Workers clad in a dog and a wild boar costume could be seen cleaning windows on the side of a hotel in Tokyo on Thursday. /VCG Photo

The dog and boar costume represented the passing year of the dog and the upcoming year of the boar. /VCG Photo

The Chinese zodiac calendar assigns a different animal every 12 years and repeats in a cycle. /VCG Photo

The Chinese zodiac and its variations are popular in many Asian countries including South Korea, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, etc. /VCG Photo

The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac signs are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. /VCG Photo