Private note with a bit of useful information. My dog on New Years got a lil’ doggie calendar and a lil’ doggie amulet (they’re called “eto” - 干支 - figurines representing the year of the Chinese zodiac) - along with a lil’ doggie お祓い(oharai, that Shinto blessing they do with a stick and paper). He was not impressed and said, “Great. Can I go back to sleep now?”
Fun fact! There are 12 cycles in the Chinese zodiac, each represented by an animal - last year was the cock (hee hee!) and next year will be the pig, so as my dog is 11, this is the first and only time in his life he’ll enjoy 戌年 (inu doshi - Year of the Dog).
If you look closely at the calendar, you’ll notice it is now Heisei 30 (平成30年) - easy to forget what reign year it is (even Japanese often forget), and with the Emperor set to retire on April 30, 2019, this will be the last full Heisei year (unsure of how they’ll handle that - it meshes with the fiscal year but not the calendar year).
(Also, Takara Pan bakery ー 宝パンー makes wonderful pizza crust upon which you can build your own pies. Contact info on the calendar.) - William