadow on the moon such as “man’s profile”, "reading old woman", or “a crab”. What do you see on the moon? With the drawing of the rabbit, do you think there is something in what ancient Japanese people thought of?
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