I did it. Finally dipped into dobutsu uranai (animal fortunetelling), the Japanese fengshui of human relationships. For the past year I've endured the discomfort of having acquaintances whisper across the table at lunch: "I know what you are, you're a monkey. The way you slurp your noodles like that? That's a monkey if I ever saw one."
Having no knowledge of the intricacies of dobutsu uranai, I couldn't say whether the whisperer was right but deep in my heart wished it wasn't so. A monkey? No way. An elegant lion, a panther on the prowl, these were the creatures I identified with. And so I got the "Dobutsu Uranai" book (sold over 2.5 million copies and counting) to set the record straight.
Well, I was no panther, which destroyed my faith in the uranai altogether. Not so with many people who base things like guest lists and company functions on the type of animal they're dealing with.