The Eto of 2018 is a dog.
 
Eto ( 干支 ) = Sexagenary cycle
The branches are used marginally to indicate months. Despite there being twelve branches and twelve months in a year, the earliest use of branches to indicate a twelve-fold division of a year was in the 2nd century BC. They were coordinated with the orientations of the Great Dipper, (建子月—jiànzǐyuè, 建丑月—jiànchǒuyuè, etc.).[11] There are two systems of placing these months, the lunar one and the solar one.
One system follows the ordinary Chinese lunar calendar and connects the names of the months directly to the central solar term (中氣; zhōngqì). The jiànzǐyuè ((建)子月) is the month containing the winter solstice (i.e. the 冬至— Dōngzhì) zhōngqì. The jiànchǒuyuè ((建)丑月) is the month of the following zhōngqì, which is Dàhán (大寒), while the jiànyínyuè ((建)寅月) is that of the Yǔshuǐ (雨水) zhōngqì, etc. Intercalary months have the same branch as the preceding month. [12] In the other system (節月; jiéyuè) the "month" lasts for the period of two solar terms (two 氣策—qìcì). The zǐyuè (子月) is the period starting with Dàxuě (大雪), i.e. the solar term before the winter solstice. The chǒuyuè (丑月) starts with Xiǎohán (小寒), the term before Dàhán (大寒), while the yínyuè (寅月) starts with Lìchūn (立春), the term before Yǔshuǐ (雨水), etc. Thus in the solar system a month starts anywhere from about 15 days before to 15 days after its lunar counterpart.
 
What is the meaning of Masu?
Today we learned the polite form of verbs, also known as the  (masu) form of verbs. ★ Japanese has 2 verb tenses: past and non-past. Non-past indicates both present and future. This means that the same sentence often has two possible translations.
 
What is Masu sake?
A masu (枡升) was originally a square wooden box used to measure rice in Japan during the feudal period. Masu existed in many sizes, typically covering the range from one to (一斗枡 ittomasu, c. 18 L) to one gō (一合枡 ichigōmasu, c. 0.18 L).
 
How do you drink sake?
Hold the cup close to your face and take in the aroma. Take a small sip, and let it linger in your mouth before you swallow it. If you wish to warm your sake, simply place the tokkuri in a pan of boiling water. About 40-45 degrees Celsius is a good temperature to enjoy this drink.
 
Why is sake served in a wooden box?
Overflowing into the masu (the square wooden box) traditionally signals the wealth and generosity of the restaurant. The sake in the masu is also intended for drinking. People often even pour the contents of the sake glass into the box and drink from there, but this will alter the flavour a little.